Researcher in physics
I'm an experimentalist physicist. The story line of my research is the manipulation of atoms by means of their interaction with lasers, with a preference for coherent process. Since few years, my main research is focused on the study of laser cooled large ion clouds, trapped in radio-frequency trap of different geometry. The TADOTI experiment, built with common points with micro-wave standard prototypes developed by JPL for the NASA, allows for the study of transport and auto-organisation phenomena. It is also here that we explore a Doppler-free three-photon resonance for high precision measurement.
Ion clouds in a linear Paul trap
Here is the picture of an ion cloud emitting laser induced fluorescence. It is made of several tens of thousands of calcium ions, laser cooled and trapped in a linear Paul trap. The elliptic shape is the signature of a correlated phase (liquid or crystal) whereas the layers which can be seen on the cloud demonstrate a local self-organization in a Coulomb crystal where the radio-frequency electric field is minimal, around the symmetry axis of the trap.
Three ion clouds in a linear octupole trap
The TADOTI trap also has a linear octupole, which can be loaded from a quadrupole. Here is the image of the fluorescence emitted by several thousands of laser-cooled calcium ions. They accumulate in three discrete trapping zones that cannot be focused simultaneously. The sharpest shows a helical chain of ions, as expected in a quadrupole. It is the symmetry breaks in the trap structure that are responsible for this organization.
A three photon dark resonance
A coherent population trapping involving three (optical) photons identified in ions belonging to the same family as Calcium ions is demonstrated in a cloud of trapped Ca+. Ions trapped in the dark state are no longer subject to the radiation pressure induced by laser cooling and therefore separate from the bright ions. This dark state is only stable for a three-photon resonance condition that results in a black line in the fluorescence spectrum, which is referenced to a magnetic dipole transition at 1.8 THz.
150th Anniversary General Congress
From monday 3rd to friday 7th of july 2023, in Centre des Congrès de la Cité des sciences et de l’industrie in Paris. The general congress of the French Physical Society is a unique opportunity, every two years, to cover a broad and up-to-date panorama of the recent breakthroughs in Physics, whatever the topic. I'll be there, specially for the session devoted to gender issues and equal oppotunities , organised by the Women in Physics committee. Good opportunity for you to discover our wonderful exhibition 15 Physiciennes and to meet some of our recently prized women physicists.
