CP breaking means that certain particle reactions behave differently when you simultaneously change the sign of the particles' charges and their positions. It is as if things don't follow the same rules when you change their positions.

Quarks and leptons are the elementary particles that form the building blocks of everything around us. Cecilia Jarlskog has found a consistent and reliable way to determine how much CP breaking occurs in both the quark and lepton worlds.

The discovery is important because it helps scientists understand how elementary particles and matter work at a fundamental level. It contributes to our knowledge of the fundamental forces and symmetries that shape the universe. And for this achievement, Cecilia Jarlskog is now being recognised with the prestigious prize from the European Physical Society.

Prize justification on the European Physical Society's website

Cecilia Jarlskog's profile in Lund University's research portal.