Context:

• The Nobel Prize 2023 for Physics was shared by three scientists—Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier.

Nobel Prize 2023 for Physics

• Nobel Prize 2023 for Physics has been awarded for “experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses for the study of electron dynamics in matter.
• The laureates have been awarded the Prize for experiments that have allowed scientists to produce ultra-short pulses of light, with which they can finally ‘see’ directly into the super-fast world of electrons.
• The short pulses are generated on a timescale that is known as attosecond.

What is Attosecond ?

• Attosecond is an infinitesimally brief unit of time that could enhance our understanding of the fundamental forces and processes that govern the universe.
• It is equivalent to one quintillionth of a second, or 10 to the power of 18 seconds.

Significance of attoseconds

• Attosecond physics gives the opportunity to understand mechanisms that are governed by electrons.
• Attosecond pulses allow scientists to capture ‘images’ of activities that happen in incredibly short time spans. 
  • As a result, scientists can use such pulses to explore short-lived atomic and molecular processes implicated in fields like materials science, electronics, and catalysis.
• Attoseconds create and manipulate extreme ultraviolet (XUV) and X-ray pulses, which are vital for imaging ultrafast processes at the atomic and molecular scale.

News Source: The Hindu