OTTAWA — Dr. Paul Corkum, this year’s winner of the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, will lead a new state-of-the-art laboratory in Ottawa that will be home to Canada’s fastest X-ray laser flash.

The announcement was made at the National Research Council by Royal Galipeau, Member of Parliament for Ottawa-Orléans, on behalf of Minister of State (Science and Technology) Gary Goodyear.

The technology will allow scientists to take pictures of molecules during chemical reactions and study the motion of electrons. The X-ray flash is so fast that it can freeze the motion of an electron orbiting an atom. This is the first step to unpacking the molecules that make up all the matter of our universe.

Research at the Joint Laboratory for Attosecond Science (JASLab) may lead to scientific breakthroughs in health care, diagnostic medicine, quantum computing, nanotechnology, environmental science and energy.

"Our government is investing in science and technology to create jobs, strengthen the economy and improve Canadians’ quality of life," said Mr. Galipeau. “This new laboratory will make Canada an international leader in light research and will help attract and train the world’s best scientists in this field.”

JASLab is a strategic collaboration between the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the University of Ottawa, positioning the National Capital Region as the attosecond science capital of the world.

Attosecond research provides the ultimate window into what's happening at the molecular level and helps scientists study the fastest processes in atomic and molecular physics.

“Innovative research facilities such as JASLab increase the competitiveness of the National Capital Region,” said NRC President Dr. Pierre Coulombe. “These types of initiatives create dynamic locations where companies, government, and universities can network, invest and bring innovative technologies to market.”

The laboratory, located in the deepest section of the NRC building on Sussex Drive, was specifically designed to support an innovative laser system that produces 80-million pulses of light per second.

“This exemplary collaboration between NRC and the University of Ottawa proves how valuable the geographic proximity of national research centres, such as NRC, are for our professors, researchers and students,” said Allan Rock, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ottawa. “JASLab will enable University of Ottawa researchers in attosecond science to work in a sophisticated facility just a few streets from campus.”

Dr. Corkum, a pioneer in the field of attosecond science, has had a long and distinguished career as a research scientist at NRC and is a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Ottawa.

“JASLab is an important strategic addition to Ottawa’s suite of photonics tools,” said Dr. Corkum. “It will provide more opportunities for researchers from NRC and the University of Ottawa to work in a scientific field being pioneered in Canada with tremendous strategic potential.”