Search

The Slide2Wave project aims to understand the physical mechanisms that control the entrance of gravity flows into water and the generation of tsunami, and to propose strategies for hazard assessment. Although most of the tsunamis are generated by earthquakes (and warning systems being suited only f

Quantum anomalies generated by fluctuations of quantum fields in curved spacetimes play a significant role in describing the inflationary period of our Universe and the exotic quantum processes that take place in the vicinity of black holes. These forefront problems of modern physics remain out-of-r

Dispersed two-phase flows occur in many industrial applications and natural phenomena, ranging from plastic transported in oceans, to sprays in engines. Plastic transport prediction or efficiency and environmental impact of propulsion depend on the ability to predict and control flows containing hea

Solar radio bursts, which are among the most intense emissions in the Solar System, are produced by electron beams accelerated in the solar corona. They excite electrostatic wave turbulence which emits in turn electromagnetic (EM) waves at the electron plasma frequency and its harmonics, via a compl

Every biological system, whether it is a protein, a lipid bilayer, a nucleic acid or a receptor-ligand bond, can exist in a number of different forms or states. Therefore, a biological system is heterogeneous in nature. The origin of this heterogeneity can be due to differences in structure, conform

The dynamic response of magnetic order to ultrafast optical excitation is a fascinating issue of modern magnetism. Indeed, the discoveries of light-induced ultrafast demagnetization in 1996 and all-optical switching in 2007 paved the way towards the development of technological applications operat

The function of vascular plants relies both on active and passive transport phenomena driven through two coupled vascular systems: transpiration moves water from the roots to the leaves through the xylem to maintain hydration and transfer nutrients, and osmosis drives the flow through the phloem car

The development of the field of analytical chemistry dealing with glycans, also called glycomics, is identified as a scientific priority at the international level due to its wide range of high impact applications from pharmaceuticals, medical diagnostics, nutrition, to renewable materials and energ

One of the most promising features of topological matter is the presence of helical ballistic edge states, pure one-dimensional propagating electronic states protected from backscattering by spin-momentum locking. When coupled to superconducting electrodes, a supercurrent is carried by topological A

Driving matter far away from equilibrium by ultrafast laser pulse opens new avenues to direct materials to other macroscopic phases through non-thermal dynamical pathways. The FASTRAIN project aims to unravel the physical backgrounds of ultrafast phase transitions in quantum materials caused by a un

The actomyosin cytoskeleton determines cell shapes and plays essential roles in vital cellular processes. It is a polymeric network that is kept out of thermodynamic equilibrium by continuous turnover and through molecular motors that transform chemical energy into mechanical stress and thus forms a

In a homogeneous and isotropic three-dimensional turbulent flow, the energy of the velocity field is transferred from the scales where it is injected towards the small scales, where it gets eventually dissipated. This so-called Kolmogorov energy cascade has been extensively studied. On the contrary

Fascinating phenomena emerge from the appearance of far-from-equilibrium thermodynamic states, from active matter to protein folding dynamics, including non-trivial heat flows. Nevertheless, the complexity of these phenomena makes their fundamental understanding difficult. In this context, the FENNE

Wetting dynamics, ubiquitous in both natural and industrial processes, is also well-known for the challenge associated to its physical description. A challenge which lies in the intrinsic coupling between physical chemistry and hydrodynamics from nano to macro scales at the vicinity of the contact l

Three-body association (TBA) is a ubiquitous collision process that forms the initial step of atomic and molecular condensation to clusters, droplets, or grains. It is much more difficult to describe theoretically than binary collisions between atoms, molecules and ions, while TBA rates are difficul

The present project is aimed at the implementation of a Brain-Machine-interface (BMI) by integrating memristive Spiking Neural Networks (SNN) with an intact vertebrate animal model, the zebrafish larva, by means of an optogenetic neural link. The SNN will have learning capabilities, hence the BMI ma

Magnetic frustration has opened a window where quantum many-body entanglement can be studied and manipulated, without being hindered by magnetic order. Its influence has spread across condensed matter in multiferroics, skyrmions, artificial lattices ... and brought to low energy the exciting high-en

The first months of 2021 have seen the discovery of a new family of superconducting two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) at oxide interfaces based on KTaO3 (KTO). Importantly, the TC and spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in these 2DEGs are both 5-10 times higher than in their SrTiO3 counterparts that have

Localization of light in three-dimensional disordered samples has been elusive up to date, with several initial experimental reports, followed a few years later by their re-interpretation. While absorption and nonlinear effects may be to blame for erroneous interpretations of these early exp

All models of the interiors of ice bodies in the Universe rely on our knowledge of the behaviour of a few simple molecules—hydrogen, water, methane, ammonia, nitrogen, helium —under high pressure (p) and temperature (T). In the last two decades, a tremendous effort has been devoted worldwide to dete

Our first goal is to observe Gravitational Quantum States (GQS) of Hydrogen atoms, to test in the future new physics such as extra fundamental short-range interactions or probing the weak equivalent principle in quantum regime. The GQS are realized with particles trapped in the gravitational field (

The sweeping of sand, the anchoring of plant roots in soil or the strengthening of construction materials by fibres are common examples of mechanical interactions between flexible fibres and rigid grains. However, modelling the evolution of the fibres in a moving granular flow is the challenge that

Topological materials exhibit robust electronic properties that enable a deeper understanding of matter phases and potentially offer fascinating applications. An active community, including the PI, developed efficient methods to predict new topological materials from crystalline symmetries. A recent

Time-dependent creep rupture and deformation of disordered matter is of tremendous importance in various fields, from civil engineering to geosciences. These processes are characterized by ubiquitous but empirical rheological scaling laws, some of them known for more than a century, which however st

Light control of a material’s properties is an emerging field with potentially far-reaching applications. Within this field enhancing or modifying superconductivity (SC) holds a special place ever since the discovery of a superconducting-like state in several materials well above their equilibrium S

The first objective of the project is to understand what controls cavitation, i.e. the formation of bubbles in a metastable liquid, when this liquid is confined in cavities with dimensions of the same order as the size of the critical germ of nucleation. Classically, the nucleation rate follows an A

Analogies have always been a powerful source of inspiration in physics. In 2005, Couder and Fort unveiled a classical system exhibiting a wave-particle duality, made of a self-propelling drop driven by a resonant interaction with its own wavefield. With this system, they were able to reproduce a wea

This project addresses issues related to hydrogen negative-ion sources for future fusion reactors. These sources are based on low-pressure low-temperature H2 plasmas in which caesium (Cs) metal is injected in vapor form. Cs is depositing on all surfaces in contact with the plasma and greatly enhance

When the most common isotope of helium is cooled to a temperature below 2.17K, it appears in an atypical fluid phase called He II. This fluid phase consists of a mixture of a normal, viscous fluid and a, non-viscous, superfluid which interact by mutual friction forces. Remarkably, the vorticity of t

Interpretation of interstellar medium observations, in extinction (absorption and scattering) and in emission, relies on a complex modeling of the photophysical properties of the interstellar components using laboratory data on analogues. Up to now, analogues of the interstellar species from a few t

The dynamics of extremes/outliers, i.e., particles that live at the edge of the crowd, often controls the time evolution of many-body complex systems. These include bacterial infections, barrier crossing in chemical reactions, search processes, signal transmission in biology and many others. While t

Phase separation into coexisting dense and dilute phases is a fundamental self-organization phenomenon in active systems. In recent years, types of phase separation that are impossible at equilibrium -- such as bubbly phase separation or active foams -- were either predicted theoretically or observe

This research proposal aims at unveiling a new class of quantum matter states accessible to ultra-cold dipolar bosons confined in lattice potentials. In particular we target collective phases capable of spontaneously breaking the confinement symmetry, such as lattice super-solids, which combine crys

Wave turbulence dominates the physical behaviour of a large variety of scenarios and lies at the foundation of our understanding of systems ranging from small scales such as optical waves in photon fluids and matter waves in Bose-Einstein condensates, to intermediate scales such as ocean water waves

Predicting the physical properties of Many-Body Quantum Systems is a traditionally hard task that needs to be tackled in several fields of Physics, such as Condensed Matter, as well as for the engineering and control of Quantum Devices. The “Neural Dynamics for Quantum Matter” project wants to push

Ecological systems are characterized by very interesting spatio-temporal dynamics. Under small perturbations, they can display abrupt changes in the surrounding environment and develop complex properties. The incredible biodiversity that characterizes natural ecosystems has attracted ecologists fo

An effervescent activity is developing worldwide around a new class of high-power laser and accelerator facilities that will soon lead to the realization of pioneering experiments. These will explore a new regime of particle-light and light-light interaction in which the dynamics of particles and/or

Life relies on a continuous struggle to maintain itself out of equilibrium. To do so, all living systems continuously consume and replenish an energy reservoir consisting in an electro-chemical potential difference established across specialized membranes during cellular respiration. Termed Proton M

Many motile photosynthetic micro-organisms have the ability to orient themselves in light fields, a property called “phototaxis”. This phenomenon, usually mediated by a specialised organelle called the eyespot (composed of photo-sensitive molecules), is still poorly understood. Modelling such proces

Magnetic arrays deposited on superconductors can be used as qubits. These qubits are a particularly promising platform for quantum computation and simulation, as they are expected to have unusually long coherence times. This is due firstly to the superconducting energy gap and secondly to theoretica

The race to room temperature superconductivity never ceased to be in full swing since its discovery in 1911. This fascinating phenomenon, where the material loses its resistivity to current flow below a critical temperature (Tc), stands out as a solution to societal challenges relevant to energy, tr

Responses of living system to external inputs are surprisingly fast and robust. Such responsiveness has recently been attributed to living systems being poised at criticality, ready to transition from a meta-stable state to another. Although the idea is extremely enticing from the physics point of v

The turbulent transport of flexible fibres is of paramount importance in a large range of industrial and environmental applications, from papermaking to sediment deposition in rivers and oceans. However, the dynamics of fibres in inhomogeneous and anisotropic turbulent flows, particularly relevant f

Switching the magnetization at the fastest speed and with the lowest energy is one of the hottest topics in modern magnetism. It requires a deep understanding of the interaction between spin, electron and lattice and their response to an external stimulus. The ULTRAMAG project aims to explore the no

The first and only demonstration of a solid-state organic laser diode proved that the realization of such a device was indeed possible. Here, the constraints related to the properties of the emissive layer are even more severe than those imposed for organic light-emitting diodes since the laser emis

Ice phases incorporating a non-negligible amount of salt have been recently experimentally demonstrated. In particular, both high- and low-pressure phases have been reported, showing interest respectively in models for planetary interior compositions, and solid aqueous electrolytes for battery devic

Turbulent convection is ubiquitous in Nature, and a key ingredient for the internal dynamics of stars and planets (e.g. for magnetic field generation) and for atmospheres and oceans (e.g. on Earth, but also on icy-moons). Rotating Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RRBC) is often considered as a paradigm o

The objective of the project is to quantify the importance of solid friction mechanisms in structured fiber assemblies, such as in a yarn or a fabric. In the case of arrangements of fibers such as in a yarn or a fabric, the mechanical strength propagates over distances very large compared to the siz

The aim of this project is to study an intriguing behavior of the phonon flow which appears when phonons interact strongly between each other and behave like a viscous fluid. This regime of transport is neither diffusive nor ballistic, and is often referred to as the hydrodynamic regime. To study

The role of mechanics on the behavior of cells is now well admitted and well documented. However the impact of mechanics on tissues must account for the spatial organisation of the cells within the 3D structure, as well as the role of the extra-cellular matrix. All this adds a major source of comple

QuantExt will design the next generation of thermal transport measurements, leveling up with the challenges posed by quantum materials that still prevent a radical quantum technological revolution. The project aims to unravel the strong interactions between electrons that are capable of extraordinar

Numerous experimental observations have shown that the Standard Model is not complete. Precision measurements in quantum systems are one of the privileged frontiers for searching for new physics, as new particles may couple to atoms, provoking tiny changes in atomic structure that can be measured wi