Here we see the topological essence of Michael Beard's conception: the action of the group (the exceptional Lie group E8, one of the bulkier residents of the Platonic realm) that disentangles and choreographs the complicated interactions between light and matter, unfolding them into a succession of logical steps. It is the interplay of these operations that constitutes the essential magic, the wave of the enchanter's wand, and it brings to mind Einstein's description of Bohr's atomic theory as the highest form of musicality in the sphere of thought. In the words of the philosopher Francis Bacon:

The sweetest and best Harmony is, when every Part or Instrument, is not heard by itself, but a Conflation of them all.

Professor Michael Beard, you have been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Physics for your profound contribution to our understanding of the interaction of matter and electromagnetic radiation. It is an honour for me to convey the warmest congratulations of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. I now ask you to step forward to receive your Nobel Prize from the hands of His Majesty the King.

Ian McEwan