French scientist reacts to winning Nobel prize

This image dated Nov. 2, 2015 and provided by l’Ecole Polytechnique shows Gerard Mourou during a conference in Paris, France. AP

STOCKHOLM — Nobel physics laureate Gerard Mourou says he finds it difficult to describe his emotions at winning.

“It’s something that sort of never happens at this level,” he said in a video released by France’s Polytechnique school, where he is professor. “I am very, very happy to share this distinction with my former student Donna Strickland and also to share it with Art Ashkin, for whom I have a lot of respect.”

“We invented a technique that made the laser extremely powerful,” he said. “With the technology we have developed, laser power has been increased about a million times, maybe even a billion.”

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to the French co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, saying the award highlights French research and its applications.

Macron tweeted on Tuesday “we are proud of Gerard Mourou”, the 74-year-old co-winner with Arthur Ashkin of the United States and Canada’s Donna Strickland.

The three scientists have been awarded for advances in laser physics.

Strickland and Mourou helped develop short and intense laser pulses that have broad industrial and medical applications. /ee