Laureates 2023
Physics
Pierre Agostini | Ferenc Krausz | Anne L'Huillier
“For experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter.”
Since the late 1980s, researchers have been conducting experiments designed to track the ultrafast motion (43 miles per second) of electrons and grasp the dynamic behavior of these subatomic particles. Through their independent efforts and combined work, Agostini, Krausz and L'Huillier developed breakthrough techniques to capture, in real time, electrons' rapid movements using short pulses of light called "attosecond pulses." NSF is proud to have supported Agostini's exploratory research and particle motion experiments over the course of two decades. These laureates' collective discoveries have opened another door into the world of electrons, helping to better understand the fundamental laws of physics, while paving the way for the creation of new technologies.
Chemistry
Moungi G. Bawendi | Louis E. Brus | Alexei I. Ekimov
"For the discovery and synthesis of quantum dot technology."
In the 1930s, physicists began theorizing the properties of synthetic materials so small in their dimensions that they could exhibit quantum properties. Thanks to the collective discoveries and seminal experiments of Bawendi, Brus and Ekimov in the 1980s and 1990s, scientists have a chemical method for reliably producing high-quality, semiconducting quantum dots. Today, quantum dots (a few nanometers in diameter) are manufactured into products that are part of our everyday lives - TVs, computers and smartphones - and researchers believe that in the future, these semiconducting nanocrystals could be used in technologies such as flexible electronics, tiny sensors and quantum computers. NSF is proud to have supported the research and early-career development of Brus and Bawendi, including the latter's Presidential Young Investigator Award in 1991.
Economics
Claudia Goldin
“For having advanced our understanding of women's labor market outcomes.”
Making sense of the underlying factors that drive women's workforce representation and earnings is critical to better understand wage and labor gaps over the last century and the barriers that need to be addressed to overcome these systemic problems. In the early 1980s, Claudia Goldin adopted a comprehensive approach to explaining these differences. She concluded that structural transformation of the economy, laws and innovations in technology and medicine - namely, women's access to the contraceptive pill -- and evolving social norms regarding women's education and responsibilities in the home and family were driving forces in women's greater representation in the workforce. A central finding is that differences in pay and workforce participation are due not to biology but to the division of unpaid caregiving responsibilities between heterosexual couples. NSF is proud to have supported Goldin's research career over 40 years. Her groundbreaking work has led to surprising insights into women's historical and contemporary roles in the labor market and helped us better understand how and why rates of employment and pay differ between women and men -- knowledge critical for creating a more equitable and efficient society.
Image Credits >>
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations presented in this material are only those of the presenter grantee/researcher, author, or agency employee; and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.