Schedule

16:00–16:30: Mingle, snacks and drinks
16:30–17:30: Lecture
17:30–late: Mingling continues

Anne L'Huillier: What happens during a billionth of a billionth of a second?

Moderator: Johan Gren, Deputy Head of Operations at Vattenhallen

In her research within attosecond physics, Anne L'Huillier uses laser technology to create ultra-short pulses of light that allow us to peer into the microcosmos. With these "camera flashes" it is possible to study the movement of electrons inside atoms and molecules. An attosecond is an incredibly short interval of time – a billionth of a billionth of a second. In this popular science talk, Anne will explain how they make these pulses, and what they can be used for.

– An attosecond is to the second what a second is to the age of the universe, says Anne. It matches the time scale of how an electron moves inside atoms or molecules. The time aspect is important because it's about mapping the movement, much like when a camera needs to have a very short exposure time when the subject is moving fast. Moreover, electrons are not particles in the classical sense in this context – they are more like waves – and attosecond physics is about describing and characterising these waves.

Anne L'Huillier is one of this year's recipients of the Wolf Prize – the most prestigious award in physics, second only to the Nobel Prize.