08/21/2026
According to quantum physics, light and other electromagnetic radiation appear as quanta. Quanta are packets with fixed energies and correspond to energy transitions in atoms.
In the early 2000s, John Hall (pictured) and Theodor Hänsch wondered how to measure these with better accuracy. The two developed the frequency comb technique. It uses laser light with a series of equidistant frequencies to accurately measure other frequencies.
Determining these frequencies provides information about the atoms' properties, benchmarks for time and length, and the possibility of deciding physical constants.
Hall and Hänsch were awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics for ”their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique.”
Learn more: https://bit.ly/3pCEcjP