France's Serge Haroche and American David Wineland have won the Nobel Prize for physics, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said Tuesday.

The two scientists were recognized for their "groundbreaking" work on measuring and manipulating individual quantum systems.

Haroche and Wineland work in a field of quantum optics relating to the interaction between light and matter.

“Their ground-breaking methods have enabled this field of research to take the very first steps towards building a new type of super fast computer based on quantum physics,” the academy said. “The research has also led to the construction of extremely precise clocks that could become the future basis for a new standard of time.”