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Nobel 2005: coherence and precision spectroscopy

Nature Reviews Physics volume 7, page 534 (2025)Cite this article

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The Nobel Prize in Physics in 2005 was awarded half to Roy J. Glauber for his contribution to the quantum theory of optical coherence. The other half went to T. W. Hänsch and John L. Hall for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the realization of the first optical frequency comb. The constant and stable phase difference between the teeth of a frequency comb — in other words, its coherence — bridged the two fields of radio and optical waves, providing a much more compact and accessible platform than the previous frequency chains.

Glauber would later say: “she was an influence in my life and a truly extraordinary spirit”. She was right in her estimate of little Roy’s potential. At the age of only eighteen and even before graduating from university, Glauber was recruited to work on the Manhattan project, where — no surprise — he was the youngest contributor. His role there was to help with calculations on the critical mass of explosive for the atomic bomb, which he was able to do thanks to all the maths he would teach himself during high school.

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Original article

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  • Jones, D. J. et al. Carrier-envelope phase control of femtosecond mode-locked lasers and direct optical frequency synthesis. Science 288, 635–640 (2000)

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  • Teets, R., Eckstein, J. & Hänsch, T. W. Coherent two-photon excitation by multiple light pulses. Phys. Rev. Lett. 38, 760–764 (1977)

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  • Hall, J. L. & Hänsch, T. W. External dye-laser frequency stabilizer. Opt. Lett. 9, 502–504 (1984)

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  1. Nature Communications https://www.nature.com/natrevphys/

    Vittorio Aita

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  1. Vittorio Aita
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Correspondence to Vittorio Aita.

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Aita, V. Nobel 2005: coherence and precision spectroscopy. Nat Rev Phys 7, 534 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-025-00876-8

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