After Katalin Karikó, the University of Szeged has another Nobel Prize-winning professor, Professor Gérard Mourou, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018 for his invention of chirped pulse amplification in the field of laser physics. On April 11, 2024, in the framework of a conference, in the presence of Professor László Rovó, rector of SZTE, and Minister of Culture and Innovation János Csák, Professor Mourou signed his research professor contract with the University of Szeged.
After winning the Nobel Prize, Professor Gérard Mourou stated several times that in the future he would like to mainly deal with research that serves to solve the global problems facing humanity. One such problem is meeting the ever-increasing energy demand sustainably. In this regard, during a previous visit to Szeged, he stated the following: “We need to find solutions to the issues around energy production, so we are looking for energy that is clean, cheap, and abundant. I myself strongly believe in the future of nuclear energy, but for this, the arising safety questions must be answered. I have long been convinced that the solution lies in ultrashort, ultrahigh-intensity laser pulses.” Another pressing problem related to energy production is the final treatment of accumulated radioactive materials.
In the first row: Zoltán Kónya, Judit Groska, Jean-Pierre Revol, Gérard Mourou, János Csák, Franklin Servan-Schreiber, Judit Fendler. Back row: Michael Hübner, Gábor Szabó, Károly Osvay, Francois Plewinski, László Rovó, László Bódis, Allen Weeks. Photo: Ádám Kovács-Jerney
The development of the laser-driven neutron source proposed by professors Mourou and Tajima, which is the main objective of the National Laser Transmutation Laboratory (NLTL) operating at the University of Szeged, can be an important step forward in both areas. The operation of the Laboratory has been continuously supported by Professor Gérard Mourou in recent years, which is marked not only by cooperation but also by five joint publications.
The cooperation becomes even more practical by the fact that Professor Mourou, accepting the offer of the SZTE management, will assist the work of the SZTE and primarily the NLTL as a research professor at the University of Szeged from May 1, 2024. The relevant contract was signed by Professor Mourou on April 11, 2024, in a ceremonial setting in the presence of László Rovó, rector of SZTE, and János Csák, Minister of Culture and Innovation.
Our previous article: Gérard Mourou, Nobel laureate physicist, was a guest at ELI ALPS
