Müller (left) and Bednorz were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1987 for their discovery of high-temperature superconductivity.
Keystone / Str
The Swiss winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics Karl Alex Müller has died at the age of 95. He received his distinction in 1987 together with German physicist Georg Bednorz.
Müller died on January 9, according to obituaries publishedExternal link by his family and his research laboratory IBM Research in the German-language newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. He died peacefully in his sleep after living his final days with “perseverance and optimism”, the family wrote.
Born on April 20, 1927, in Basel, Müller received his doctorate from the federal technology institute ETH Zurich in 1958. In 1963 he performed research in solid-state physics at IBM Research Zurich, heading the physics department there from 1971 to 1985.
Müller and Bednorz were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1987 for their “important breakthrough in the discovery of superconductivity in ceramic materials”, the Nobel committee wrote.
“As a scientist, Müller was highly regarded internationally and his work inspired many colleagues,” wrote IBM in his obituary.
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