Nobel prize for blue LED invention

The 2014 Nobel Prize for physics has been awarded to a trio of Japanese scientists for the invention of blue light emitting diodes (LEDs).

 The blue LEDs developed by Professors Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura helped produce bright, energy-efficient white light sources. The winners, named at a press conference in Sweden, will share prize money of eight million kronor (£0.7m).

 The physics Nobel has been awarded to 196 other laureates since 1901. Prof Nakamura, who was woken up in Japan to receive the news, told the press conference, “It’s unbelievable.”