The Simon Memorial Prize is an award that honors 'distinguished work in experimental or theoretical low temperature physics'. The prize is awarded by the Institute of Physics and is presented at the International Conference on Low Temperature Physics, which takes place every three years. The prize is named after Francis Simon, who contributed eminently to the field of low-temperature physics. The first prize was awarded in 1959 to Heinz London.
Not to be confused with the Robert Simon Memorial Prize awarded for dissertations from the Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics of Columbia University.
Winners The following have won this prize:
+ Recipients of the Simon Memorial Prize Year Recipient Citation2025Ady SternFor original and influential theoretical work on the quantum Hall effect, quantum statistics of emerging quasi-particles, topological order and decoherence in condensed matter systems at low temperatures. 2020 Jukka Pekola For fundamental achievements in quantum thermodynamics, metrology and cryogenics based on nanoscale electronic devices. 2017 For pioneering transport measurements at high magnetic fields and low temperature in heavy-fermion and cuprate superconductors. 2014 For fundamental contributions to the theory of quantum transport processes in superfluid 3He, heavy fermion superconductors and disordered metals. 2011 Sergey V. Iordanski "For their calculations and predictions of the fundamental forces acting on quantised vortices in superfluids, superconductors and other ordered systems: The Iordanskii force and the Kopnin force" Nikolai B. Kopnin 2008 Yasunobu Nakamura "For their pioneering demonstration of quantum coherent behaviour in a macroscopic object and for their subsequent explorations of quantum coherent physics in a series of novel superconducting devices." Jaw-Shen Tsai 2004 Grigory Volovik "for his pioneering research on the effects of symmetry in superfluids and superconductors and the extension of these ideas to quantum field theory, cosmology, quantum gravity and particle physics." 2001 1998 George R. Pickett In recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field of low temperature physics.IOP History of Physics Newsletter, December 2015. p.48 Anthony M. Guénault 1995 Alexander F. Andreev 1992 Olivier Avenel Eric Varoquaux 1989 Richard A. Webb 1986 in recognition of his outstanding experimental contributions to our understanding of the low temperature properties of metals. 1983 David Olaf Edwards for his outstanding research on liquid and solid helium and their surfaces. 1981 Anthony James Leggett for his outstanding contribution to the theory of superfluid He3. 1976 David M. Lee for their discovery in 1972 of the new low temperature phases of liquid helium-3. Douglas D. Osheroff Robert C. Richardson 1973 Peter Kapitza for distinguished work in the field of low-temperature physics. 1970 Walther Meissner for his work in many areas of low temperature physics and technology and, in particular, in the field of superconductivity. 1968 Kurt Alfred Georg Mendelssohn in recognition of distinguished work in superconductivity and the properties of liquid helium. 1965 John Charles Wheatley in recognition of his outstanding work on the properties of liquid helium-3 at very low temperatures. 1963 Henry Edgar Hall for their work on liquid helium II William Frank Vinen 1961 Ilya Lifshitz for his many contributions to the understanding of the structure of the Fermi surface in metals and for his work on liquid helium. 1959 Heinz London
See also Institute of Physics Awards List of physics awards List of awards named after people
References
External links Simon Memorial Prize. IOP