The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023 has been awarded to Pierre Agostini from The Ohio State University, Ferenc Krausz from Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and Anne L’Huillier from Lund University. They are recognised for their experiments that generate attosecond pulses of light, enabling the study of electron dynamics in matter. This technology allows for investigating rapid processes in which electrons move or change energy. Potential applications include electronics and medical diagnostics. The prize amount is 11 million Swedish kronor, shared equally among the laureates.
Nobel Prize in Physics 2023 Awarded for Attosecond Light Pulse Experiments
These experiments have provided new tools for exploring the world of electrons inside atoms and molecules. The laureates have demonstrated a method to create extremely short pulses of light that can measure the rapid processes in which electrons move or change energy. In the world of electrons, changes occur in a few tenths of an attosecond – an attosecond is so short that there are as many in one second as there have been seconds since the birth of the universe.
Pioneering Work in Attosecond Light Pulses
In 1987, Anne L’Huillier discovered that many different overtones of light arose when she transmitted infrared laser light through a noble gas. Each overtone is a light wave with a given number of cycles for each cycle in the laser light. They are caused by the laser light interacting with atoms in the gas; it gives some electrons extra energy that is then emitted as light. L’Huillier has continued to explore this phenomenon, laying the groundwork for subsequent breakthroughs.
In 2001, Pierre Agostini succeeded in producing and investigating a series of consecutive light pulses, in which each pulse lasted just 250 attoseconds. Concurrently, Ferenc Krausz was working with another type of experiment, one that made it possible to isolate a single light pulse that lasted 650 attoseconds.
Impact of Attosecond Light Pulse Experiments
The laureates’ contributions have enabled the investigation of processes that are so rapid they were previously impossible to follow. Eva Olsson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, stated, “We can now open the door to the world of electrons. Attosecond physics gives us the opportunity to understand mechanisms that are governed by electrons. The next step will be utilising them.”
There are potential applications in many different areas. In electronics, for example, it is important to understand and control how electrons behave in a material. Attosecond pulses can also be used to identify different molecules, such as in medical diagnostics.
About the Laureates
Pierre Agostini completed his PhD in 1968 from Aix-Marseille University, France. He is currently a Professor at The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA. Ferenc Krausz, born in 1962 in Mór, Hungary, completed his PhD in 1991 from Vienna University of Technology, Austria. He is currently a Director at Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Garching and a Professor at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany. Anne L’Huillier, born in 1958 in Paris, France, completed her PhD in 1986 from University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris, France. She is currently a Professor at Lund University, Sweden.
Prize Details
The prize amount is 11 million Swedish kronor, which will be shared equally between the laureates. Further information can be found on the official websites of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Prize.
“We can now open the door to the world of electrons. Attosecond physics gives us the opportunity to understand mechanisms that are governed by electrons. The next step will be utilising them,” says Eva Olsson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics.
Summary
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023 has been awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillier for their pioneering experiments that generate attosecond pulses of light, enabling the study of electron dynamics within atoms and molecules. This breakthrough in attosecond physics opens up potential applications in various fields, including electronics and medical diagnostics, by providing a deeper understanding and control of electron behaviour in materials.
- The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023 has been awarded to Pierre Agostini from The Ohio State University, Ferenc Krausz from Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and Anne L’Huillier from Lund University.
- The laureates are recognised for their experiments that generate attosecond pulses of light, which are used to study electron dynamics in matter.
- These extremely short pulses of light can measure rapid processes in which electrons move or change energy.
- In 1987, Anne L’Huillier discovered that different overtones of light arose when transmitting infrared laser light through a noble gas, laying the groundwork for subsequent breakthroughs.
- In 2001, Pierre Agostini produced a series of consecutive light pulses, each lasting just 250 attoseconds. Concurrently, Ferenc Krausz isolated a single light pulse that lasted 650 attoseconds.
- These contributions have enabled the investigation of rapid processes that were previously impossible to follow.
- Potential applications of this technology include electronics, where understanding and controlling electron behaviour is crucial, and medical diagnostics, where attosecond pulses can be used to identify different molecules.
- The prize amount is 11 million Swedish kronor, to be shared equally among the laureates.
