Anne L'Huillier

Anne L'Huillier
Born	Anne Geneviève L'Huillier (1958-08-16) August 16, 1958 Paris, France
Occupation	Physicist
Years active	Since 1980s
Known for	Attosecond physics, high harmonic generation
Notable work	Development of attosecond light pulses, contributions to attochemistry

Anne Geneviève L'Huillier (; born 16 August 1958) is a distinguished French physicist specializing in atomic physics, currently holding a professorship at Lund University in Sweden.

She heads a research group in attosecond physics dedicated to observing electron dynamics in real time, aiming to deepen the understanding of chemical reactions at the atomic scale. Her combined theoretical and experimental contributions have been instrumental in establishing the field of attochemistry. In 2003, her research team achieved a world record by producing the shortest laser pulse measured at 170 attoseconds.

L'Huillier became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 2004 and has been honored with several notable accolades, including the Wolf Prize in Physics in 2022 and the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023.

Education

Born in Paris in 1958, Anne L'Huillier completed dual master's degrees in theoretical physics and mathematics before transitioning to experimental physics for her doctoral studies at Pierre and Marie Curie University. Her PhD research, conducted at the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) near Paris, investigated multiphoton ionization processes under intense laser fields.

Career

Following her doctorate, L'Huillier undertook postdoctoral positions at the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the University of Southern California. In 1986, she secured a permanent research role at CEA Saclay. By 1992, she was engaged in groundbreaking experiments utilizing one of Europe's earliest titanium-sapphire solid-state lasers capable of femtosecond pulses at Lund. She joined Lund University as a lecturer in 1995 and was promoted to professor two years later. Additionally, she holds a position on the board governing France’s Institut d'optique Graduate School.

Research

L'Huillier's investigations focus on both experimental and theoretical aspects of high harmonic generation within gases, enabling production of ultrafast light pulses in the ultraviolet spectrum with durations measured in attoseconds. Her pioneering observation in 1987 demonstrated that gases such as argon emit harmonics at multiples of the driving laser frequency.

In collaboration with Kenneth Schafer and Kenneth Kulander in 1991, she introduced simulations based on the time-dependent Schrödinger equation to elucidate high-order harmonic generation phenomena, accurately forecasting spectral profiles and phase-matching requirements. Later, in 1994, together with Maciej Lewenstein and Paul Corkum, she formulated a comprehensive quantum mechanical framework describing high harmonic generation.

Her team set a global benchmark in 2003 by generating laser pulses as brief as 170 attoseconds. These attosecond light sources act as ultrafast imaging tools capturing electron motion, thereby propelling attochemistry forward by permitting direct observation of electronic behavior during chemical transformations.

In 2010, an experiment led by Ferenc Krausz identified unexpected delays in photoemission from neon atoms; this discrepancy was resolved by L'Huillier's group in 2017 through recognizing the influence of shake-up electrons, reconciling empirical data with theoretical models.

Honors and awards

Between 2007 and 2015, L'Huillier contributed to the Nobel Committee for Physics, and since 2004 she has been a member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences. Her accolades include the 2003 , the UNESCO L'Oréal Award received in 2011, as well as multiple honors awarded in 2013 such as , , and an Honorary Doctorate from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), Paris. She was elected as a foreign associate to the National Academy of Sciences in 2018 and honored with the Prize for Fundamental Aspects of Quantum Electronics and Optics by the European Physical Society in 2019. Furthermore, she holds fellowships with both the American Physical Society and Optica.

In recognition of her groundbreaking work on ultrafast laser science and attosecond physics—particularly regarding high harmonic generation and time-resolved electron imaging—she received the Optical Society of America Max Born Award in 2021. The subsequent year, she was co-recipient of the Wolf Prize in Physics, alongside Ferenc Krausz and Paul Corkum, for their collective advancements in ultrafast laser research. That same year, this trio also garnered the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences; additionally, L'Huillier was bestowed with France’s prestigious Legion of Honour.

In September 2023, she earned the Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis recognizing her contributions to high harmonic generation and attosecond physics. The following month, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with Krausz and Pierre Agostini, honoring their development of experimental techniques producing attosecond light pulses that enable exploration of electron dynamics.

November 2023 saw L'Huillier receive an honorary doctorate from Paris-Saclay University, with Nobel laureate Alain Aspect attending as guest of honor. She subsequently obtained honorary doctorates from both the University of Bordeaux in March 2024 and from the University of Porto in May 2024.

Honors

• : Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star (awarded 21 March 2024)
• : Knight of the Legion of Honour (conferred 29 December 2022)

Personal background

L'Huillier is wed to , who serves as a professor at Lund University. The couple has two children.