Alexander Gaeta Wins 2026 Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science

Alexander L. Gaeta, the David M. Rickey Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science at Columbia Engineering, has won the American Physical Society’s (APS) 2026 Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science “for groundbreaking innovations in the fields of quantum and nonlinear optics.”

Gaeta’s research group focuses on how laser light interacts with matter, particularly how light of one color can interact with material to create new colors. These interactions can help uncover ultrafast processes in physics and enhance communications, computing, and navigation, as well as chemical sensing and security. 

“I’m honored to be recognized in this way by the APS and am extremely grateful to all my students and postdocs for their many research contributions over the past 30 years,” said Gaeta, who is also a professor of electrical engineering at Columbia. “We continue to be inspired more than ever to continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible for nonlinear photonics and laser science and to have impact on fundamental science and engineering.”

The Gaeta Group’s research spans ultrafast nonlinear optics, nanophotonics, nonlinear propagation in fibers and bulk media, the generation and processing of quantum light fields, and stimulated scattering processes. The team works closely on the development of silicon photonic devices with Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering Michal Lipson’s group to generate new light frequencies including those that create optical frequency “combs”--discretely spaced colors that can have a wide range of applications from extremely accurate clocks and optical communications to sensing of chemical and biological agents. Gaeta also co-founded Xscape Photonics, Inc. with current CEO Vivek Raghunathan, and fellow Columbia professors Lipson, Charles Batchelor Professor of Electrical Engineering Keren Bergman, and research scientist Yoshi Okawachi. The startup, which focuses on reducing the power consumption of AI data centers using photonic interconnects, raised $44 million in a round of venture funding in 2024. 

“We congratulate Alex on this well-deserved recognition of his groundbreaking work in nonlinear photonics,” said Shih-Fu Chang, Dean of Columbia Engineering. “The future of high-performance computing, sustainable devices and technologies, and much more, relies on the gains made by pioneering researchers like Alex.”   

Gaeta received his BS, MS, and PhD in optics from the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. He joined Columbia Engineering as the David M. Rickey Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science in 2015. Prior to Columbia, he was the Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Engineering at Cornell University and Chair of the School of Applied and Engineering Physics from 2011 to 2014. He is the founding editor-in-chief of the journal Optica, as well as a Fellow of Optica, American Physical Society (APS), and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and a Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher. He received the 2019 Charles H. Townes Medal and the 2023 Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award.

Lead Photo Caption: Alexander Gaeta, David M. Rickey Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science and professor of electrical engineering