Science & Technology

Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, Anne L’Huillier win Nobel Prize for physics

Madrid Desk, Oct 3 (EFE).- Scientists Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize for Physics on Tuesday for their experimental methods on electrons inside atoms and molecules.

The three Nobel Laureates “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,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Science said in a statement on Tuesday.

French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier said she had not picked up initial calls from the Nobel Committee informing her of her win because she was teaching a class, but did so during a break.

“The last half hour of the lecture has been difficult,” L’Huillier said, smiling.

L’Huillier, a researcher and professor at the University of Lund in Sweden, said during the ceremony that teaching students is “very important” for her.

When asked about the importance of the prize, L’Huillier acknowledged that “it means a lot. It really means a lot. This is the most prestigious prize and I am so happy to get it. It’s incredible.

“There are not so many women who got this prize, so it’s very, very special,” she said.

L’Huillier is the fifth women to win the Physics Nobel.

The three winners’ research on attosecond physics “has opened the door to the world of electrons,” Eva Olsson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said.

The field has potential applications in several different areas, from electronics to medical diagnostics.

L’Huillier, who has been working in the field for 30 years, defended the importance of basic research.

“Basic research is really important and has to be funded by different institutions or agencies because it takes time. It takes time to arrive to a point where we start to see application for medicine, for semiconductor industry, for chemistry,” l’Huillier said.EFE

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