From the contributions of innovators like Marie Curie to the cutting-edge discoveries of contemporary scientists like Anne L’Huillier and Pierre Agostini who just won the Nobel Prize for their work with short pulses of light called “attoseconds”, France's impact on the realm of modern physics is significant. One of the specific benefits of EB’s unique French-American immersion program, is a deeper understanding of the culture and pedagogical tradition which produced those innovations. Read more about these contributions, as well as the “Année de la Physique” or “Year of Physics.”
On October 3, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2023 to the French scientists, Pierre Agostini and Anne L’Huillier, along with Austrian scientist Ferenc Krausz, for their work in producing “attosecond” pulses of light, pulses of light so fast, they measure a tiny fraction of a heartbeat.
The committee noted that these innovations will pave the way for a deeper understanding of matter at the level of electrons, those microscopic particles bouncing around within molecules and atoms. This knowledge will no doubt hold many potential applications across fields, from new super-fast electronics to medical diagnostics.
These new discoveries are part of a long tradition in France, whose pedagogy in longstanding institutions like the Sorbonne, and modern international leadership in organizations like CERN, has led to some of the most fundamental scientific breakthroughs of our era.
Did you know France has a long history of recognized contributions to the field of modern physics, including Nobel Prize Winners?
Here are just a handful from the very beginnings of modern physics:
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