中国科学院物理研究所（以下简称“物理所”）成立于1950年8月15日，其前身是成立于1928年的国立中央研究院物理研究所和成立于1929年的北平研究院物理研究所，1950年在两所合并的基础上成立了中国科学院应用物理研究所，1958年9月30日启用现名。
截止2021年底，在物理所工作和学习过的院士专家共有80余人。目前在所工作的中国科学院院士14人、中国工程院院士1人、发展中国家科学院院士9人。
2021年，物理所继续发挥科研优势，积极争取并承担科技部重点研发计划，基金委国家杰出青年科学基金、创新群体、重大项目和中科院先导专项等重大科研任务。同时，加强与地方的合作研究，促进成果转化。
2021年，物理所多个研究团队及科研人员荣获各类奖项及荣誉。陈小龙研究团队“基于结构基元的新电磁材料和新效应的发现”项目荣获2020年度国家自然科学二等奖；方忠院士获2021年度何梁何利科学与技术进步奖；张杰院士获2021年度“未来科学大奖”物质科学奖；范桁研究员获2020-2021年度周培源物理奖；白海洋研究员获2020-2021年度中国物理学会谢希德物理奖；方辰研究员获亚太物理联合会/亚太理论物理中心杨振宁奖；金魁研究员获中科院青年科学家奖、第五届马丁·伍德爵士中国物理科学奖；J.M.D.Coey荣获北京市科学技术奖国际合作中关村奖，物理所为提名单位。
根据中国科学技术信息研究所关于中国科技论文统计结果，2020年度，物理所发表第一署名单位的SCI收录论文数495篇；近十年来（2011-2020）被SCI收录的论文累计被引用篇数4453篇，被引用次数135701次。
物理所积极参与国际合作，2021年主持多项重点国际合作项目，与美国、英国、法国、日本、以色列等国家保持着良好的科研合作关系。

Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as "Institute of Physics") was founded on August 15, 1950. Its predecessor was the Institute of Physics, National Academia Sinica, founded in 1928, and the Institute of Physics, Beiping Institute of Physics, founded in 1929. In 1950, the Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences was founded on the basis of the merger of the two institutions. The present name was adopted on September 30, 1958.
By the end of 2021, there were more than 80 academicians and experts who had worked and studied in the Institute. At present, there are 14 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and 9 academicians of the Academy of Sciences for Developing Countries.
In 2021, the Institute of Physics continued to play the scientific research advantages, actively strive for and undertake the Ministry of Science and Technology key research and development plan, national Science Fund for Outstanding young people, innovation groups, major projects and CAS pilot special research tasks. At the same time, we should strengthen cooperative research with local governments to promote the transformation of achievements.
In 2021, a number of research teams and researchers of the Institute won various awards and honors. The project "Discovery of new electromagnetic Materials and new Effects Based on Structural Elements" by Chen Xiaolong's research team won the second prize of the National Natural Science Award in 2020. Academician Fang Chung won the Ho Leung Ho Lee Science and Technology Progress Award 2021; Prof. Zhang Jie won the Future Science Award 2021 Physical Science Award. Prof. Fan Liang won the 2020-2021 Zhou Peiyuan Physics Award.  Prof. Fang Chen won the Yang Zhenning Award of Asia-Pacific Physics Union/Asia-Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics. Jin Kui won the Young Scientist Award of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the fifth Sir Martin Wood Award for Physical Science in China. J.m.d.coey was awarded the Beijing Science and Technology Award for International Cooperation Zhongguancun Award, with the Institute of Physics as the nominee.
According to the statistical results of Chinese scientific and technological papers published by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China, in 2020, the number of SCI included papers published by the first signing unit of the Institute of Physics was 495; In the past ten years (2011-2020), the total number of papers cited by SCI was 4453, and the number of times cited was 135,701.
The Institute actively participates in international cooperation. In 2021, it hosted a number of key international cooperation projects, and maintained good scientific research cooperation relations with the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Israel and other countries.