Pushing the boundaries of ultrafast laser physics
Ursula Keller revolutionized the application possibilities of solid-state lasers with the so-called SESAM technology (Semiconductor Saturable Absorber Mirror). Thanks to these semiconductors, it became possible to process materials with high-precision laser beams without damaging them.
Today, the SESAM principle is used in many practical applications, including material cutting, optical communication, computers and smartphone manufacture, and also in medical technology, where, for example, lasers are used as scalpels in eye operations. Furthermore, the ultra-fast laser technology can be used to develop high-precision measuring instruments.