Following is a list of physicists who are notable for their achievements.
A
- Aristotle — Athens, Greece (384–322 BC)
- Aristarchus of Samos — Samos, Greece (310 – ca. 230 BC)
- Nima Arkani-Hamed — (born 1972)
- Archimedes — Syracuse, Greece (ca. 287–212 BC)
- Aryabhata — Pataliputra, India (476–550)
- Avicenna — Persia (980–1037)
- Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī — Persia (973–1048)
- Alhazen — Basra, Iraq (965–1040)
- André-Marie Ampère — France (1775–1836)
- Amedeo Avogadro — Italy (1776–1856)
- François Jean Dominique Arago — France (1786–1853)
- Ernst Karl Abbe — Germany (1840–1905)
- Miguel Alcubierre — Mexico (born 1964)
- Derek Abbott — Australia (born 1960)
- Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov — Soviet Union, Russia (born 1928) Nobel laureate
- Robert Adler — United States (1913–2007)
- Stephen L. Adler — United States (born 1939)
- Ronald Ernest Aitchison — Australia (1921–1996)
- David Z Albert, United States
- Alexander Animalu, Nigeria (born 1938)
- Zhores Ivanovich Alferov — Russia (born 1930) Nobel laureate
- Hannes Olof Gösta Alfvén — Sweden (1908–1995) Nobel laureate
- Jim Al-Khalili — UK (born 1962)
- William Allis — United States (1901–1999)
- Samuel King Allison — United States (1900–1965)
- Yakov Lvovich Alpert — Russia, United States (1911–2010)
- Ralph Asher Alpher — United States (1921–2007)
- Luis Walter Alvarez — United States (1911–1988) Nobel laureate
- Viktor Ambartsumian — Soviet Union, Armenia (1908–1996)
- Herbert L. Anderson — United States (1914–1988)
- Anders Jonas Ångström — Sweden (1814–1874)
- Anja Cetti Andersen — Denmark (born 1965)
- Hans Henrik Andersen — Denmark (born 1937)
- Carl David Anderson — United States (1905–1991) Nobel laureate
- Philip Warren Anderson — United States (born 1923) Nobel laureate
- Edward Victor Appleton — UK (1892–1965) Nobel laureate
- Manfred von Ardenne — Germany (1907–1997)
- Neil Ashby — United States (born 1934)
- Nima Arkani-Hamed — United States (born 1972)
- Gurgen Askaryan — Soviet Union (1928–1997)
- David Awschalom — United States
- Franz Aepinus — Rostock
- Artem Alikhanian — Moscow
- Abraham Alikhanov — Ganja
- Semen Altshuler — Vitebsk
- Lev Artsimovich — Moscow
- Ayyub Guliyev — Azerbaijan (born 1954)
B
- V Balakrishnan — India (born 1943)
- Marcia Barbosa — Brazil
- Alexander Graham Bell — UK (1847–1922)
- Tom Baehr-Jones — United States (born 1980)
- Aiyalam Parameswaran Balachandran — India (born 1938)
- Johann Jakob Balmer — Switzerland (1825–1898)
- John Bardeen — United States (1908–1991) double Nobel laureate
- William A. Bardeen — United States (born 1941)
- Charles Glover Barkla — UK (1877–1944) Nobel laureate
- Boyd Bartlett — United States (1897–1965)
- Heinz Barwich — Germany (1911–1966)
- Laura Maria Caterina Bassi — Italy (1711–1778)
- Nikolay Basov — Russia (1922–2001) Nobel laureate
- Zoltán Lajos Bay — Hungary (1900–1992)
- Karl Bechert — Germany (1901–1981)
- Henri Becquerel — France (1852–1908) Nobel laureate
- Johannes Georg Bednorz — Germany (born 1950) Nobel laureate
- Isaac Beeckman — Netherlands (1588–1637)
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell — Northern Ireland (born 1943)
- John Stewart Bell — UK (1928–1990)
- Carl M. Bender — United States
- Abraham Bennet — England (1749–1799)
- Daniel Bernoulli — Switzerland (1700–1782)
- Hans Bethe — Germany, United States (1906–2005) Nobel laureate
- Homi J. Bhabha — India (1909–1966)
- James Binney — England (born 1950)
- Gerd Binnig — Germany (born 1947) Nobel laureate
- Jean-Baptiste Biot — France (1774–1862)
- Raymond T. Birge — United States (1887–1980)
- Vilhelm Bjerknes — Norway (1862–1951)
- James Bjorken — United States (born 1934)
- Patrick Blackett — UK (1897–1974) Nobel laureate
- Felix Bloch — Switzerland (1905–1983) Nobel laureate
- Nicolaas Bloembergen — Netherlands, United States (born 1920) Nobel laureate
- Nikolay Bogolyubov — Soviet Union, Russia (1909–1992)
- David Bohm — United States (1917–1992)
- Niels Bohr — Denmark (1885–1962) Nobel laureate
- Aage Bohr — Denmark (1922–2009) Nobel laureate
- Ludwig Boltzmann — Austria (1844–1906)
- Eugene T. Booth – United States (1912–2004)
- Max Born — Germany, UK (1882–1970) Nobel laureate
- Rudjer Josip Boscovich — Croatia (1711–1787)
- Jagadish Chandra Bose — India (1858–1937)
- Margrete Heiberg Bose — Denmark (1866–1952)
- Satyendra Nath Bose — India (1894–1974)
- Johannes Bosscha — Netherlands (1831–1911)
- Walther Bothe — Germany (1891–1957) Nobel laureate
- Edward Bouchet — United States (1852–1918)
- Robert Boyle — Ireland, England (1627–1691)
- Willard S. Boyle — Canada, United States (1924– 2011) Nobel laureate
- William Henry Bragg — UK (1862–1942) Nobel laureate
- William Lawrence Bragg — Australia (1890–1971) Nobel laureate
- Tycho Brahe – Denmark (1546–1601)
- Walter Houser Brattain — United States (1902–1987) Nobel laureate
- Karl Ferdinand Braun — Germany (1850–1918) Nobel laureate
- David Brewster — UK (1781–1868)
- Percy Williams Bridgman — United States (1882–1961) Nobel laureate
- Léon Nicolas Brillouin — France (1889–1969)
- Marcel Brillouin — France (1854–1948)
- Bertram Brockhouse — Canada (1918–2003) Nobel laureate
- Louis-Victor de Broglie — France (1892–1987) Nobel laureate
- Thomas Townsend Brown — United States (1905–1985)
- Ernst Brüche — Germany (1900–1985)
- Hermann Brück — Germany (1905–2000)
- Ari Brynjolfsson — Iceland (1927–2013)
- Johannes Martinus Burgers — Netherlands (1895–1981)
- Hans Buchdahl — Germany, Australia (1918–2010)
- Gersh Budker — Soviet Union (1918–1977)
- Friedrich Burmeister — Germany (1890–1969)
- Christophorus Buys Ballot — Netherlands (1817–1890)
C
- Nicola Cabibbo — Italy (1935–2010)
- Nicolás Cabrera — Spain (1913–1989)
- Curtis Callan — (born 1942)
- Fritjof Capra — Austria, United States (born 1939)
- Marcela Carena — Argentina (born 1962)
- Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot — France (1796–1832)
- David Carroll — United States (born 1963)
- Brandon Carter — Australia (born 1942)
- Hendrik Casimir — Netherlands (1909–2000)
- Henry Cavendish — UK (1731–1810)
- Alejandro Corichi — Mexico (born 1967)
- James Chadwick — UK (1891–1974) Nobel laureate
- Owen Chamberlain — United States (1920–2006) Nobel laureate
- Moses H. W. Chan — Hong Kong
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar — India, United States (1910–1995) Nobel laureate
- Georges Charpak — France (1924–2010) Nobel laureate
- Swapan Chattopadhyay — India (born 1951)
- Pavel Alekseyevich Cherenkov — Imperial Russia, Soviet Union (1904–1990) Nobel laureate
- Maxim Chernodub — Russia, France (born 1973)
- Geoffrey Chew — United States (born 1924)
- Boris Chirikov — Soviet Union, Russia (1928–2008)
- Ernst Chladni — Germany (1756–1827)
- Steven Chu — United States (born 1948) Nobel laureate
- Giovanni Ciccotti — Italy (born 1943)
- Benoît Clapeyron — France (1799–1864)
- George W. Clark
- Rudolf Clausius — Germany (1822–1888)
- Gerald B. Cleaver — United States
- John Cockcroft — UK (1897–1967) Nobel laureate
- Claude Cohen-Tannoudji — France (born 1933) Nobel laureate
- Arthur Compton — United States (1892–1962) Nobel laureate
- Karl Compton — United States (1887–1954)
- Edward Condon — United States (1902–1974)
- Leon Cooper — United States (born 1930) Nobel laureate
- Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis — France (1792–1843)
- Allan McLeod Cormack — South Africa, United States (1924–1998)
- Eric Allin Cornell — United States (born 1961) Nobel laureate
- Marie Alfred Cornu — France (1841–1902)
- Charles-Augustin de Coulomb — France (1736–1806)
- Ernest Courant — United States (born 1920)
- Brian Cox — UK (born 1968)
- James Cronin — United States (born 1931) Nobel laureate
- Sir William Crookes — UK (1832–1919)
- Charles Critchfield — United States (1910–1994)
- Marie Curie — Poland, France (1867–1934) Nobel laureate
- Pierre Curie — France (1859–1906) Nobel laureate
- Predrag Cvitanović – Croatia (born 1946)
D
- Jean le Rond d’Alembert — France (1717–1783)
- Gustaf Dalén — Sweden (1869–1937) Nobel laureate
- Jean Dalibard — France (born 1958)
- Richard Dalitz — UK, United States (1925–2006)
- John Dalton — UK (1766–1844)
- Charles Galton Darwin — UK (1887–1962)
- Ashok Das – India, USA (born 1953)
- Paul Davies — Australia (born 1946)
- Raymond Davis, Jr. — United States (1914–2006) Nobel laureate
- Clinton Davisson — United States (1881–1958) Nobel laureate
- Necmi Dayday — Turkey (born 1943)
- Peter Debije — Netherlands (1884–1966)
- Hans Georg Dehmelt — Germany, United States (born 1922) Nobel laureate
- Max Delbrück — Germany, United States (1906–1981)
- Democritus — Abdera (ca. 460–360 BC)
- David M. Dennison — United States (1900–1976)
- David Deutsch — Israel, UK (born 1953)
- James Dewar — UK (1842–1923)
- Robbert Dijkgraaf — Netherlands (born 1960)
- Savas Dimopoulos — United States (born 1952)
- Paul Dirac — UK (1902–1984) Nobel laureate
- Revaz Dogonadze — Soviet Union, Georgia (1931–1985)
- Christian Doppler — Austria (1803–1853)
- Henk Dorgelo — Netherlands (1894–1961)
- Robert Döpel — Germany (1895–1982)
- Friedrich Ernst Dorn — Germany (1848–1916)
- Michael R. Douglas — United States (born 1961)
- Sidney Drell — United States (born 1926)
- Paul Drude — Germany (1863–1906)
- F. J. Duarte — United States
- Pierre Louis Dulong — France (1785–1838)
- Samuel T. Durrance — United States (born 1943)
- Freeman Dyson — UK, United States (born 1923) Wolf laureate
E
- Joseph H. Eberly — United States (born 1935)
- William Eccles — UK (1875–1966)
- Carl Eckart — United States (1902–1973)
- Sir Arthur Eddington — UK (1882–1944)
- Paul Ehrenfest — Austria-Hungary, Netherlands (1880–1933)
- Felix Ehrenhaft — Austria-Hungary, United States (1879–1952)
- Manfred Eigen — Germany (born 1927)
- Albert Einstein — Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United States (1879–1955) Nobel laureate
- Terence James Elkins — Australia, United States (born 1936)
- John Ellis — UK (born 1946)
- R. Keith Ellis — UK, United States (born 1949)
- Arpad Elo — Hungary (1903–1992)
- François Englert — Belgium (born 1932) Nobel laureate
- David Enskog — Sweden (1884–1947)
- Loránd Eötvös — Austria-Hungary (1848–1919)
- Leo Esaki — Japan (born 1925) Nobel laureate
- Ernest Esclangon — France (1876–1954)
- Louis Essen — UK (1908–1997)
- Leonhard Euler — Switzerland (1707–1783)
- Denis Evans — Australia (born 1951)
- Paul Peter Ewald — Germany, United States (1888–1985)
- James Alfred Ewing — UK (1855–1935)
- Franz S. Exner — Austria (1849–1926)
- Thomas Edison — United States (1847–1931)
F
- Ludvig Faddeev — Russia (born 1934)
- Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit — Prussia (1686–1736)
- Kazimierz Fajans — Poland, United States (1887–1975)
- Michael Faraday — UK (1791–1867)
- Eugene Feenberg — United States (1906–1977)
- Mitchell Feigenbaum — United States (born 1944)
- Gerald Feinberg — United States (1933–1992)
- Enrico Fermi — Italy (1901–1954) Nobel laureate
- Albert Fert — France (born 1938) Nobel laureate
- Herman Feshbach — United States (1917–2000)
- Richard Feynman — United States (1918–1988) Nobel laureate
- Wolfgang Finkelnburg — Germany (1905–1967)
- David Finkelstein — United States (born 1929)
- Johannes Fischer — Germany (born 1887)
- Val Logsdon Fitch — United States (born 1923) Nobel laureate
- George Francis FitzGerald — Ireland (1851–1901)
- Hippolyte Fizeau — France (1819–1896)
- Vladimir Aleksandrovich Fock — Imperial Russia, Soviet Union (1898–1974)
- Adriaan Fokker — Netherlands (1887–1972)
- James David Forbes — UK (1809–1868)
- Léon Foucault — France (1819–1868)
- Joseph Fourier — France (1768–1830)
- Ralph H. Fowler — UK (1889–1944)
- William Alfred Fowler — United States (1911–1995) Nobel laureate
- James Franck — Germany, United States (1882–1964) Nobel laureate
- Ilya Frank — Soviet Union (1908–1990) Nobel laureate
- Benjamin Franklin — United States (1706–1790)
- Rosalind Franklin — UK (1920–1958)
- Walter Franz — Germany (1911–1992)
- Joseph von Fraunhofer — Germany (1787–1826)
- Steven Frautschi — United States (born 1933)
- Phyllis S. Freier — United States (1921–1992))
- Augustin-Jean Fresnel — France (1788–1827)
- Peter Freund — United States (born 1936)
- Alexander Friedman — Imperial Russia, Soviet Union (1888–1925)
- Daniel Friedan — United States
- B. Roy Frieden — United States (born 1936)
- Jerome Isaac Friedman — United States (born 1930) Nobel laureate
- Otto Frisch — Austria, UK (1904–1979)
- Erwin Fues — Germany (1893–1970)
- Harald Fuchs — Germany (born 1951)
- Georgy Flyorov — Rostov-on-Don
- Vladimir Fock — Russia
- Yakov Frenkel — St. Petersburg
G
- Dennis Gabor — Hungary (1900–1979) Nobel laureate
- Mary K. Gaillard — France, United States (born 1939)
- Galileo Galilei — Italy (1564–1642)
- Luigi Galvani — Italy (1737–1798)
- George Gamow — Russia, United States (1904–1968)
- Sylvester James Gates — United States (born 1950)
- Carl Friedrich Gauss — Germany (1777–1855)
- Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac — France (1778–1850)
- Pamela L. Gay – United States
- Hans Geiger – Germany (1882–1945)
- Andre Geim – Russian/British (born 1958) Nobel Laureate
- Murray Gell-Mann — United States (born 1929) Nobel laureate
- Pierre-Gilles de Gennes — France (1932–2007) Nobel laureate
- Howard Georgi — United States (born 1947)
- Walter Gerlach — Germany (1889–1979)
- Christian Gerthsen — Denmark, Germany (1894–1956)
- Andrea M. Ghez — United States (born 1955)
- Riccardo Giacconi — Italy, United States (born 1931) Nobel laureate
- Ivar Giaever — Norway, United States (born 1929) Nobel laureate
- Gary Gibbons — UK (born 1946)
- Josiah Willard Gibbs — United States (1839–1903)
- William Gilbert — England (1544–1603)
- Piara Singh Gill — India (1911–2002)
- Naomi Ginsberg — United States (born 1979)
- Vitaly Lazarevich Ginzburg — Soviet Union, Russia (1916–2009) Nobel laureate
- Marvin D. Girardeau — United States
- Donald Arthur Glaser — United States (born 1926) Nobel laureate
- Sheldon Lee Glashow — United States (born 1932) Nobel laureate
- G. N. Glasoe – United States (1902–1987)
- Roy Jay Glauber — United States (born 1925) Nobel laureate
- James Glimm — United States (born 1934)
- Karl Glitscher — Germany (1886–1945)
- Peter Goddard — UK (born 1945)
- Maria Goeppert-Mayer — Germany, United States (1906–1972) Nobel laureate
- Gerald Goertzel – United States (1920–2002)
- Marvin Leonard Goldberger — United States (born 1922)
- Maurice Goldhaber — Austria, United States (1911–2011)
- Jeffrey Goldstone — UK, United States (born 1933)
- Sixto González – Puerto Rico, United States (born 1965)
- Ravi Gomatam — India (born 1950)
- Lev Gor’kov — United States (born 1929)
- Samuel Goudsmit — Netherlands, United States (1902–1978)
- Leo Graetz — Germany (1856–1941)
- Willem ‘s Gravesande — Netherlands (1688–1742)
- Brian Greene — United States (born 1963)
- John Gribbin — UK (born 1946)
- Vladimir Gribov — Russia (1930–1997)
- David J. Griffiths – United States (born 1942)
- David Gross — United States (born 1941) Nobel laureate
- Frederick Grover — United States (1876–1973)
- Peter Grünberg — Germany (born 1939) Nobel laureate
- Charles Édouard Guillaume — Switzerland (1861–1931) Nobel laureate
- Feza Gürsey — Turkey (1921–1992)
- Alan Guth – United States (born 1947)
- Martin Gutzwiller — Switzerland (born 1925)
- Vitaly Ginzburg — Moscow
H
- Rudolf Haag — Germany (born 1922)
- Wander Johannes de Haas — Netherlands (1878–1960)
- Alain Haché — Canada (born 1970)
- Carl Richard Hagen — United States (born 1937)
- Otto Hahn — Germany (1879–1968)
- Edwin Hall — United States (1855–1938)
- John Lewis Hall — United States (born 1934) Nobel laureate
- Viktor Hambardzumyan — Armenia, Russia (1908–1996)
- William Rowan Hamilton — Ireland (1805–1865)
- Theodor Wolfgang Hänsch — Germany (born 1941) Nobel laureate
- Peter Andreas Hansen — Denmark (1795–1874)
- W.W. Hansen — United States (1909–1949)
- Serge Haroche — France (born 1944) Nobel laureate
- Paul Harteck — Germany (1902–1985)
- Douglas Hartree — UK (1897–1958)
- Friedrich Hasenöhrl — Austria, Hungary (1874–1915)
- Lene Vestergaard Hau Vejle, Denmark (born 1959)
- Stephen Hawking — UK (born 1942) Wolf laureate
- Ibn al-Haytham — Iraq (965–1039)
- Oliver Heaviside — UK (1850–1925)
- Werner Karl Heisenberg — Germany (1901–1976) Nobel laureate
- Walter Heitler — Germany, Ireland (1904–1981)
- Hermann von Helmholtz — Germany (1821–1894)
- Charles H. Henry — United States (born 1937)
- Joseph Henry — United States (1797–1878)
- John Herapath — UK (1790–1868)
- Carl Hermann — Germany (1898–1961)
- Gustav Ludwig Hertz — Germany (1887-1975) Nobel laureate
- Heinrich Rudolf Hertz — Germany (1857–1894)
- Karl Herzfeld — Austria, United States (1892–1978)
- Victor Francis Hess — Austria, United States (1883–1964) Nobel laureate
- Mahmoud Hessaby — Iran (1903–1992)
- Antony Hewish — UK (born 1924) Nobel laureate
- Paul G. Hewitt — US (born 1931)
- Peter Higgs — UK (born 1929) Nobel laureate
- George William Hill — United States (1838–1914)
- Gustave-Adolphe Hirn — France (1815–1890)
- Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin — England (1910–1994)
- Robert Hofstadter — United States (1915–1990) Nobel laureate
- Helmut Hönl — Germany (1903–1981)
- Pervez Hoodbhoy — Pakistan (born 1950)
- Gerardus ‘t Hooft — Netherlands (born 1946) Nobel laureate
- Robert Hooke — England (1635–1703)
- John Hopkinson — United Kingdom (1849–1898)
- Johann Baptiste Horvath — Slovakia (1732–1799)
- William V. Houston — United States (1900–1968)
- Charlotte (née Riefenstahl) Houtermans — Germany (born 1899)
- Fritz Houtermans — Netherlands, Germany, Austria (1903–1996)
- Sir Fred Hoyle — UK (1915–2001)
- John Hubbard – UK (1931–1980)
- John H. Hubbell — United States (1925–2007)
- Edwin Powell Hubble — United States (1889–1953)
- Russell Alan Hulse — United States (born 1950) Nobel laureate
- Friedrich Hund — Germany (1896–1997)
- Tahir Hussain — Pakistan (1923–2010)
- Andrew D. Huxley — United Kingdom (born 1966)
- Christiaan Huygens — Netherlands (1629–1695)
I
- John Iliopoulos — Greece (born 1940)
- Elmer Imes — United States (1883–1941)
- Nathan Isgur — United States, Canada (1947–2001)
- Ernst Ising — Germany (1900–1998)
- Jamal Nazrul Islam — Bangladesh (born 1939)
- Werner Israel — Canada (born 1931)
- Abram Ioffe — Romny
J
- Roman Jackiw — Poland, United States (born 1939)
- Shirley Ann Jackson — United States (born 1946)
- Gregory Jaczko — United States (born 1970)
- Jainendra Jain — India
- Ratko Janev — Republic of Macedonia
- Andreas Jaszlinszky — Hungary (1715–1783)
- Ali Javan — Iran (born 1928)
- Deborah S. Jin – United States (born 1968)
- Edwin Jaynes — United States (1922–1998)
- Sir James Jeans — UK (1877–1946)
- Johannes Hans Daniel Jensen — Germany (1907–1973) Nobel laureate
- Anthony M. Johnson – United States (born 1954)
- Irène Joliot-Curie — France (1897–1956)
- Pascual Jordan — Germany (1902–1980)
- Brian David Josephson — UK (born 1940) Nobel laureate
- James Prescott Joule — UK (1818–1889)
- Adolfas Jucys — Lithuania (1904–1974)
- Boris Jacobi — Potsdam
K
- Michio Kaku — United States (born 1947)
- Heike Kamerlingh Onnes — Netherlands (1853–1926) Nobel laureate
- Theodor Kaluza — Germany (1885–1954)
- William R. Kanne — United States
- Charles K. Kao — China, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, United States (born 1933) Nobel laureate
- Pyotr Kapitsa — Russian Empire, Soviet Union (1894-1984) Nobel laureate
- Theodore von Kármán — Hungary, United States (1881–1963)
- Alfred Kastler — France (1902–1984) Nobel laureate
- Amrom Harry Katz — United States (1915–1997)
- Predhiman K. Kaw — India (born 1948)
- Heinrich Kayser — Germany (1853–1940)
- Willem Hendrik Keesom — Netherlands (1876–1956)
- Edwin C. Kemble — United States (1889–1984)
- Henry Way Kendall — United States (1926–1999) Nobel laureate
- Johannes Kepler — Germany (1571–1630)
- John Kerr — UK (1824–1907)
- Wolfgang Ketterle — Germany (born 1957) Nobel laureate
- Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov — Soviet Union (born 1919)
- Abdul Qadeer Khan — Pakistan (born 1936)
- Julii Khariton — Soviet Union (1904–1996)
- Erhard Kietz — Germany and United States (1909–1982)
- Jack St. Clair Kilby — United States (1923–2005) Nobel laureate
- Toichiro Kinoshita — Japan, United States (born 1925)
- Gustav Robert Kirchhoff — Germany (1824–1887)
- Oskar Klein — Sweden (1894–1977)
- Hagen Kleinert — Germany (born 1941)
- Klaus von Klitzing — Germany (born 1943) Nobel laureate
- Jens Martin Knudsen — Denmark (1930–2005)
- Martin Knudsen — Denmark (1871–1949)
- Makoto Kobayashi — Japan (born 1944) Nobel laureate
- Arthur Korn — Germany (1870–1945)
- Masatoshi Koshiba — Japan (born 1926) Nobel laureate
- Matthew Koss — United States (born 1961)
- Walther Kossel — Germany (1888–1956)
- Lew Kowarski — France (1907–1979)
- Hendrik Kramers — Netherlands (1894–1952)
- Adolf Kratzer — Germany (1893–1983)
- Lawrence Krauss — United States (born 1954)
- Herbert Kroemer — Germany (born 1928) Nobel laureate
- August Krönig — Germany (1822–1879)
- Ralph Kronig — Germany, United States (1904–1995)
- Nikolay Sergeevich Krylov — Soviet Union (1917–1947)
- Ryogo Kubo — Japan (1920–1995)
- Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov — Soviet Union (1903–1960)
- Behram Kurşunoğlu — Turkey (1922–2003)
- Polykarp Kusch — Germany (1911–1993) Nobel laureate
- Yulii Borisovich Khariton — Soviet Union, Russia (1904-1996)
- Igor Kurchatov — Soviet Union (1903-1960)
L
- James W. LaBelle — United States
- Joseph-Louis Lagrange — France (1736–1813)
- Willis Lamb — United States (1913–2008) Nobel laureate
- Lev Davidovich Landau — Imperial Russia, Soviet Union (1908–1968) Nobel laureate
- Rolf Landauer — United States (1927–1999)
- Kenneth Lane — United States
- Paul Langevin — France (1872–1946)
- Irving Langmuir — United States (1881–1957)
- Cesar Lattes — Brazil (1924–2005)
- Max von Laue — Germany (1879–1960) Nobel laureate
- Robert Betts Laughlin — United States (born 1950) Nobel laureate
- Ernest Lawrence — United States (1901–1958) Nobel laureate
- Pyotr Nikolaevich Lebedev — Imperial Russia (1866–1912)
- Leon Max Lederman — United States (born 1922) Nobel laureate
- Benjamin Lee — Korea, United States (1935–1977)
- David Lee — United States (born 1931) Nobel laureate
- Tsung-Dao Lee — China, United States (born 1926) Nobel laureate
- Anthony James Leggett — UK, United States (born 1938) Nobel laureate
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz — Germany (1646–1716)
- Robert B. Leighton — United States (1919–1997)
- Georges Lemaître — Belgium (1894–1966)
- Philipp Lenard — Hungary, Germany (1862–1947) Nobel laureate
- John Lennard-Jones — UK (1894–1954)
- John Leslie — UK (1766–1832)
- Walter Lewin — Netherlands, United States
- Martin Lewis Perl — United States (born 1927)
- Robert von Lieben — Austria-Hungary (1878–1913)
- Alfred-Marie Liénard — France (1869–1958)
- Evgeny Lifshitz — Soviet Union (1915–1985)
- David Lindley — United States (born 1956)
- John Linsley — United States (1925–2002)
- Chris Lintott — UK (born 1980)
- Gabriel Jonas Lippmann — France, Luxemburg (1845–1921) Nobel laureate
- Antony Garrett Lisi — United States (born 1968)
- Karl L. Littrow — Austria (1811–1877)
- Oliver Lodge — UK (1851–1940)
- Maurice Loewy — Austria, France (1833–1907)
- Robert K. Logan — United States (born 1939)
- Alfred Lee Loomis — United States (1887–1975)
- Ramón E. López — United States (born 1959)
- Hendrik Lorentz — Netherlands (1853–1928) Nobel laureate
- Johann Loschmidt — Germany (1821–1895)
- Archibald Low — UK (1888–1956)
- Per-Olov Löwdin — Sweden (1916–2000)
- Lucretius — Rome (98?–55 BC)
- Joseph Lykken — United States (born 1957)
- Aleksandr Mikhailovich Lyapunov — Imperial Russia (1857–1918)
- Grigory Landsberg — Vologda
- Mikhail Lavrentyev — Kazan
- Mikhail Lomonosov — Denisovka
- Oleg Losev — Tver
M
- Carolina Henriette Mac Gillavry — Netherlands (1904–1993)
- Ernst Mach — Austria-Hungary (1838–1916)
- Luciano Maiani — Italy, San Marino (born 1941)
- Theodore Maiman — United States (1927–2007)
- Ettore Majorana — Italy (1906–1938 presumed dead)
- Sudhansu Datta Majumdar — India (1915–1997)
- Richard Makinson — Australia (1913–1979)
- Juan Martín Maldacena — Argentina (born 1968)
- Étienne-Louis Malus — France (1775–1812)
- Leonid Isaakovich Mandelshtam — Imperial Russia, Soviet Union (1879–1944)
- Peter Mansfield — UK (born 1933)
- Carlo Marangoni — Italy (1840–1925)
- Guglielmo Marconi — Italy (1874–1937) Nobel laureate
- Henry Margenau — Germany, United States (1901–1977)
- William Markowitz — United States (1907–1998)
- Robert Marshak — United States (1916–1992)
- Walter Marshall — UK (1932–1996)
- Toshihide Maskawa — Japan (born 1940) Nobel laureate
- Harrie Massey — Australia (1908–1983)
- John Cromwell Mather — United States (born 1946) Nobel laureate
- James Clerk Maxwell — UK (1831–1879)
- Brian May — UK (born 1947)
- Maria Goeppert Mayer — Germany, United States (1906–1972)
- Ronald E. McNair — United States (1950–1986)
- Simon van der Meer — Netherlands (1925–2011) Nobel laureate
- Lise Meitner — Austria (1878–1968)
- Fulvio Melia — United States (born 1956)
- Macedonio Melloni — Italy (1798–1854)
- Adrian Melott — United States (born 1947)
- Thomas Corwin Mendenhall — United States (1841–1924)
- M. G. K. Menon — India (born 1928)
- David Merritt — United States
- Albert Abraham Michelson — United States (1852–1931) Nobel laureate
- Stanislav Mikheyev — Russia (1940–2011)
- Robert Andrews Millikan — United States (1868–1953) Nobel laureate
- Arthur Milne — UK (1896–1950)
- Shiraz Minwalla — India
- Kathryn Moler — United States
- John J. Montgomery — United States (1858–1911)
- Jagadeesh Moodera — India, United States (born 1950)
- Henry Moseley — UK (1887–1915)
- Rudolf Mössbauer — Germany (1929–2011) Nobel laureate
- Nevill Mott — UK (1905–1996) Nobel laureate
- Ben Roy Mottelson — Denmark, United States (born 1926) Nobel laureate
- Amédée Mouchez — Spain, France (1821–1892)
- Ali Moustafa — Egypt (1898–1950)
- José Enrique Moyal — Palestine, France, UK, United States, Australia (1910–1998)
- Mozi — China (ca. 450 BC)
- Karl Alexander Müller — Switzerland (born 1927) Nobel laureate
- Richard A. Muller — United States (born 1944)
- Robert S. Mulliken — United States (1896–1986)
- Pieter van Musschenbroek — Netherlands (1692–1762)
N
- Yoichiro Nambu — Japan, United States (born 1921) Nobel laureate
- Jayant Narlikar — India (born 1938)
- Seth Neddermeyer — United States (1907–1988)
- Louis Néel — France (1904–2000) Nobel laureate
- Yuval Ne’eman — Israel (1925–2006)
- Ann Nelson — United States (born 1958)
- John von Neumann — Austria-Hungary, United States (1903–1957)
- Simon Newcomb — United States (1835–1909)
- Sir Isaac Newton — England (1642–1727)
- Holger Bech Nielsen — Denmark (born 1941)
- Edward P. Ney — United States (1920–1996)
- Leopoldo Nobili — Italy (1784–1835)
- Emmy Noether — Germany (1882–1935)
- Lothar Nordheim — Germany (1899–1985)
- Gunnar Nordström — Finland (1881–1923)
- Johann Gottlieb Nörremberg — Germany (1787–1862)
- H. Pierre Noyes — United States (born 1923)
- Konstantin Novoselov — Soviet Union, United Kingdom (born 1974) Nobel laureate
- Kendal Nezan, France, Kurdistan
O
- Georg Ohm — Germany (1789–1854)
- Susumu Okubo — Japan, United States
- Sir Mark Oliphant — Australia (1901–2000)
- David Olive — UK (born 1937)
- Gerard K. O’Neill — United States (1927–1992)
- Lars Onsager — Norway (1903–1976)
- Robert Oppenheimer — United States (1904–1967)
- Lochlainn O’Raifeartaigh — Ireland (1933–2000)
- Nicole Oresme — France (1325–1382)
- Leonard Salomon Ornstein — Netherlands (1880–1941)
- Egon Orowan — Austria-Hungary, United States (1901–1989)
- Yuri Orlov — Soviet Union, United States (born 1924)
- Douglas Dean Osheroff — United States (born 1945) Nobel laureate
- Mikhail Vasilievich Ostrogradsky — Russia (1801–1862)
- Hans Christian Ørsted — Denmark (1777–1851)
P
- Thanu Padmanabhan — India (born 1957)
- Heinz Pagels — United States (1939–1988)
- Abraham Pais — Netherlands, United States (1918–2000)
- Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky — Germany, United States (1919–2007)
- Blaise Pascal — France (1623–1662)
- John Pasta — United States (1918–1984)
- Jogesh Pati — United States (born 1937)
- Wolfgang Paul — Germany (1913–1993) Nobel laureate
- Wolfgang Ernst Pauli — Austria-Hungary (1900–1958) Nobel laureate
- G. B. Pegram — United States (1876–1958)
- Rudolf Peierls — Germany, UK (1907–1995)
- Jean Peltier — France (1785–1845)
- Roger Penrose — UK (born 1931) Wolf laureate
- Arno Allan Penzias — United States (born 1933) Nobel laureate
- Martin Lewis Perl — United States (born 1927) Nobel laureate
- Saul Perlmutter — United States (born 1959) Nobel laureate
- Jean Baptiste Perrin — France (1870–1942) Nobel laureate
- Bernhard Philberth — Germany (1927–2010)
- William Daniel Phillips — United States (born 1948) Nobel laureate
- Max Planck — Germany (1858–1947) Nobel laureate
- Joseph Plateau — Belgium (1801–1883)
- Milton S. Plesset — United States (1908–1991)
- Ward Plummer — United States (born 1940)
- Henri Poincaré — France (1854–1912)
- Eric Poisson — Canada
- Siméon Denis Poisson — France (1781–1840)
- Balthasar van der Pol — Netherlands (1889–1959)
- Joseph Polchinski — UK (born 1954)
- Hugh David Politzer — United States (born 1949) Nobel laureate
- John Polkinghorne — UK (born 1930)
- Alexander M. Polyakov — Russia, United States (born 1945)
- Heraclides Ponticus — Greece (387–312 BC)
- Heinz Pose — Germany (1905–1975)
- Cecil Frank Powell — UK (1903–1969) Nobel laureate
- John Henry Poynting — UK (1852–1914)
- Ludwig Prandtl — Germany (1875–1953)
- Ilya Prigogine — Belgium (1917–2003)
- Aleksandr M. Prokhorov — Soviet, Russian (1916–2002) Nobel laureate
- William Prout — UK (1785–1850)
- Luigi Puccianti — Italy (1875–1952)
- Ivan Pulyuy — Ukraine (1845–1918)
- Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin — Serbia, United States (1858–1935)
- Edward Mills Purcell — United States (1912–1997) Nobel laureate
- Boris Podolsky — Taganrog
- Bruno Pontecorvo — Italy, Soviet Union (1913–1993)
Q
- Helen Quinn — United States (born 1943)
R
- Ranjan Roy Daniel — India (1923–2005)
- Gabriele Rabel — Austria, United Kingdom (1880–1963)
- Isidor Isaac Rabi — Austria, United States (1898–1988) Nobel laureate
- Mark G. Raizen — New York City United States (born 1955)
- James Rainwater — United States (1917–1986) Nobel laureate
- Alladi Ramakrishnan — India (1923–2008)
- Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman — India (1888–1970) Nobel laureate
- Edward Ramberg — United States (1907–1995)
- Carl Ramsauer — Germany (1879–1955)
- Norman Foster Ramsey, Jr. — United States (1915–2011) Nobel laureate
- Lisa Randall — United States (born 1962)
- Lord Rayleigh — UK (1842–1919) Nobel laureate
- René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur — France (1683–1757)
- Sidney Redner — Canada, United States (born 1951)
- Martin John Rees — UK (born 1942)
- Hubert Reeves — Canada (born 1932)
- Tullio Regge — Italy (born 1931)
- Frederick Reines — United States (1918–1998) Nobel laureate
- Louis Rendu — France (1789–1859)
- Osborne Reynolds — UK (1842–1912)
- Owen Willans Richardson — UK (1879–1959) Nobel laureate
- Robert Coleman Richardson — United States (born 1937) Nobel laureate
- Burton Richter — United States (born 1931) Nobel laureate
- Floyd K. Richtmyer — United States (1881–1939)
- Robert D. Richtmyer (1910–2003)
- Charlotte Riefenstahl — Germany (1899–1993)
- Nikolaus Riehl — Germany (1901–1990)
- Adam Riess — United States (born 1969) Nobel laureate
- Karl-Heinrich Riewe — Germany
- Walter Ritz — Switzerland (1878–1909)
- Étienne-Gaspard Robert — Belgium (1763–1837)
- Heinrich Rohrer — Switzerland (born 1933) Nobel laureate
- Joseph Romm — United States (born 1960)
- Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen — Germany (1845–1923) Nobel laureate
- Clemens C. J. Roothaan — Netherlands (born 1918)
- Marshall Rosenbluth — United States (1927–2003)
- Carl-Gustav Arvid Rossby — Sweden, United States (1898–1957)
- Bruno Rossi — Italy, United States (1905–1993)
- Joseph Rotblat — Poland, UK (1908–2005)
- Carlo Rovelli — Italy (born 1956)
- Carlo Rubbia — Italy (born 1934) Nobel laureate
- Vera Rubin — United States (born 1928)
- Serge Rudaz — Canada, United States (born 1954)
- David Ruelle — Belgium, France (born 1935)
- Ernst August Friedrich Ruska — Germany (1906–1988) Nobel laureate
- Ernest Rutherford — New Zealand, UK (1871–1937)
- Janne Rydberg — Sweden (1854–1919)
- Martin Ryle — UK (1918–1984) Nobel laureate
S
- Mendel Sachs — United States (born 1927)
- Robert G. Sachs — United States (1916–1999)
- Carl Sagan — United States (1934–1996)
- Georges-Louis le Sage — Switzerland (1724–1803)
- Georges Sagnac — France (1869–1926)
- Megh Nad Saha — Bengali India (1893–1956)
- Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov — Soviet Union (1929–1989)
- Oscar Sala — Brazil (1922–2010)
- Abdus Salam — Pakistan, UK (1926–1996) Nobel laureate
- Edwin Ernest Salpeter — Austria, Australia, United States (1924–2008)
- Anthony Ichiro Sanda — Japan, United States (born 1944)
- Matthew Sanders — UK (born 1996)
- Vikram Sarabhai — India (1919–1971)
- Isidor Sauers — Austria (born 1948)
- Félix Savart — France (1791–1841)
- Martin Schadt — Switzerland (born 1938)
- Arthur Leonard Schawlow — United States (1921–1999) Nobel laureate
- Craige Schensted — United States
- Joël Scherk — France (1946–1979)
- Otto Scherzer — Germany (1909–1982)
- Brian Schmidt — Australia, United States (born 1967) Nobel laureate
- Walter H. Schottky — Germany (1886–1976)
- Kees A. Schouhamer Immink — Netherlands (born 1946)
- John Robert Schrieffer — United States (born 1931) Nobel laureate
- Erwin Schrödinger — Austria-Hungary (1887–1961) Nobel laureate
- Melvin Schwartz — United States (1932–2006) Nobel laureate
- John Henry Schwarz — United States (born 1941)
- Karl Schwarzschild — Germany (1876–1916)
- Julian Schwinger — United States (1918–1994) Nobel laureate
- Dennis William Sciama — UK (1926–1999)
- Thomas Johann Seebeck — Estonia (1770–1831)
- Raymond Seeger — United States (1906–1992)
- Emilio G. Segrè — United States, Italy (1905–1989) Nobel laureate
- Nathan Seiberg — United States (born 1956)
- Frederick Seitz — United States (1911–2008)
- Nikolay Semyonov — Russia (1896–1986)
- Ashoke Sen — India (born 1956)
- Robert Serber — United States (1909–1997)
- Roman U. Sexl — Austria (1939–1986)
- Shen Kuo — China (1031–1095)
- Mikhail Shifman — Russia, United States (born 1949)
- Dmitry Shirkov — Russia (born 1928)
- William Bradford Shockley — United States (1910–1989) Nobel laureate
- Lev Shubnikov — Russia, Netherlands, Ukraine (1901–1937)
- Clifford Shull — United States (1915–2001) Nobel laureate
- Manne Siegbahn — Sweden (1886–1978) Nobel laureate
- Kai Siegbahn — Sweden (1918–2007) Nobel laureate
- Ludwik Silberstein — Poland, Germany, Italy, United States, Canada (1872–1948)
- Eva Silverstein — United States (born 1970)
- John Alexander Simpson — United States (1916–2000)
- Willem de Sitter — Netherlands (1872–1934)
- Francis G. Slack — United States (1897–1985)
- John C. Slater — United States (1900–1976)
- Louis Slotin — United States (1910–1946)
- Alexei Yuryevich Smirnov — Russia, Italy (born 1951)
- George E. Smith — United States (born 1930) Nobel laureate
- Lee Smolin — United States (born 1955)
- Marian Smoluchowski — Poland (1872–1917)
- George Smoot — United States (born 1945) Nobel laureate
- Willebrord Snel van Royen (Snellius) — Netherlands (1580–1626)
- Arsenij Sokolov — Russia (1910–1986)
- Arnold Sommerfeld — Germany (1868–1951)
- Bent Sørensen — Denmark (born 1941)
- Rafael Sorkin — United States (born 1945)
- Maria Spiropulu — West Macedonia, Greece (born 1970)
- Johannes Stark — Germany (1874–1957) Nobel laureate
- Max Steenbeck — (1901–1981)
- Jožef Stefan — Austria-Hungary, Slovenia (1835–1893)
- Jack Steinberger — Germany, United States (born 1921) Nobel laureate
- Karl August von Steinheil — Germany (1801–1870)
- George Sterman — United States (born 1946)
- Otto Stern — Germany (1888–1969) Nobel laureate
- Simon Stevin — Belgium, Netherlands (1548–1620)
- George Gabriel Stokes — Ireland, UK (1819–1903)
- Aleksandr Stoletov — Russia (1839–1896)
- Horst Ludwig Störmer — Germany (born 1949) Nobel laureate
- Andrew Strominger — United States (born 1955)
- Ernst Stueckelberg — Switzerland (1905–1984)
- George Sudarshan — India, United States (born 1931)
- Rashid Sunyaev — Uzbek SSR (born 1943)
- Oleg Sushkov — Australia-Russia (born 1950)
- Leonard Susskind — United States (born 1940)
- Joseph Wilson Swan — UK (1828–1914)
- Jean Henri van Swinden — Netherlands (1746–1823)
- Bertha Swirles — UK (1903–1999)
- Leó Szilárd — Austria-Hungary, United States (1898–1964)
T
- Igor Yevgenyevich Tamm — Imperial Russia, Soviet Union (1895–1971) Nobel laureate
- Abraham Haskel Taub — United States (1911–1999)
- Geoffrey Ingram Taylor — UK (1886–1975)
- Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr. — United States (born 1941) Nobel laureate
- Richard Edward Taylor — United States (born 1929) Nobel laureate
- Max Tegmark — Sweden, United States (born 1967)
- Valentine Telegdi — Hungary, United States (1922–2006) Wolf laureate
- Edward Teller — Austria-Hungary, United States (1908–2003)
- Igor Ternov — Russia (1921–1996)
- Nikola Tesla — Serbia (1856–1943)
- George Paget Thomson — UK (1892–1975) Nobel laureate
- J. J. Thomson — UK (1856–1940) Nobel laureate
- William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) — UK (1824–1907)
- Charles Thorn — United States
- Kip Stephen Thorne — United States (born 1940)
- Peter Adolf Thiessen — Germany (1899–1990)
- Samuel Chao Chung Ting — United States (born 1936) Nobel laureate
- Frank J. Tipler — United States (born 1947)
- Ernest William Titterton — UK, Australia (1916–1990)
- Samuel Tolansky — UK (1907–1973)
- Sin-Itiro Tomonaga — Japan (1906–1979) Nobel laureate
- Lewi Tonks — United States (1897–1971)
- Evangelista Torricelli — Italy (1608–1647)
- Bruno Touschek — Italy (1921–1978)
- Charles Townes — United States (born 1915) Nobel laureate
- John Townsend — UK (1868–1957)
- Johann Georg Tralles — Germany (1763–1822)
- Sam Treiman — United States (1925–1999)
- Daniel Chee Tsui — China, United States (born 1939) Nobel laureate
- John J. Turin — United States (1913–1973)
- Sergei Tyablikov — Russia (1921–1968)
- John Tyndall — UK (1820–1893)
- Neil deGrasse Tyson — United States (born 1958)
U
- George Eugene Uhlenbeck — Netherlands, United States (1900–1988)
- Stanislaw Ulam — Poland (1909–1984)
- Nikolay Umov — Russia (1846–1915)
- Juris Upatnieks — Latvia, United States (born 1936)
V[edit]
- Cumrun Vafa — Iran, United States
- Léon Van Hove — Belgium (1924–1990)
- Sergei Vavilov — Soviet Union (1891–1951)
- Evgeny Velikhov — Russia (born 1935)
- Martinus J. G. Veltman — Netherlands, United States (born 1931) Nobel laureate
- Gabriele Veneziano — Italy (born 1942)
- Giovanni Battista Venturi — Italy (1746–1822)
- Émile Verdet — France (1824–1866)
- Jean-Pierre Vigier France (1920–2004)
- Anatoly Vlasov — Russia (1908–1975)
- John Hasbrouck van Vleck — United States (1899–1980) Nobel laureate
- Woldemar Voigt — Germany (1850–1919)
- Burchard de Volder — Netherlands (1643–1709)
- Max Volmer — Germany (1885–1965)
- Alessandro Volta — Italy (1745–1827)
- Wernher Von Braun — Germany (1912–1977)
W
- Johannes Diderik van der Waals — Netherlands (1837–1923) Nobel laureate
- Ludwig Waldmann — Germany (1913–1980)
- Ernest Walton — Ireland (1903–1995) Nobel laureate
- Kan-Chang Wang — China (1907–1998)
- Aaldert Wapstra — Netherlands (1923–2006)
- John Clive Ward — England, Australia (1924–2000)
- Gleb Wataghin — Ukraine, Italy, Brazil (1896–1986)
- John James Waterston — UK (1811–1883)
- Alan Andrew Watson — UK (born 1938)
- James Watt — UK (1736–1819)
- Denis Weaire — Ireland (194?–)
- Colin Webb — UK (born 1937)
- Wilhelm Weber — Germany (1804–1891)
- Alvin Weinberg — United States (1915–2006)
- Steven Weinberg — United States (born 1933) Nobel laureate
- Victor Frederick Weisskopf — Austria, United States (1908–2002)
- Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker — Germany (1912–2007)
- Heinrich Welker — Germany (1912–1981)
- Peter Westervelt — United States (born 1919)
- Gregor Wentzel — Germany (1898–1978)
- John Archibald Wheeler — United States (1911–2008)
- Gian-Carlo Wick — Italy (1909–1992)
- Emil Wiechert — Prussia (1861–1928)
- Carl Wieman — United States (born 1951) Nobel laureate
- Wilhelm Wien — Germany (1864–1928) Nobel laureate
- Arthur Wightman — United States (born 1922)
- Eugene Wigner — Austria-Hungary, United States (1902–1993) Nobel laureate
- Frank Wilczek — United States (born 1951) Nobel laureate
- Charles Thomson Rees Wilson — UK (1869–1959) Nobel laureate
- Kenneth Geddes Wilson — United States (born 1936) Nobel laureate
- Robert R. Wilson — United States (1914–2000) Nobel laureate
- David J. Wineland — United States (born 1944) Nobel laureate
- Karl Wirtz — Germany (1910–1994)
- Robert Woodrow Wilson — United States (born 1936)
- John R. Winckler — United States (1918–2001)
- Mark B. Wise — Canada, United States (born 1953)
- Edward Witten — United States (born 1951)
- Emil Wolf — Czechoslovakia, United States (born 1922)
- Fred Alan Wolf — United States (born 1934)
- Lincoln Wolfenstein — United States (born 1923)
- Stephen Wolfram — UK (born 1959)
- Michael Woolfson — UK (born 1927)
- Robert W. Wood — United States (1868–1955)
- Chien-Shiung Wu — United States (1912–1997)
X
- Basilis C. Xanthopoulos — Greece (1951–1990)
Y
- Rosalyn Yalow — United States (1921–2011)
- Chen Ning Yang — China (born 1922) Nobel laureate
- Thomas Young — UK (1773–1829)
- Francisco Jose Yndurain — Spain (1940–2008)
- Hideki Yukawa — Japan (1907–1981) Nobel laureate
Z
- Jan Zaanen — Netherlands (born 1957)
- Anthony Zee — United States
- Peter Zoller — Austria (born 1952)
- Pieter Zeeman — Netherlands (1865–1943) Nobel laureate
- Yakov Borisovich Zel’dovich — Russia (1914–1987)
- John Zeleny — United States (1872–1951)
- Frits Zernike — Netherlands (1888–1960) Nobel laureate
- Antonino Zichichi — Italy (born 1929)
- Karl Zimmer — Germany (1911–1988)
- Dmitry Zubarev — Russia (1917–1992)
- Barton Zwiebach — United States (born 1954)