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2023 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded for Attosecond Physics Breakthroughs

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  Published in Science and Technology on Tuesday, November 18th 2025 at 5:35 GMT by WTVD

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Three US‑Affiliated Physicists Take Home the 2023 Nobel Prize for Quantum‑Technology Breakthroughs

On October 8 2023 the Nobel Prize Committee announced a surprise winner for Physics that has resonated through laboratories around the world. Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillier were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for “their pioneering work on attosecond physics, which opens the door to manipulating quantum systems on the timescales that electrons actually move.” Although the trio comes from different continents, the award highlighted the strong presence of US institutions in the research and the far‑reaching impact of their discoveries on the emerging field of quantum technology.

The Laureates and Their Institutions

• Pierre Agostini – Professor of Physics at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. Agostini’s work, conducted in collaboration with his former graduate student Alan M. M. Jones, first demonstrated the generation of ultrashort light pulses in the X‑ray regime using high‑harmonic generation (HHG).
• Ferenc Krausz – Professor of Laser Physics at Tel Aviv University, Israel, and director of the Institute for Scientific Computing and Simulation. Krausz, in collaboration with his group and researchers in the US, refined the technique of HHG and pushed the pulse durations into the attosecond domain (10⁻¹⁸ s).
• Anne L’Huillier – Professor of Physics at the University of Stockholm, Sweden. L’Huillier’s team worked in parallel with Agostini and Krausz, developing the theoretical framework and experimental setups that made it possible to measure electron dynamics on their natural timescales.

While Agostini and L’Huillier are primarily based in the United States and Sweden respectively, Krausz’s laboratory maintains strong ties to US institutions, including joint projects with the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Arizona. The cross‑continental collaboration exemplifies how modern quantum research transcends borders, yet the US remains a pivotal hub for this cutting‑edge science.

What Attosecond Physics Is All About

The Nobel citation explains that “attosecond pulses allow the measurement of electron dynamics in atoms and molecules, the fundamental processes that govern the behavior of matter.” By focusing a laser pulse on an atomic target, the researchers were able to ionize the atom and, in the process, generate higher harmonics of the incoming light. The interference of these harmonics produces a pulse so short that it can be considered a snapshot of an electron’s motion as it leaves the atom. These snapshots enable scientists to watch and even steer quantum processes in real time, a capability that was unimaginable a few decades ago.

The Nobel Committee emphasized that the ability to control electron dynamics is “essential for the development of future quantum technologies,” including quantum computing, quantum sensing, and ultrafast imaging. The ability to generate, measure, and manipulate attosecond pulses provides a toolbox that can be applied to design new quantum devices and to study chemical reactions with unprecedented detail.

Why This Matters for Quantum Technology

In the age of quantum supremacy, the control of quantum systems at the speed of their intrinsic dynamics is the holy grail. Quantum computers rely on coherent control of qubits, which are essentially two‑state quantum systems. The faster the operations that can be performed without decoherence, the more complex algorithms can be executed. Attosecond science offers a route to faster, more precise control of electronic states, opening up new architectures for quantum logic gates and error‑correction schemes.

Beyond computing, attosecond pulses are already being used to probe the structure of biological molecules in real time. This capability is vital for the development of quantum‑enhanced imaging techniques that could revolutionize drug discovery and material science.

The Nobel Prize Ceremony and Additional Context

The award was announced as part of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics ceremony hosted by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The ceremony was held virtually due to ongoing global travel restrictions, and the laureates accepted the prize in person from their respective institutions: Agostini from Texas, Krausz from Tel Aviv, and L’Huillier from Stockholm.

The Nobel website provides in‑depth biographies and technical explanations of the award, which readers can explore through links embedded in the original ABC 11 article. For example, a link to the Nobel Prize’s page on attosecond physics (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2023/summary/) offers a concise description of the scientific principles, while another link to the University of Texas’s press release (https://news.utexas.edu/2023/10/08/physics-nobel-prize-agostini/) details Agostini’s personal contributions.

Reflections from the Nobel Committee

In its statement, the Nobel Committee noted that the laureates “have not only achieved a technological milestone but have also opened a new window into the quantum world.” The committee’s emphasis on the broader significance of their work signals a shift in the prize’s focus toward applications that have the potential to reshape entire industries. In particular, the committee highlighted how attosecond science could serve as a foundational tool for the next generation of quantum technologies.

Looking Ahead

The implications of the prize are already being felt. Universities and private‑sector labs across the United States are investing in attosecond laser facilities, and funding agencies are prioritizing research on quantum‑controlled chemical dynamics. Meanwhile, the Nobel laureates continue to collaborate, with joint projects slated to explore new regimes of high‑intensity laser–matter interactions and to develop next‑generation attosecond pulse generators.

In sum, the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for attosecond science not only honors a remarkable achievement in fundamental physics but also underscores the United States’ central role in the global quest to harness quantum phenomena. As quantum technology moves from theory to application, the work of Agostini, Krausz, and L’Huillier will likely serve as a cornerstone for the field, inspiring a new wave of research that promises to transform computing, imaging, and beyond.