Attosecond pulses for studying ultrafast electron dynamics

As a physicist, Anne L'Huillier is working at the limit of time. The 2023 Nobel Prize winner is conducting research with ultrashort laser pulses. She uses these to characterise the ultrafast movements of electrons.

At the invitation of the ÖAW and ISTA, Anne L'Huillier will present the research field of attosecond physics, for which she was awarded the Nobel Prize 2023 together with Ferenc Krausz and Pierre Agostini. In the lecture on "Attosecond Pulses for Studying Ultrafast Electron Dynamics", she will trace the development of the research field and will finally discuss those light sources - XUV sources (extreme UV) - that are suitable for producing a sequence of light flashes in the 100-atosecond range. Such pulses have made it possible to study the photoionisation of atoms and molecules in a completely new way. The availability of synchronised probe fields combined with interferometric measurements has made it possible to measure the incredibly small time delay in photoionisation, a concept developed by E. Wigner in 1955, and to characterise the quantum state of a photoelectron.

The aim of the lectures organized by the ÖAW and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is to bring excellent researchers from abroad to Vienna on a regular basis. Anne L'Huillier – like her colleague Ferenc Krausz – is closely associated with the Austrian Academy of Sciences as a member.

Photo ©Magnus Bergström