2023 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Awarded to Four Quantum Scientists

The Breakthrough Prize Foundation sponsored by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki awards yearly prices of $3 Million for each of several different categories for fundamental discoveries in their respective field. The 2023 award for the fundamental physics category was awarded to Charles H. Bennett, Gilles Brassard, David Deutsch, and Peter W. Shor for their foundational work in the field of quantum information. These gentlemen are very well known within the quantum community for their ground-breaking discoveries. Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard created the BB84 protocol initiating the field of quantum cryptography. David Deutsch defined the quantum version of a Turing machine and designed the first quantum algorithm that surpasses the best equivalent classical algorithm. And Peter Shor invented Shor’s algorithm to factor large numbers exponentially faster than any classical algorithm which was the first algorithm to demonstrate potential usefulness of quantum computing in the future. A press release announcing the winners of the Breakthrough Prizes can be seen here and a short video about the achievements of these physicists can be viewed here.

September 24, 2022