Boyle & Smith (1969)
The 2009 Physics Nobel is shared (along with Charles Kao, who is cited for suggesting optic fibers) by Willard Boyle and George Smith, inventors of the Charge-coupled Device.
The CCD, of course, is the workhorse of modern Astronomy. I cannot even imagine how things would be without it.
Actually, Boyle & Smith (1970, Bell Systems Technical Journal, 49, 587) and Amelio, Tompsett & Smith (1970, Bell Systems Tech. J., 49, 593), according to the detailed cite by the Nobel committee.
hlee:
[Nobel Controversy: Former Bell Labs Employee Says He Invented the CCD Imager] from IEEE Spectrum
10-26-2009, 8:17 pmhlee:
[Nobel Goes to Boyle and Smith for CCD Camera Chip] from IEEE Spectrum. Astronomers would enjoy this article more than any one. See the bottom two paragraphs of the first page.
10-29-2009, 1:12 pm