Extreme Light: Unlocking the Power of Super-Fast Lasers

Event Date:
2026-03-27T18:30:00
2026-03-27T21:00:00
Event Location:
SFU Harbour Centre, downtown Vancouver (515 West Hastings St. Vancouver) | Challenge Theatre
Speaker:
Donna Strickland, University of Waterloo
URL:
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All are welcome to this event! 

Please register on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/extreme-light-unlocking-the-power-of-superfast-lasers-tickets-1985407384934 

Event inquiries: sfuscienceoutreach@sfu.ca 


 

Event Information:
Welcome to this public talk, by Canadian Nobel-Prize winning physicist, Donna Strickland!

SFU Physics and UBC Dept. of Physics & Astronomy invite you to an evening with Nobel Prize-winning physicist Donna Strickland at SFU Harbour Centre. This public event will include a presentation followed by a Q&A session.

Schedule
6:30 PM – Doors open
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Presentation and Q&A

Abstract:
With the invention of lasers, the intensity of a light wave was increased by orders of magnitude over what had been achieved with a light bulb or sunlight. This much higher intensity led to new phenomena being observed, such as violet light coming out when red light went into the material. After Gérard Mourou and I developed chirped pulse amplification, also known as CPA, the intensity again increased by more than a factor of 1,000 and it once again made new types of interactions possible between light and matter. We developed a laser that could deliver short pulses of light that knocked the electrons off their atoms. This new understanding of laser-matter interactions, led to the development of new machining techniques that are used in laser eye surgery or micromachining of glass used in cell phones.
 

Bio:

Donna Strickland is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo and is one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 for developing chirped pulse amplification with Gérard Mourou, her PhD supervisor at the time. They published this Nobel-winning research in 1985 when Strickland was a PhD student at the University of Rochester in New York state. Together they paved the way toward the most intense laser pulses ever created. The research has several applications today in industry and medicine — including the cutting of a patient’s cornea in laser eye surgery, and the machining of small glass parts for use in cell phones.

Strickland was a research associate at the National Research Council Canada, a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a member of technical staff at Princeton University. In 1997, she joined the University of Waterloo, where her ultrafast laser group develops high-intensity laser systems for nonlinear optics investigations. She is a recipient of a Sloan Research Fellowship, a Premier’s Research Excellence Award and a Cottrell Scholar Award. She served as the president of the Optical Society (OSA) in 2013 and is a fellow of OSA, the Royal Society of Canada, and SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics). Strickland is an honorary fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering as well as the Institute of Physics. She received the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement and holds numerous honorary doctorates.

Research Interests include: Intense laser-matter interactions, Nonlinear optics, Short-pulse, intense laser systems, Photonics and Optical Systems.

 

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Add to Calendar 2026-03-27T18:30:00 2026-03-27T21:00:00 Extreme Light: Unlocking the Power of Super-Fast Lasers Event Information: Welcome to this public talk, by Canadian Nobel-Prize winning physicist, Donna Strickland! SFU Physics and UBC Dept. of Physics & Astronomy invite you to an evening with Nobel Prize-winning physicist Donna Strickland at SFU Harbour Centre. This public event will include a presentation followed by a Q&A session. Schedule6:30 PM – Doors open7:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Presentation and Q&A Abstract:With the invention of lasers, the intensity of a light wave was increased by orders of magnitude over what had been achieved with a light bulb or sunlight. This much higher intensity led to new phenomena being observed, such as violet light coming out when red light went into the material. After Gérard Mourou and I developed chirped pulse amplification, also known as CPA, the intensity again increased by more than a factor of 1,000 and it once again made new types of interactions possible between light and matter. We developed a laser that could deliver short pulses of light that knocked the electrons off their atoms. This new understanding of laser-matter interactions, led to the development of new machining techniques that are used in laser eye surgery or micromachining of glass used in cell phones.  Bio: Donna Strickland is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo and is one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 for developing chirped pulse amplification with Gérard Mourou, her PhD supervisor at the time. They published this Nobel-winning research in 1985 when Strickland was a PhD student at the University of Rochester in New York state. Together they paved the way toward the most intense laser pulses ever created. The research has several applications today in industry and medicine — including the cutting of a patient’s cornea in laser eye surgery, and the machining of small glass parts for use in cell phones. Strickland was a research associate at the National Research Council Canada, a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a member of technical staff at Princeton University. In 1997, she joined the University of Waterloo, where her ultrafast laser group develops high-intensity laser systems for nonlinear optics investigations. She is a recipient of a Sloan Research Fellowship, a Premier’s Research Excellence Award and a Cottrell Scholar Award. She served as the president of the Optical Society (OSA) in 2013 and is a fellow of OSA, the Royal Society of Canada, and SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics). Strickland is an honorary fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering as well as the Institute of Physics. She received the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement and holds numerous honorary doctorates. Research Interests include: Intense laser-matter interactions, Nonlinear optics, Short-pulse, intense laser systems, Photonics and Optical Systems.   Learn More: Read Donna's faculty webpage from the University of Waterloo: https://uwaterloo.ca/physics-astronomy/profile/strickla Review the news: Canada’s newest Nobel Prize winner, Donna Strickland, ‘just wanted to do something fun’, The Globe and Mail Nobel laureate Donna Strickland: ‘I see myself as a scientist, not a woman in science’, The Guardian For Just the Third Time in 117 Years, a Woman Wins the Nobel Prize in Physics, New York Times Donna Strickland, Canada's latest Nobel winner, is a 'laser jock' who loves the lab, Quirks & Quarks Physicist Donna Strickland on Her 'Surreal' Nobel Prize Win and the Challenges for Women in Science, Time Waterloo celebrates the remarkable career of Professor Donna Strickland See her Biography and FAQ page on the Nobel Prize website Youtube:  Watch her "Beyond curious" lecture: https://uwaterloo.ca/physics-astronomy/news/donna-strickland   See "UBC Connects with Donna Strickland": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzzLCmzHOSw  Resources: Nobel Prize Winners: All Nobel Prizes in Physics - NobelPrize.org Canadian Nobel Laureates: Canadian Nobel Laureates | The Canadian Encyclopedia About physics: Physics | The Canadian Encyclopedia Event Location: SFU Harbour Centre, downtown Vancouver (515 West Hastings St. Vancouver) | Challenge Theatre