Australian astronomer Brian Schmidt plans to disprove suggestions scientists can't party as he celebrates into the early hours after receiving the Nobel Prize for physics.
The physics prize was awarded to Prof Schmidt, and Saul Perlmutter and A
Professor Brian Schmidt receives his Nobel Prize from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf. (AP Photo)dam Riess of the United States for their discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.
Speaking from Stockholm on Saturday, Prof Schmidt told AAP: "It's an amazing honour and I've been really nervous about being bestowed with such an honour, it feels like it's beyond belief. It's truly an honour I will never forget."
The formal event, held as tradition dictates on the anniversary of the death of prize founder Alfred Nobel in 1896, took place at Stockholm's Concert Hall which was decked out in white, yellow and orange flowers for the occasion.
The laureates and guests were clad in white tie and tails for men and evening gowns for women.
Prof Schmidt was not given the opportunity to speak during the ceremony, but bowed when greeted by the Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf.
"I'm very happy there was no speaking required on my part. I'm in a tuxedo, my father is in a tuxedo for the first time in his life, this is unfamiliar territory enough without me having to speak."
Following Saturday afternoon's ceremony, there was a formal banquet, which the Canberra resident attended along with his wife and two sons.
"Then there's a party afterwards, a dance party organised by students from the universities here in Stockholm. It's called the 'night cap' and goes until 5am. I'm not sure we are going to make it for the whole time, but I'll give it a go."
Prof Schmidt said he was thrilled to be joined in Stockholm at the ceremony by members of his research team, whose work had been instrumental in the findings cited for the Nobel win.
The 2011 Nobel laureates in medicine, literature, economics, and chemistry also received their prizes on Saturday.
Notably absent was one of the three winners of the Nobel Medicine Prize, Ralph Steinman of Canada, who passed away just three days before the award was announced on October 3, unknown to the Nobel committee.
While Nobel prizes are not awarded posthumously, the committee decided to maintain its decision to give him one half of the prestigious prize since it had not been aware of his death.
His wife, Claudia Steinman, accepted the honour on his behalf at Saturday's ceremony.
Bruce Beutler of the United States and Luxembourg-born Frenchman Jules Hoffmann shared the other half of the Medicine Prize, which this year honoured research on the immune system.
Israeli scientist Daniel Shechtman received the chemistry Nobel for discovering quasicrystals, an atomic mosaic whose existence was initially ridiculed before fundamentally altering theories about solids.
This year's Literature Prize went to Swedish poet Tomas Transtroemer, whose works address themes of nature, everyday life and death.
Transtroemer, 80, suffered a stroke in 1990 which left his speech slurred, and he was in a wheelchair on Saturday.
Finally, US researchers Thomas Sargent and Christopher Sims won the Economics Prize for research on the causal relationship between economic policy and different macroeconomic variables, such as GDP, inflation, employment and investments.
The Nobel Prize consists of a gold medal, a diploma, and 10 million kronor ($A1.46 million), to be shared if there is more than one recipient.
The laureates were also to be honoured at a formal dinner banquet later in the evening attended by the royal family and some 1400 specially-invited guests.
Earlier on Saturday in Oslo, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her compatriot and "peace warrior" Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni "Arab Spring" activist Tawakkol Karman.
The physics prize was awarded to Prof Schmidt, and Saul Perlmutter and A
Professor Brian Schmidt receives his Nobel Prize from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf. (AP Photo)dam Riess of the United States for their discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.
Speaking from Stockholm on Saturday, Prof Schmidt told AAP: "It's an amazing honour and I've been really nervous about being bestowed with such an honour, it feels like it's beyond belief. It's truly an honour I will never forget."
The formal event, held as tradition dictates on the anniversary of the death of prize founder Alfred Nobel in 1896, took place at Stockholm's Concert Hall which was decked out in white, yellow and orange flowers for the occasion.
The laureates and guests were clad in white tie and tails for men and evening gowns for women.
Prof Schmidt was not given the opportunity to speak during the ceremony, but bowed when greeted by the Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf.
"I'm very happy there was no speaking required on my part. I'm in a tuxedo, my father is in a tuxedo for the first time in his life, this is unfamiliar territory enough without me having to speak."
Following Saturday afternoon's ceremony, there was a formal banquet, which the Canberra resident attended along with his wife and two sons.
"Then there's a party afterwards, a dance party organised by students from the universities here in Stockholm. It's called the 'night cap' and goes until 5am. I'm not sure we are going to make it for the whole time, but I'll give it a go."
Prof Schmidt said he was thrilled to be joined in Stockholm at the ceremony by members of his research team, whose work had been instrumental in the findings cited for the Nobel win.
The 2011 Nobel laureates in medicine, literature, economics, and chemistry also received their prizes on Saturday.
Notably absent was one of the three winners of the Nobel Medicine Prize, Ralph Steinman of Canada, who passed away just three days before the award was announced on October 3, unknown to the Nobel committee.
While Nobel prizes are not awarded posthumously, the committee decided to maintain its decision to give him one half of the prestigious prize since it had not been aware of his death.
His wife, Claudia Steinman, accepted the honour on his behalf at Saturday's ceremony.
Bruce Beutler of the United States and Luxembourg-born Frenchman Jules Hoffmann shared the other half of the Medicine Prize, which this year honoured research on the immune system.
Israeli scientist Daniel Shechtman received the chemistry Nobel for discovering quasicrystals, an atomic mosaic whose existence was initially ridiculed before fundamentally altering theories about solids.
This year's Literature Prize went to Swedish poet Tomas Transtroemer, whose works address themes of nature, everyday life and death.
Transtroemer, 80, suffered a stroke in 1990 which left his speech slurred, and he was in a wheelchair on Saturday.
Finally, US researchers Thomas Sargent and Christopher Sims won the Economics Prize for research on the causal relationship between economic policy and different macroeconomic variables, such as GDP, inflation, employment and investments.
The Nobel Prize consists of a gold medal, a diploma, and 10 million kronor ($A1.46 million), to be shared if there is more than one recipient.
The laureates were also to be honoured at a formal dinner banquet later in the evening attended by the royal family and some 1400 specially-invited guests.
Earlier on Saturday in Oslo, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her compatriot and "peace warrior" Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni "Arab Spring" activist Tawakkol Karman.
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