WSCMP-2026

Theodor W. Hänsch is a renowned physicist known for his groundbreaking work in laser spectroscopy and quantum optics. He earned his Diplom and doctoral degree from Heidelberg University in the 1960s, followed by a NATO postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University with Arthur L. Schawlow. From 1975 to 1986, he served as an assistant professor at Stanford before returning to Germany to lead the Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik. Among his many accolades are the Comstock Prize (1983), the Albert A. Michelson Medal (1986), and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (1989), Germany’s highest research honor. In 2005, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his development of the optical frequency comb, a tool that revolutionized precision spectroscopy. His earlier invention of a high-resolution laser enabled remarkably precise measurements of atomic hydrogen. Notably, one of his students, Carl E. Wieman, also became a Nobel Laureate in Physics in 2001.