The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to a woman for the first time in 55 years.
Donna Strickland from Canada is only the third woman winner of the award.
Dr Strickland shares this year's prize with Arthur Ashkin from the US and Gerard Mourou from France.
It recognises their discoveries in the field of laser physics.
Dr Ashkin developed a laser technique described as optical tweezers, which is used to study biological systems.
Strickland helped paved the way for the shortest and most intense laser pulses ever created.
They developed a technique called Chirped Pulse Amplification.
It has found uses in laser therapy targeting cancer and in the millions of corrective laser eye surgeries which are performed each year.
[Source: BBC]
