The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics recognized revolutionary achievements in the study of ultrafast electronic processes using ultrashort light pulses, opening new horizons for the study of the atomic world.
Nobel Prize in Physics
Laureates and their achievements
3 In October 2023, the Nobel Committee announced about the winners of the physics prize. The award was given to scientists for researching the ultrafast movement of electrons using ultrashort light flashes.
- Laureates were: Ferenc Krausch from the Institute of Quantum of Max Planck Optics and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Ann Luye from Lund University, Sweden, and Pierre Agostini from Ohio State University.
- According to the Nobel Committee, these researchers "gave humanity new tools for studying the world of electrons inside atoms and molecules." They have developed an efficient method of generating extremely short light pulses to measure ultrafast motion processes and energy changes of electrons.
Discovery value
"High-speed events merge in our perception, just as individual frames of film create the illusion of continuous motion. However, in the world of electrons, changes occur in one-tenth of an attosecond, so that in one second there are as many attoseconds has passed since the beginning of the universe. The laureates created light pulses with a duration of attoseconds, which makes it possible to study the processes inside atoms and molecules," the committee said in a press release.
- These scientific advances have opened up opportunities for further study of processes previously considered too fast to measure.
Prospects for research
Eva Olsson, head of the Nobel Committee for Physics, emphasizes: "We we can look into the world of electrons. Attosecond physics allows us to understand the mechanisms that control electrons. The next step will be their practical application."
A simplified diagram of the experimental model used by scientists is available on the Nobel Prize website. A more detailed description of the experiment can be found here. An employee of the National Science Museum of the NAS of Ukraine on Twitter explains the significance of these experiments in simple language:
Briefly about the Nobel Prize in Physics. Thanks to their experiments, this year's laureates were able to create flashes of light short enough to record the extremely fast movement of electrons. Thread 1/ pic.twitter.com/06HpSr1qCU
— Dovkolabotanika vulgaris (@botanikafake) October 3, 2023
It is worth mentioning that in the summer of 2023, the scientific community was waiting for results that would confirm or refute the statement of Korean scientists about the synthesis of the superconductor LK-99. If their results could be reproduced, the Nobel Prize in Physics could go to them. However, unfortunately, the expected breakthrough did not happen.
Glossary
- The Nobel Committee is the organization responsible for awarding Nobel Prizes in various fields of science .
- Attosecond is a unit of time equal to 10^(-18) seconds, used to measure ultrafast processes.
- LK-99 is a hypothetical superconductor, the synthesis of which was attempted by Korean scientists.
- Ferenc Krausch is a Hungarian-Austrian physicist, one of the laureates of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics.
- Anne Lulier is a Canadian-French physicist, winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Link
- https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2023/press-release/
- https: //www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2023/10/fig5_fy_en_23.pdf
- https://www .nobelprize.org/uploads/2023/10/advanced-physicsprize2023.pdf
Answers to questions
Who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023?
What is the importance of the work of these scientists for science?
What is an attosecond and what is its significance in these studies?
What prospects does this scientific work open?
Could the Nobel Prize in Physics be awarded for another discovery in 2023?
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Discussion of the topic – Revolutionary research on ultrafast electron motion: Nobel Prize in Physics 2023
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to three scientists for their revolutionary research into the extremely fast movement of electrons using ultrashort bursts of light. Ferenc Krausch, Anne Lulier, and Pierre Agostini were recognized for their innovative methods in quantum optics.
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Olena
Wow, what exciting news! 🤓 These scientists made an incredible breakthrough in physics. Imagine, they can observe the movement of electrons! This opens up so many opportunities for science!
Maximilian
Yes, Olena, that is really impressive! It is especially interesting that they use ultrashort pulses of light. I wonder how this can be applied in other fields, for example, in medicine or technology?
Sophie
Maximilian, I thought about it too! 🤔 Maybe it will help to develop new methods of diagnosing diseases at the cellular level? Or create more efficient solar panels? The possibilities seem endless!
Ivan
Um, those Nobel prizes again... It all sounds very complicated and confusing. Why do we need to know about the movement of electrons? It would be better to do something more practical for ordinary people.
Adriana
Ivan, don't be such a skeptic! 😄 Such discoveries lead to practical applications. Who knows, maybe in a few years this technology will be in every smartphone! Science is always a path into the unknown, and it is fascinating.
Pierre
Totally agree with Adriana! 👍 By the way, it is interesting that one of the laureates - Pierre Agostini - works at Ohio State University. This shows how important international cooperation in science is.
Olena
Pierre, you are right about international cooperation! And I was also struck by the comparison with cinema - how individual frames create the illusion of movement. Now scientists can see these 'frames' at the level of electrons. It's just incredible! 🎬⚛️
Maximilian
Yes, Olena, that's a great comparison! And just think - one tenth of an attosecond... It's so small that it's hard to even imagine. I wonder what other discoveries await us in the future thanks to this technology? 🚀🔬