The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to three scientists in recognition of their innovative instruments that have been employed to investigate the domain of electrons.
Electrons, which are subatomic particles, are involved in a variety of everyday phenomena, such as electricity and magnetism. This year, three Nobel laureates in physics demonstrated a method for generating light pulses that are incredibly brief in order to study electron-based processes.
Pierre Agostini of Ohio State University in the United States, Ferenc Krausz of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Germany, and Anne L’Huillier of Lund University in Sweden will each receive 11 million Swedish kronor (£822,910) as the prize fund.
Electrons typically endure modifications within a few tenths of a “attosecond,” which is defined as one billionth of a billionth of a second. Specialized technology was necessary to investigate such transient incidents.
The laureates’ experimental methodologies produced light pulses of such a brief duration that they were quantified in attoseconds. The transient dynamics of electrons in physical matter would be able to be investigated, a task that was previously unattainable.
A paradigm shift in photonics, the scientific study of light waves, was first initiated by the shortest blasts of light ever generated, known as attosecond pulses. These devices were used to acquire images of electrons in a variety of physical systems, such as atoms, chiral molecules (which are mirror images of one another and extremely small nanoparticles), and others. These devices were used to acquire images of electrons in a variety of physical systems, such as chiral molecules and atoms, which are mirror images of one another.
The investigation of these processes has been made possible by the assistance of each laureate. These rapid pulses allowed scientists to achieve a first-time alignment of the temporal resolution of their observations with the extremely rapid timescales inherent in electron dynamics.
This achievement necessitated significant progress in the disciplines of laser science and engineering, which have been the primary focus of Nobel laureates for the past few decades. The laureates of this year’s Nobel Prize spent decades perfecting the substantial advancements in the disciplines of laser science and engineering that were required to achieve this accomplishment. These advancements ultimately transformed the field.
L’Huillier identified an additional phenomenon that resulted from the interaction between laser light and gas atoms. This interaction has the potential to produce ultraviolet radiation pulses that are a few hundred attoseconds in duration.
Agostini and Krausz further elaborated on this discovery. Agostini effectively quantified and generated the width of brief light pulses in 2001. The RABBIT technique generated a sequence of pulses that lasted only 250 attoseconds. The shortest light pulses ever produced were measured, and substantial progress was made.
Krausz concurrently developed an alternative experimental methodology that he successfully implemented to separate a light pulse with a duration of 650 attoseconds.
The two methodologies that Agostini and Krausz developed are the foundation of a significant amount of current attosecond research.
Implementations that are novel
The potential applications of these attosecond pulses are quite intriguing.
These instruments have the capacity to investigate physical phenomena in a variety of materials that were previously unknown.
Eventually, the development of electronics that operate at exceptionally high velocities may be facilitated by an additional domain known as ultra-fast switching.
Medical diagnostics may also benefit from the study of attosecond pulses. By subjecting a blood sample to an exceptionally rapid discharge of light, scientists can detect minute alterations in the molecules. This could lead to the development of a new diagnostic method for diseases, including cancer.
Our group at King’s has been involved in a collaborative endeavor to incorporate the precision of attosecond pulses in the observation of physical processes with innovative advancements in quantum information processing. The generation of attosecond-scale quantum light pulses has the potential to be beneficial in the field of quantum computation.
The recognition of the Noble Prize in this specific field serves as an incentive for us to intensify our efforts to forge new paths. We eagerly anticipate the forthcoming creations of our colleagues and extend our sincere aspirations for their sustained success. We are confident that their innovative research will lead to the proliferation of extraordinary discoveries in the future.
