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A graduate of the University of Rochester and a former faculty member were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics today for their work at the University's Laboratory for Laser Energy (LLE).
Donna Strickland, who received her Ph.D. in Rochester in 1989 and is now a professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, and Gérard Mourou, a former professor of optics and scientist at LLE and currently a professor at École Polytechnique in France, have been rewarded for their work in developing lasers as a high-powered tool leading the way for new medical, scientific and commercial applications. Known as "chirped impulse amplification" or "CPA," this work was the basis of Strickland's PhD thesis in Rochester.
Strickland is only the third woman to receive the prize in physics, joining Marie Curie (1903) and Maria Goeppert-Mayer (1963). She is the first female winner in the history of Rochester.
"We have to celebrate women physicists because we are on the ground," Strickland said today after announcing his award. "I am honored to be one of those women."
Mike Campbell, director of LLE, said Strickland and Mourou had been instrumental in guiding research on high-power lasers of the type housed at the Laser Lab.
"The development of pulsed pulse amplification by Gerard and Donna has created many new applications in science and industry and catalyzed worldwide research on advanced high-power lasers" , did he declare. "The research that led to the Nobel Prize was conducted at the Laser Energy Lab and highlights the quality and innovation that have long characterized the University's contributions to optics. and laser science, and our sincere congratulations to Gerard and Donna for their pioneering and hard-hitting research. "
"The University of Rochester community is extremely proud to learn that the Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to our former graduate Donna Strickland and her graduate professor and consultant, Gérard Mourou, for their research conducted here at the university's energy laser university lab., "said University President Richard Feldman. "We are honored to be among the Nobel laureates at the University of Rochester and extend our heartfelt congratulations for this recognition and their professional achievements in physics."
In 1985, Mourou and Strickland presented what has been described as a remarkable advance in laser power, with a terawatt table laser, or "T-cubed laser". Until then, the peak power of the laser pulses was limited because of the severe damage caused by the pulses to the material used to amplify them. Mourou and Strickland worked together to solve the problem, developing the revolutionary CPA technique, which has three steps:
- Stretch the laser pulse thousands of times
- Amplify the pulse in a laser material without damaging it
- Recompress in time to return to its original duration
This breakthrough paved the way for the creation of very short and very intense laser pulses lasting for a fraction of a second, which made it possible to build more compact and precise laser systems. The CPA technique has been used in various applications, from Lasik eye surgery to the manufacture of materials used in smartphones.
"It's a great day for optics and a wonderful recognition of the profound impact of optics on science and engineering," said Scott Carney, director of the Rochester Optics Institute. "The CPA has opened the door to a treasure of science without this incredibly powerful and elegant invention, we would still live in a nanosecond world rather than exploring the physics of the femtosecond dynamics that occurs millions of times Dr. Mourou and Dr. Strickland's work has had an impact in areas ranging from chemistry to atmospheric science, from non-linear quantum electrodynamics to laser fabrication, and this recognition is well-deserved. "
Wayne Knox, professor of optics and former director of the Institute of Optics, was the first PhD student of Mourou and worked in his group of ultra-fast lasers. Mourou is "one of the most visionary and creative people I've met in my life," Knox said. "He was still thinking of the next power of 10. If his laser was producing 1018 watts per square centimeter, he wanted to build one that would be a thousand times bigger."
In addition to Strickland and Mourou, the Nobel Committee announced that the other prize was awarded to American scientist Arthur Ashkin for his work to create "optical tweezers", a method of using lasers to cool atoms to a temperature allowing their individual study. Boosting work done by Bell Labs, the research included contributions from Steven Chu & # 70; Rochester graduate, who then won his Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997.
In an interview with the Nobel Prize website, Strickland stated that she used Goeppert-Mayer's research as part of her own work, but that she was not sure how to put the idea into context. She was only the third woman to be recognized in physics.
"I'm glad there were pioneers like Maria Goeppert-Mayer and Marie Curie," she said. "She (Goeppert-Mayer) did not hold paid employment for a long time or was not recognized as a scientist, even though she was doing incredible work." The work I quote in her dissertation opened all the ionization of photons, which was the first use of our laser, was carried out in 1939. It's not as if she had received the Nobel Prize for this, but that has completely changed what could be done.You think, how can you go further not to get a Nobel Prize but just to be recognized as a scientist.I think things have totally changed. "
Strickland and Mourou are Rochester's 10th and 11th Nobel Prizes. The most recent was Richard Thaler & # 39; 74 (PhD), distinguished professor of Behavioral Sciences & Economics by Charles R. Walgreen at the Booth School of the University of Chicago, Nobel Laureate in Economics 2017.
David Williams, Dean of Research on Arts, Science and Engineering and Director of the Center for Visual Science, said that in selecting Strickland and Mourou, the committee had recognized the role played by such universities. Rochester in the meeting of students and teachers to advance knowledge. .
"The fact that Strickland and Mourou were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for an invention as a graduate student working with their mentor at the University of Rochester is the best possible example of our global leadership in research and training in the field of optics, "said Williams.
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Established in 1970 at the university, the LLE is recognized as a world leader in determining whether powerful lasers can compress atoms to induce nuclear fusion and as a leading center for the study. from high energy density physics, an exploration of the material. under pressures that we find only in stars and large planets.
With support from the federal and state governments, LLE has mobilized more than $ 2.3 billion since its inception to support cutting-edge research, including support for the work of Strickland and Mourou. In September, Congress authorized $ 80 million for LLE as part of the Ministry of Energy's 2019 fiscal year funding. This figure represents an increase of $ 5 million over last year and represents the highest federal funding ever attributed to LLE in the history of the University.
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