The National Science Foundation (NSF) continues to support laser research conducted within the University’s Department of Physics by Distinguished Professor Rainer Grobe and University Professor Q. Charles Su.

The two received a $300,000 grant for their work in the Intense Laser Physics Theory Unit (ILP), which has captured numerous awards and international attention. Grobe and Su focus on the interaction of laser light with matter. There are only a few centers around the world that conduct similar research.

“It is a tremendous honor for ILP to be recognized six times in a row by the prestigious NSF funding agency,” said Su, who codirects the unit with Grobe.

They have now captured from NSF the largest research grants at undergraduate institutions in the field. This funding level to ILP ranks in the top five of atomic and optical theory grants given to all institutions in the U.S.