30 under 30: A Saxophonist and Attosecond Physicist

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Meet Matteo Lucchini, 28, one of the up-and-coming physicists attending this year's Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

June 22, 2012

Image: Courtesy Matteo Lucchini

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The annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting brings a wealth of scientific minds to the shores of Germany?s Lake Constance. Every summer at Lindau, dozens of Nobel Prize winners exchange ideas with hundreds of young researchers from around the world. Whereas the Nobelists are the marquee names, the younger contingent is an accomplished group in its own right. In advance of this year?s meeting, which focuses on physics, we are profiling several promising attendees under the age of 30. The profile below is the 19th in a series of 30.

Name: Matteo Lucchini
Age: 28
Born: Angera, Italy
Nationality: Italian

Current position: Postdoc at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich?s Institute of Quantum Electronics
Education: Bachelor?s and master?s degrees, and Ph.D. in physics, from the Polytechnic of Milan

What is your field of research?
My current research activity focuses on the intersections among atomic, molecular and optical physics (AMO); ultrafast laser physics; and photonics. In particular, my main current interests lie in generation of isolated attosecond pulses via high-order harmonic generation and in exploring their new possible applications to study ultrafast phenomena in atoms and molecules.

What drew you to physics, and to that research area in particular?
I first became aware of the word ?attosecond? while attending the photonics course during my master studies in Milan, and I remember it immediately roused my interest. Later on I decided to perform my Ph.D. on generation and application of attosecond pulses, where I discovered that attosecond science is actually a hot and exciting field. What I like most is the possibility to combine several different aspects and technologies for the sake of a common ultimate purpose.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
That is definitely a tough question and the answer is mainly determined by several factors that do not necessarily depend on you ... What I can say is that, at the moment, my goals are to explore the capabilities of attosecond science and at the same time to push its frontier. In 10 years I hope I will progress in the academic career and become a professor.

Who are your scientific heroes?
Heroes do not exist! Anyway, among my favorites there are Lev Davidovich Landau, Hendrik Lorentz, Galileo Galilei.

What activities outside of physics do you most enjoy?
I like playing saxophone. I have a diploma degree as a master of saxophone from the Conservatory of Music ?Giuseppe Verdi? in Como, Italy.

What do you hope to gain from this year?s Lindau meeting?
The way people coming from different countries and cultural backgrounds interact, discuss and work together is amazing. I believe that the Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau is a great opportunity to discuss with and learn from an outstanding audience, especially for those who, like me, are at the beginning.

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