3 scientists share 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics

(Xinhua) 14:56, October 05, 2023

The announcement of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics is held at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 3, 2023. Three scientists, Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier, won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics "for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced here Tuesday. (Photo by Wei Xuechao/Xinhua)

STOCKHOLM, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Three scientists -- Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier -- won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on "experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced here on Tuesday.

"The three Nobel Laureates in Physics 2023 are being recognized for their experiments, which have given humanity new tools for exploring the world of electrons inside atoms and molecules," the academy said in a statement.

"The three scientists have demonstrated a way to create extremely short pulses of light that can be used to measure the rapid processes in which electrons move or change energy."

In a telephone interview on site, L'Huillier said that receiving the prize "means really a lot" to her.

"It's incredible," she said, adding that she was so happy to get the prize "as not so many women (scientists) get it."

In 1987, L'Huillier discovered that many different overtones of light arose when she transmitted infrared laser light through a noble gas. She has since continued to explore this phenomenon, laying the ground for subsequent breakthroughs.

In 2001, Agostini succeeded in producing and investigating a series of consecutive light pulses, in which each pulse lasted just 250 attoseconds.

Simultaneously, Krausz was working on another type of experiment, one that made it possible to isolate a single light pulse that lasted 650 attoseconds.

The laureates' contributions have enabled the investigation of processes that are so rapid they were previously impossible to follow, the statement said.

"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 utilizing them," Eva Olsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said.

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, the statement said.

Agostini got his PhD in 1968 from Aix-Marseille University, France. He is now professor at the Ohio State University in the United States. Krausz, born 1962 in Mor, Hungary, got his PhD in 1991 from Vienna University of Technology, Austria. He is now director at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching and professor at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, Germany. L'Huillier, born 1958 in Paris, France, got her PhD in 1986 from the Pierre and Marie Curie University in France. She is now professor at Lund University, Sweden.

The prize amount is 11 million Swedish kronor and will be shared equally between the three laureates. (1 Swedish krona = 0.090 U.S. dollar) 

Portraits of Nobel Laureates in Physics 2023 Pierre Agostini (L), Ferenc Krausz (C) and Anne L'Huillier are shown on a screen during the prize announcement at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 3, 2023. Three scientists, Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier, won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics "for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced here Tuesday. (Photo by Wei Xuechao/Xinhua)

The announcement of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics is held at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 3, 2023. Three scientists, Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier, won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics "for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced here Tuesday. (Photo by Wei Xuechao/Xinhua)

Mats Larsson, member of the Nobel Committee for Physics, explains the achievements made by the 2023 Nobel laureates in Physics during the prize announcement at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 3, 2023. Three scientists, Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier, won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics "for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced here Tuesday. (Photo by Wei Xuechao/Xinhua)

Portraits of Nobel Laureates in Physics 2023 Pierre Agostini (L), Ferenc Krausz (C) and Anne L'Huillier are shown on a screen during the prize announcement at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Oct. 3, 2023. Three scientists, Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier, won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics "for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced here Tuesday. (Photo by Wei Xuechao/Xinhua)