Nobel Lecture: Generating high-intensity, ultrashort optical pulses

Generating high-intensity, ultrashort optical pulses

With the invention of lasers, the intensity of a light wave was increased by orders of magnitude over what had been achieved with a light bulb or sunlight. This much higher intensity led to new phenomena being observed, such as violet light coming out when red light went into the material. Discover how Donna Strickland and Gérard Mourou developed chirped pulse amplification, also known as CPA, to increase the intensity again by more than a factor of 1,000 resulting in new types of interactions possible between light and matter. They developed a laser that could deliver short pulses of light that knocked the electrons off their atoms. This new understanding of laser-matter interactions, led to the development of new machining techniques that are used in laser eye surgery or micromachining of glass used in cell phones. Plus Q&A.

Event Details

When: Tuesday 6 December 2022
Time: 6pm – 8pm
(Lecture concludes at 7pm, followed by a cocktail reception)
Venue: Messel Lecture Theatre, Sydney Nanoscience Hub (SNH) Physics Road, The University of Sydney
Cost: Free, registration essential for catering purposes
Register here by Thursday 1 December 2022