British-born scientists David Thouless, Duncan Haldane and Michael Kosterlitz were awarded this year's Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for studies on exotic matter that could result in improved materials for electronics or quantum computers, ABC news reported. ‎ 

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences cited the three for "theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter."

Topology is a branch of mathematics that describes properties of objects.

The academy said the laureates' work in the 1970s and '80s opened the door to a previously unknown world where matter takes unusual states or phases.

"Their discoveries have brought about breakthroughs in the theoretical understanding of matter's mysteries and created new perspectives on the development of innovative materials."

Thouless, 82, is a professor emeritus at the University of Washington. Haldane, 65, is a physics professor at Princeton University in New Jersey. Kosterlitz, 73, is a physics professor at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Source: MENA