Ecole Polytechnique: CNRS Gold Medalist Jean Dalibard at École polytechnique

Jean Dalibard is a physicist, researcher at the Kastler Brossel laboratory of the École normale supérieure, professor at the Collège de France and member of the Académie des sciences. He was also a professor at École polytechnique where he taught quantum physics. As a specialist of this field, he has carried out widely recognized work on gases of ultra-cold atoms that display singular behaviors at temperatures close to absolute zero. These cold atoms are used today in many laboratories as a simulation platform for the precise study of the quantum properties of matter. Jean Dalibard has just been awarded the CNRS gold medal, the organization’s highest distinction.

Abstract of the seminar by Jean Dalibard:

At low temperatures, it is well known that classical physics cannot describe the behavior of particles in a fluid. Quantum correlations play a crucial role, as shown by superconducting materials and superfluid liquid helium. In the last two decades, a new platform based on ultra-cold atomic gases has emerged to explore the many facets of quantum matter in a clean and tunable environment.

In this talk, I will present some recent advances in this field, ranging from superfluid to topological states of matter, with an emphasis on lowdimensional aspects. I will discuss some perspectives in relation to other important quantum systems, such as those leading to quantum Hall-like phenomena.