Nobel Prize for Physics to Led the revolution in lighting – ANSA.it

The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to the Japanese Isamu Akasaki (85 years) and Hiroshi Amano (55 years old), both of the University of Nagoya, and all ‘American Shuji Nakamura (60 years), which since 1994 has moved from the University Japanese Tokushima to that of California, Santa Barbara. & lt; BR & gt; & lt; BR & gt;

The three physicists have invented the LED (Light Emitting Diode) , the revolutionary electronic devices that exploit the optical properties of some materials to produce light more efficiently in terms of energy and respect for the ‘ environment.

The invention of the LED detects the Nobel Foundation, has been awarded ” in the spirit of Alfred Nobel ”, which aimed to recognize the value of the discoveries can give important benefits for the ‘Humanity . The LEDs are capable of producing light in a new way.

The impact of this technology could in fact be comparable to that of the light bulb: ” as the bulb lamps have illuminated the twentieth century, the LED lights will be the twenty-first century ‘,’ writes the Nobel Foundation. The invention of the blue LED goes back in the early 90s, when Isamu Akasaki Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura succeeded for the first time to generate a beam of blue light from semiconductor materials. Until then, there were only led to red and green light, but these devices was not possible to produce white light.

Cheap energy for all For years
overcome This obstacle has been a real challenge for the physicists and the challenge continues constantly to make blue LEDs more efficient. Since a quarter of the electricity consumption in the world must be the lighting, the LED allow a substantial savings in fuel consumption and greater efficiency. Suffice it to say that the life of the LEDs is 100,000 hours, compared to the thousands of incandescent lamps and 10,000 hours of the fluorescence. And that the current record for the blue LED luminous efficiency exceeds 300 lumens / Watt, equal to that of traditional lamps 16 or 70 fluorescent lamps. With blue LEDs, finally, the people on the planet live without electricity networks (it is estimated that at least a million and a half) may have low-cost network since Led enough to feed small amounts of energy, such as produced by solar panels.

The comments of Nobel
“I was surprised by the news and, of course, for me it is an honor.” It ‘was the first comment Akasaki . “I am grateful to those who have allowed my studies,” he said at a press conference at Meijo University in Nagoya, where he teaches, broadcast live on public television NHK. Akasaki, who thanked the Matsushita Research Institute and its university, said he had received “2 or 3 days calls from media and other international institutions. I thought – he added – that would be the right time.” A word of advice to young researchers: “Do not chase after what is popular and attractive, but look for the one that you really want to do and how to do it.”
“I am very honored to receive the Nobel Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for the invention of LEDs,” said Nakamura on the website of the University of California at Santa Barbara, where teaches. “It ‘s very rewarding – he added – see the dream of LED lighting has become a reality. I hope the LED energy-saving light bulbs can help reduce energy consumption and cost of lighting in the world.”