Laser Physics at the Limits

Laser physics has always been driven by a genuinely scientific quest to extend existing limits, limits of physical knowledge and limits of physical methods. Enhancing precision, sensitivity, and resolution has been an essential topic of this evolution. Experiments and concepts of laser physics have also earned a central place in modern physics. More than 100 years after the invention of quantum physics, subtleties of light-matter interaction can be beautifully illustrated through the application of lasers, an invaluable highlight of our current presentation of modern microscopic physics. The scientific advancement of physics is impossible without the ingenuity of experimenters and of theoreticians. Among those, Theodor Hänsch has oc­ cupied a commanding position for many decades now, contributing numerous original and fundamental contributions to the field of laser physics. This vol­ urne was thus initiated on the occasion of his 60th birthday. It demonstrates the influence of his scientific activities at present and during the recent past. Current developments in fields such as atomic elocks, precision measurements of fundamental constants, nonlinear optical effects, Bose-Einstein condensa­ tion, and atomic quantum engineering underline the virtue of concepts and results derived in his laboratories.

Highest scientific standard contributions

Application of Atomic Clocks.- Achievements in Optical Frequency Metrology.- Towards an Optical Hydrogen Clock.- Methane Frequency Standard for Precision Measurements.- The Parametric Frequency-Interval Divider.- External Laser Stabilization.- Miniaturized Laser Magnetometers and Clocks.- High-Noise, Low-Resolution Spectroscopy.- Two-Photon Spectroscopy of Hydrogen.- Precision Spectroscopy on the Lyman-? Transitions of H and He.- Towards Laser Spectroscopy of Antihydrogen.- Ramseyfication of the Resonant Nonlinear Faraday Effect.- Sensitive Detection Techniques of Laser Overtone Spectroscopy.- Multiple-Beam Atom Interferometry: An Overview.- Pursuing Fundamental Physics with Novel Laser Technology.- Precision Optical Measurements and Fundamental Constants.- Quantum Electrodynamics and All That.- Lasers to Test Fundamental Physics in Space.- Measuring the Birefringence of the QED Vacuum.- Observing Mechanical Dissipation in Quantum Vacuum: An Experimental Challenge.- Precision in Length.- Probing an Optical Field with Atomic Resolution.- From Spectral Relaxation to Quantified Decoherence.- Laser Cooling of Trapped Ions.- Conditional Spin Resonance with Trapped Ions.- From Diode Laser to Atom Laser.- Optical Components for a Robust Bose-Einstein Condensation Experiment.- From Atoms to Single Biomolecules Through Bose-Einstein Condensates: Un Saluto da Firenze per Theodor.- Cavity Cooling with a Hot Cavity.- Zeeman-Tuned Slowing: Surfing the Resonance Wave.- A New Approach for Laser Cooling of Calcium.- The Design of Enhancement Cavities for Second Harmonic Generation.- Raman Technique for Femtosecond Pulse Generation.- High-Order Harmonics and White Light: Looking for Fringes and Finding Much More.- MeV Electrons and Positrons from a Femtosecond Table-Top LaserSystem.- Small Molecules in Intense Laser Fields - Dissociation and Stabilization.- Linear and Nonlinear Raman Spectroscopy of Gases.- Nonlinear Properties of Laser-Generated Giant Surface Acoustic Wave Pulses in Solid Materials.- Radiative Control and Quantum Engineering: Single Atom Wants to Meet Single Photon.- Optical Lattices as a Playground for Studying Multiparticle Entanglement.- Efficient Generation of Polarization-Entangled Photon Pairs with a Laser Diode Source.- Small is Beautiful.- Atomic Looping.- A Toroidal Magnetic Guide for Neutral Atoms.- Si29 Nanoparticles: A New Form of Silicon.- Molecular Self-Assembly.