The Nobel Prize in Physics, and an interview with HIL’s Founder & CTO Prof. Zigler
This year’s Nobel Physics Prize was awarded in part to Gérard Mourou and Donna Strickland – developers of the revolutionary CPA (Chirped Pulse Amplification) technique, a method that dramatically intensifies laser pulses – resulting in Ultra-High-Intensity, Ultra-Short-Pulse laser systems.
HIL is using these very same Nobel-winning lasers to accelerate protons, to treat cancer.
The CPA technique allows to generate laser pulses with peak power of hundreds of Terawatts (1TW=1012 watt). HIL’s technology is based on the application of such high power laser pulses to a nano-metric target. The interaction of the laser pulse with the targets accelerates protons which can be used, among other things, for cancer radiotherapy.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ on the award winners (from the Academy’s press release): “The innumerable areas of application have not yet been completely explored. However, even now these celebrated inventions allow us to rummage around in the microworld in the best spirit of Alfred Nobel – for the greatest benefit to humankind.”
Listen here to HIL’s Co-Founder and CTO, Prof. Arie Zigler, talk about his friend Gérard Mourou, and the different applications, including Proton Therapy, of CPA:
(From the radio program Shlosha SheYodim on Kan – Israeli Public Broadcasting)
