From ultra-precise Spectroscopy to attosecond Physics

Theodor W. Haensch
Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching
and
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich

Femtosecond laser frequency comb synthesizers have become revolutionary tools for measuring the frequency of light. Applications include optical atomic clocks, ultraprecise laser spectroscopy, and fundamental tests such as searches for time variations of fundamental constants. Frequency comb techniques can also control the carrier-envelope phase of ultrashort laser pulses, revealing novel phenomena in nonlinear light-matter interactions.