31. Hermann Staudinger Lecture – Anne L’Huillier

Attosecond Light Pulses for Studying Electron Dynamics

On 13 March 2025, Nobel Laureate in Physics 2023 Anne L’Huillier, a pioneer of ultrafast physics at the attosecond scale, held the 32nd Hermann Staudinger Lecture, entitled “How Electrons Move: Ultrafast Dynamics at the Attosecond Timescale”. Before her talk, she took the opportunity to explore the attosecond laboratory, led by FRIAS Senior Fellow 2024/25 Giuseppe Sansone and discuss ongoing collaborations. Among these is the QU-ATTO network, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action project scientifically coordinated from Freiburg, in which Prof. L’Huillier serves as one of the Principal Investigators for Lund University. Anne L’Huillier’s lecture offered fascinating insights into the fundamental processes governing electron dynamics in atoms and molecules — key to understanding chemical reactions, solid-state physics, and future quantum technologies.
On the day of her departure, Prof. L’Huillier made time for a special visit to the Deutsch-Französisches Gymnasium Freiburg. Pupils there were lucky enough to meet such an inspiring female scientist, whose groundbreaking work earned her the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Abstract

When an intense laser interacts with a gas of atoms, high-order harmonics are generated. In the time domain, this radiation forms a train of extremely short light pulses with duration of the order of 100 attoseconds. Attosecond pulses allow the study of the dynamics of electrons in atoms and molecules using pump-probe techniques. This presentation will highlight some of the key steps in the field of attosecond science, starting with the generation of high-order harmonics and continuing with the measurement of attosecond pulses. Some applications of attosecond pulses will be presented.

About the Lecture Series

The Hermann Staudinger Lectures, initiated by the FRIAS School of Soft Matter Research in 2008, bring international Nobel laureates to Freiburg to share their insights, offering a glimpse into their groundbreaking research and career paths. The events are among the highlights of the academic year. After the lecture, participants are invited to come together for drinks, snacks, and networking at FRIAS, providing an opportunity to exchange ideas in an informal setting.