Donna Strickland’s long journey from laser jock to third woman ever to win physics Nobel

In winning the coveted award, which she shares with American physicist Arthur Ashkin and Gérard Mourou of France, Strickland became only the third woman ever to win the physics prize and the first woman to win since 1963. Ashkin will receive half of the $1.4 million prize, and Strickland and Mourou will split the other half. Strickland was chosen for the award in recognition of her role in developing a technique to generate the shortest, most intense laser pulses ever created. Read More…