Statistical physics is witnessing a revolution : understanding the dynamics of a very large number of interactive degrees of freedom, which has been from the beginning the main aim of statistical physics, has become now a central problem in many fields such as physics, biology, computer science, just to cite a few.

Quantum Field Theory (QFT) is one of the cornerstones of modern physics, encompassing Quantum Mechanics and Relativity in an unique coherent framework, providing the logical foundations  of high energy physics. QFT has found applications in almost any branch of modern theoretical physics, from particle physics to cosmology, from gravity to statistical mechanics,  and even beyond. 

Guillaume Berteloot

In this module the master students will participate in real lab experiments at several partner schools.

A case study is a lecture on three hours only aiming is to tell the complete “story” of a quantum device or a quantum effect from the discovery or realisation to today’s impact on the scientific community and even to society. The challenge is to be exhaustive within the time limit, i.e. to give the theoretical basis, describe the quantum nature of the effect and explain how it is possible to measure it.

A few examples to give you an idea of what it is about are: Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID), single-photon detection, a concrete example of light trapping (atoms, dielectric spheres, etc.), the Aharonov-Bohm effect, quantum cascade lasers, ...

The aim is to illustrate a concrete case that demonstrates the quantum effect and makes it visible, bearing in mind that the lecture has to be adapted for the knowledge of M2 students.