Ferenc Krausz

1986      M.Sc., Budapest U. Technology, Hungary

1991      Ph.D. Vienna U. Technology, Austria

1998-2004 Professor, Vienna U. Technology, Austria

2003      Director, Max-Planck-Inst. Quantenoptik, Garching, Germany

2004      Professor, Ludwig-Maximillians-Universit?t München, Germany

2006      Director, Munich-Centre for Advanced Photonics, Germany

Research

Ultrashort-pulse lasers, ultrafast spectroscopy, high-field physics, attosecond

physics: Control and real-time observation of atomic-scale motion of electrons,

development of compact laser-driven sources of brilliant X-ray and particle beams

for medical applications.

    　The symbiosis of electrons and light forms the basis of life: The microscopic motion of electrons creates light which supplies our globe with life-giving energy from the sun. Electrons transform light into biological energy during　photosynthesis and into biological signals endowing us with the capability of seeing the world around us. Upon their　motion inside and between atoms electrons emit light, carry and process information in biological systems and manmade devices, create, destroy, or modify molecules and thereby affect biological function. Consequently, they are　key players in physical, chemical or life sciences as well as information, industrial and medical technologies　likewise.

Motion of electrons at the atomic scale and light wave oscillations (being mutually the cause of each other) occur at　an inconceivable pace and are measured in billionths of a billionth of a second, i.e. in attoseconds. By drawing on　their interaction, attosecond science aims at measuring, controlling and exploiting these processes: Electron motion　and light waves thereby extend the symbiosis of light and electrons from nature to technology.

Recent advances in laser science have opened the door to watching and controlling these hitherto inaccessible　microscopic dynamics^[1]-[14]. Key tools include waveform-controlled few-cycle laser light^[3,5,15]and attosecond　pulses of extreme ultraviolet and soft-X-ray light^[1,4,11]. They provide a force capable of steering electrons inside　and between atoms and a probe for tracking their motion [15]. Insight into and control over microscopic electron　motion are likely to be important for developing brilliant sources of X-rays, understanding molecular processes　relevant to the curing effects of drugs, the transport of bioinformation or the damage and repair mechanisms of DNA　at the most fundamental level where the borders between physics, chemistry and biology disappear. Once　implemented in condensed matter the new technology will be instrumental in advancing electronics and electronbased　information technologies to their ultimate speed: From microwave towards light wave frequencies