Oxford Mathematician Artur Ekert has been awarded a Micius Quantum Prize 2019 (Theory category) for his invention of entanglement-based quantum key distribution, entanglement swapping, and entanglement purification. The prizes recognise the scientists who have made outstanding contributions in the field of quantum mechanics and the 2019 prizes focus on the field of quantum communication.
Artur Ekert is one of the leaders in the Quantum Cryptography field. His research extends over most aspects of information processing in quantum-mechanical systems and brings together theoretical and experimental quantum physics, computer science and information theory. Its scope ranges from deep fundamental issues in physics to prospective commercial exploitation by the computing and communications industries.
Oxford Physicist and close colleague of Artur's, David Deutsch was also awarded a prize in the Quantum Computation Theory Category.
The Micius prizes are awarded by the Micius Quantum Foundation. The Foundation is named after Micius, a Chinese philosopher who lived in the fifth century BC.