The 2022 Nobel prize in physics has been won by three scientists for their work on quantum mechanics.

Alain Aspect, John F Clauser and Anton Zeilinger have won the 10m Swedish kronor (£802,000) prize announced on Tuesday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. 

All three will receive an equal share of the prize.

“Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger have each conducted groundbreaking experiments using entangled quantum states, where two particles behave like a single unit even when they are separated,” the awards body said on its website. “Their results have cleared the way for new technology based upon quantum information.” 

The physicists focused on exploring how two particles interact, behaving like a single unit, even when they are far apart. The phenomenon, known as quantum entanglement, was dubbed “spooky action at a distance” by Albert Einstein. 

Last year, three scientists also won the prize in Physics. Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi were honoured for helping explain and predict complex forces of nature and expanding humankind’s understanding of climate change.

The Nobel Prize announcements started on Monday, with Swedish scientist Svante Paabo receiving the award in medicine on Monday.

The announcements will continue with chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. 

The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, and the economics award on October 10.