The object
Their optical system stretches, amplifies and recompresses a laser pulse, producing intense ultrashort pulses without destroying the amplifier and enabling precision eye surgery and micromachining hardware. The optical architecture therefore became a repeatable physical tool for medicine and fabrication.
01
What Donna did
Co-invented chirped-pulse amplification with Gérard Mourou.
02
Why it matters
Chirped-pulse amplification reshaped ultrafast lasers in medicine and manufacturing.
03
Living-status check
Waterloo's December 2025 feature documents Strickland's active public celebration of her invention.