Physics Nobel for three people; Attosecond light for electron studies

STOCKHOLM: Scientists Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for using pulses of light to study the behaviour of electrons, in work which could advance medical diagnostics and electronics, the award-giving body said.

The prize, which was raised this year to 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1 million), is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The academy said the work by the trio had given humanity new tools for exploring the world of electrons inside atoms and molecules with applications in fields such as electronics and medical diagnostics.

In a post shared on X, the award-giving body stated, "The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2023 #NobelPrize in Physics to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier “for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter."

"The laureates' experiments have produced pulses of light so short that they are measured in attoseconds, thus demonstrating that these pulses can be used to provide images of processes inside atoms and molecules," it said in a statement.