The Nobel Prize in physics is to be shared by two Japanese and an American scientists, BBC reported Tuesday, citing the official announcement of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Yoichiro Nambu, Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa provided new insights into the building blocks of matter.

Nambu formulated a mathematical description of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics.

The work of Kobayashi and Maskawa predicted the existence of three families of particles known as quarks - the elementary sub-units of protons and neutrons, which together make up the nuclei of atoms.

The scientists' investigations explain anomalies apparent in the very fabric of the Universe.

Nambu's work underpins the Standard Model, which ties together the smallest known building blocks of matter and three of nature's forces - the strong, weak and electromagnetic (gravity has yet to be incorporated successfully).

Professor Nambu, 87, from the University of Chicago, is a US citizen but was born in Japan.

Professor Kobayashi, 64, works at the KEK Laboratory, Tsukuba, Japan, while Professor Toshihide Maskawa, 68, is affiliated to the University of Kyoto, Japan.

Last year's winners in physics were France's Albert Fert and Germany's Peter Gruenberg for work on the discovery of giant magnetoresistance.

Except physics, the Nobel Prizes cover also chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and economics. Laureates receive a medal and a diploma.

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