Famous Swedish Physicists

Lise Meitner was an Austrian-Swedish physicist best remembered for her contributions that led to the discoveries of nuclear fission and the element protactinium. Nicknamed the German Marie Curie by Albert Einstein, Lise Meitner became the second woman in the world to receive a doctorate in physics in 1905. In 1997, chemical element 109 meitnerium was named in her honor.

Eva Ekeblad was a Swedish countess, agronomist, salon hostess, and scientist. In 1746, she discovered a method to make flour and alcohol from potatoes which earned her popularity. Her discovery made her the first female inductee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1748.

Born to math professor Harold S. Shapiro, Max Tegmark grew up to co-establish the Future of Life Institute, with funding from Elon Musk. The MIT professor is a specialist in cosmology, physics, and machine learning and had also penned a book on artificial intelligence, titled Life 3.0.

Harry Nyquist was a Swedish electronic engineer and physicist best remembered for his contributions to communication theory. His work earned him many prestigious awards such as the IRE Medal of Honor, the Stuart Ballantine Medal, and the Rufus Oldenburger Medal. Harry Nyquist is also remembered for his association with Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Anders Jonas Ångström was a Swedish physicist best remembered for co-founding the science of spectroscopy. He is also renowned for his studies of terrestrial magnetism, astrophysics, heat transfer, and the aurora borealis. In 1850, Anders Jonas Ångström was made a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.  

Nobel Prize-winning Swedish electrical engineer Hannes Alfvén is best remembered for his research on plasma physics. He practically pioneered the field of magnetohydrodynamics, which deals with plasmas in magnetic fields. He also proposed the concept of plasma cosmology, challenging the big-bang model, and penned works such as Cosmic Plasma.

Swedish physicist and astronaut Christer Fuglesang scripted history as the first Swedish to go to space. He has had an 18-year stint as an ESA astronaut and has also taught math, particle physics, and space physics. A PhD from Stockholm University, he has also worked with CERN.

Gustaf Dalén was an industrialist, engineer, and inventor. The AGA cooker and the Dalén light are among his most prominent inventions. He was a long-term CEO of the AGA company. He received over 100 patents during his lifetime. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1912 for his invention of a special kind of automatic regulator.

Renowned Swedish physicist Johannes Rydberg is most recognised for devising the Rydberg formula, a mathematical formula used to determine the wavelengths of photons. He was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize and was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1919. He worked at the Lund University as a provisional professor of physics before becoming a full professor.

Kai Siegbahn was a Swedish physicist best remembered for winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1981. He shared the Nobel Prize with Arthur Schawlow and Nicolaas Bloembergen for their contribution to laser spectroscopy. Kai Siegbahn also served as a professor at Uppsala University and the Royal Institute of Technology.

Manne Siegbahn was a Swedish physicist best remembered for winning the 1924 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discoveries in the field of X-ray spectroscopy. Over the course of his illustrious career, Manne Siegbahn was also honored with several other prestigious awards such as the Hughes Medal, Rumford Medal, and Dennis Gabor Medal and Prize.

Christopher Polhem was a Swedish scientist, industrialist, and inventor. He is credited with making immense contributions to the industrial and economic development of Sweden, especially mining. His contributions to the technological development in Sweden were honored by King Charles XII of Sweden. Christopher Polhem is also credited with writing essays concerning medicine, astronomy, geology, social criticism, and economics.

Sam Skarsgard is a Swedish physician. Born into the famous Skarsgard family as the son of prominent actor Stellan Skarsgard and his first wife, physician My Skarsgard, he was expected to become an actor like his father. However, he chose to be a doctor like his mother and works in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a Stockholm hospital.