Prof. George N. Gibson, High-Intensity Laser Physics Group, Department of Physics, University of Connecticut

Exploring Extreme Nonlinear Physics and Quantum Molecular Dynamics with High-Intensity Laser Pulses

Ultrafast laser systems can now produce ultrashort (attosecond) pulses of light with extremely high intensity (\(10^{22}\) W/\(cm^2\)), as recognized by the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. This has opened up a new world in nonlinear physics and may even test the nonlinear polarizability of the vacuum, itself. More immediate applications may include direct imaging of molecular orbitals and ultrafast atomic scale dynamics.