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Besides Katalin Karikó, the University of Szeged (SZTE) has another Nobel Prize winner, Professor Gérard Mourou, who was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics in the field of laser physics for his discovery of chirped pulse amplification (CPA).
According to the university’s press release, Gérard Mourou signed his research professorship contract with the SZTE at a conference last Thursday in the presence of Professor László Rovó, Rector of the university, and János Csák, Minister of Culture and Innovation.
After winning the Nobel Prize, Professor Mourou has repeatedly stated that he intends to focus his future research on solving global problems facing humanity. One of these problems is meeting the ever-increasing demand for energy in a sustainable way.
On a previous visit to Szeged, he said: “We need to find solutions to energy production issues, so we are looking for a source of energy that is clean, cheap, and abundant. I myself am a strong believer in the future of nuclear energy, but the security issues that arise need to be addressed. I have long been convinced that ultra-short, ultra-high intensity laser pulses offer a solution.” He also added that another already pressing problem related to energy production is the final management of accumulated radioactive material.
University of Szeged. Photo: Ferenc Somorjai/Wikipedia
In both areas, the development of a laser neutron source, proposed by Professors Mourou and Tosiki Tajima, which is the main objective of the National Laser-Initiated Transmutation Laboratory (NLTL) at the SZTE, could be an important step forward.
The laboratory has been continuously supported by Professor Mourou over the past years, and this collaboration has been marked by five joint publications.
The collaboration will be made even more practical by Professor Mourou accepting the offer of the management of the SZTE to become a research professor and assist the work of the university and in particular the NLTL,” the statement concluded.
Via MTI, Featured image: Wikipedia