[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 194 (Monday, December 10, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING DR. DONNA STRICKLAND AND DR. GERARD MOUROU ON THEIR 
                         NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOSEPH D. MORELLE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 10, 2018

  Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituents, Ms. 
Donna Strickland and Mr. Gerard Mourou, who were recently awarded the 
2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for their inventions of ``tools made of 
light.'' Their incredible research on laser physics was done at the 
University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics, a world-
class scientific institution in my district, and was made possible 
thanks to federal support by the Department of Energy.
  Dr. Strickland is only the third woman to receive the prize in 
physics, joining Marie Curie, in 1903, and Maria Goeppert-Mayer, in 
1963, and is the first woman laureate in Rochester's history. 
Additionally, Drs. Strickland and Mourou are now two of twelve 
University of Rochester students or faculty who have been recognized 
with a Nobel Prize.
  Drs. Strickland and Mourou have received this momentous award for 
their ground-breaking work into the design of high-power lasers. Their 
discovery of ``chirped-pulse amplification'' enabled a stunning advance 
in laser power and paved the way for the creation of very short, 
intense laser pulses lasting only a fraction of a second, making it 
possible to build more compact and precise laser systems. The 
``chirped-pulse amplification'' technique, first realized in their 
table-top terawatt, or ``T-cubed'', laser, has since been used in a 
variety of applications, from Lasik eye surgery to the manufacturing of 
materials used in smartphones.
  Their discovery enabled significant increases in the peak power of 
lasers by overcoming the existing limitations due to laser pulses 
damaging the material used to amplify them by first stretching the 
light pulse, amplifying the longer lower-power pulse, and then re-
compressing the light into a short high-power pulse. Although their 
research was performed in the 1980's, to this day, ``chirped-pulse 
amplification'' remains the state-of-the-art technique for generating 
the highest-power lasers in the world and has opened the door to new 
fields of inquiry, such as femtochemistly, and enabled new medical, 
scientific, and commercial applications.
  The Laboratory of Laser Energetics is the largest university-based 
research center funded by the Department of Energy and is currently 
home to 350 scientists, engineers, and staff. In addition, it is the 
only National Nuclear Security Agency facility with a specific mission 
to train graduate students in inertial confinement fusion, high-power 
lasers, and high energy density physics research. In addition to being 
a significant source of scientific education and leadership, the 
Laboratory of Laser Energetics is a vital contributor to our national 
security and an engine of innovation and growth for the laser, optics, 
imaging and photonics sector which have been so important to the 
Rochester and Finger Lakes region.
  It gives me great pleasure to represent an institution and a district 
with such a proud and storied history of innovation. I am proud to 
recognize Drs. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou for their outstanding 
research accomplishments and contributions to the scientific community 
which have rightly earned them a Nobel Prize. I wish them all the best 
in their future endeavors and look forward to the continued success 
they will achieve.

                          ____________________