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Optics and atomic interferometry

Group leader : Gabriel DUTIER
Laboratoire de physique des lasers
The OIA team is interested in the quantum coherences of material waves, on a jet of metastable atoms of rare gases of thermal or sub-thermal velocities, polarized or not in spin. The first theme is that of nanoscale atomic optics by exploiting the elastic and / or inelastic van der Waals interaction with micro- and nano-structured surfaces . The second theme is that of Stern-Gerlach atomic interferometry applied to the production of ultra-fine beams of high brightness and coherence (Nano-beam). Our third theme is devoted to the interaction with co-mobile magnetic fields. It must allow us to observe, on slow atoms, the negative wave refraction of matter and other effects related to a “medium” of negative index.
The research themes of the team are:

– Quantum coherence of material waves.
– Jets of metastable atoms.
– Atomic optics at the nanometric scale.
– Van der Waals interactions with nano-structured surfaces