I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to all attoworld colleagues as well as former companions for their great commitment, phenomenal support and strength to endure over the years on the scientific path we have taken. The gratitude extends beyond those directly involved in research. Without the bright people and helping hands in technical problems, administration, communication and management, we would not find ourselves where we are today.
Our journey is now interrupted. To pay tribute. To Reinhard Kienberger and Michael Hentschel for generating and measuring the first isolated attosecond pulses, to Andrius Baltuska and Eleftherios Goulielmakis for controlling and measuring the oscillation of light fields, to Markus Drescher for observing how electrons fill “holes” inside atoms, to Matthias Uiberacker for exploring how electrons tunnel through atomic field barriers, to Martin Schultze and Vlad Yakovlev for capturing the interaction of electrons inside atoms, to Matthias Kling for steering electrons in molecules, to Nick Karpowicz for generating the tools for all-solid-state attosecond metrology and thereby paving the way towards the first real-world application of attosecond science, pioneered by Mihaela Zigman. To pay tribute to Paul Corkum from Ottawa, whose concepts and ideas had decisively influenced our quest for isolated attosecond pulses. To pay tribute to Arnold Schmidt, whose guidance and support greatly helped find and follow the right path. To pay tribute to all our great teachers, in my case in Hungary. And last but not least, it’s time to pay tribute to the countless scientists and researchers whose pioneering work has provided the foundation upon which we stand today.
The journey goes on. Thanks to the decision of the Royal Swedish Academy, with a momentum higher than ever before. For shaping the future of healthcare. Initially in Hungary. And then all over the world. Not giving up the hope that one day humankind will be able to spawn leaders who can prevent what’s happening in Ukraine and Israel.
Ferenc Krausz
