Anne L'Huillier room inaugurated by the Nobel laureate herself
The Nobel Prize in Physics laureate inaugurated a meeting room at the Department of Physics - and fondly remembers her post-doc years in Gothenburg.
In December, she received the Nobel Prize in Physics at a grand ceremony in Konserthuset in Stockholm. The circumstances are slightly more informal on this Monday morning in February when Anne L'Huillier visits the Department of Physics to inaugurate a newly renovated meeting room named in her honor.
The Head of the Physics Department, Alexander Dmitriev, welcomes Anne and thanks her for taking the time to join the festivities today.
“I hope you feel at home here with us, thanks to your collaborations with our researchers. Today we want to open this meeting room that we named after you - a small token of our appreciation for everything you have done for us. The room is yours, please feel free to book it whenever you want!”
After uncovering and inspecting the information sign outside the room, the guest of honor turns around and hugs one of her old colleagues from her days as a post-doc in this very building. After that, the party moves on for a quick mingle in the staff room, where employees from both the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers have gathered to congratulate on the Physics prize and chat about old memories.
“I love Gothenburg,” says Anne L'Huillier. “It feels great to be back, it's like my second home in Sweden. I remember thinking it was extremely exotic when I first came here in 1985 – so much snow!”
Anne L'Huillier is a professor at Lund University where she conducts both experimental and theoretical research in atomic physics. Additionally, she collaborates with several researchers and research groups in Gothenburg, including through the project Attohallen.
During the afternoon, Anne L'Huillier gave a Nobel lecture in Runan in Chalmers Kårhus. The lecture was organized jointly by Chalmers and the University of Gothenburg.
Text and photos: Carolina Svensson