“Acceptance Speech” Frontiers of Knowledge Award 2023 in Basic Sciences

Acceptance speech by Paul Corkum, winner of the 2023 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, who was honored alongside Anne L’Huillier and Ferenc Krausz for their pioneering research in attosecond physics, enabling scientists to observe and control electron motion in atoms, molecules and materials using ultrashort light pulses. Their contributions have been fundamental to studying subatomic processes on previously inaccessible timescales.

Corkum reviews the advances in nonlinear optics and explains how his research into the interaction between intense lasers and atoms led him to develop the three-step model, published in 1993, describing the return of electrons to their parent atoms. He highlights how this discovery made it possible to generate attosecond light pulses, perform ultrafast measurements and extend the spectral reach of conventional lasers. He also acknowledges the support of scientific institutions and collaborators in advancing this field of research.