The Academy said the award recognized "their discovery and proof of the index theorem, bringing together topology, geometry and analysis, and their outstanding role in building new bridges between mathematics and theoretical physics".
"Its authors, both jointly and individually, have been instrumental in repairing a rift between the worlds of pure mathematics and theoretical particle physics, initiating a cross-fertilization which has been one of the most exciting developments of the last decades," the Academy said in a press release.
The Niels Henrik Abel Memorial Fund was established on 1 January 2002 by Norway's parliament, the Storting. The award aims to provide international recognition for outstanding scientific work in the field of mathematics.
Niels Henrik Abel was a brilliant Norwegian mathematician who had an extraordinary career despite dying young and impoverished.
