Two men and a woman have won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for their “inventions in the field of laser physics.” The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences says half of the $1 million prize will go to Arthur Ashkin of the United States. The other half will be shared by Gerard Mourou of France and Donna Strickland of Canada. The Swedish academy said their discoveries made possible “tools made of light” that improve scientific research, industry and medicine. These devices “are opening unexplored areas of research and a multitude of industrial and medical applications,” it said. Mourou and Strickland are being recognized for their work on high-intensity lasers. The Swedish academy praised them for developing a way to increase the power and usefulness of lasers.