Le laboratoire Matériaux et Phénomènes Quantiques (MPQ) est une unité mixte de recherche (UMR 7162) du CNRS et de l’Université Paris Diderot, installée sur le campus de Paris Rive Gauche. Elle est composée d’environ 120 personnes au total dont 51 permanent.e.s.
Le laboratoire est spécialisé dans l’étude des matériaux quantiques de frontière et dans le développement de dispositifs quantiques innovants. Ces activités reposent sur un large spectre de compétences théoriques et expérimentales alliant la physique des matériaux, le transport et l’optique, et des plateformes technologiques de salle blanche, de spectroscopie et de microscopie électronique haute résolution.
Les activités de recherche du laboratoire MPQ se déclinent selon les thèmes suivants :
Les projets actuels du laboratoire incluent le développement de nouvelles sondes pour l’étude des matériaux quantiques, comme la spectroscopie Raman résolue en temps, la microscopie AFM opto-mécanique et la microscopie tunnel sous excitation optique. Réciproquement, les matériaux de frontière sont mis à profit pour la réalisation de nouvelles fonctionnalités dans des senseurs optomécaniques, des circuits photoniques non-linéaires et quantiques, ou encore dans des expériences de transport mésoscopique en cavité optique.
Date: 5 fév 2016 - 14:20
Desc: In this paper, we present results of a first study of electron radiation damages to β-dicalcium silicate (Ca2SiO4:C2S) and M3-tricalcium silicate (Ca3SiO5:C3S) in a Transmission Electron Microscope. Electron irradiation is used here as a means to bring to light a difference of reactivity under the electron beam between these two complex ceramic oxides, keeping in mind that C3S reacts faster with water than C2S and that this property remains unexplained, owing to the complex structural characteristics of these ceramics which have not yet been fully elucidated. The following results were obtained by coupling TEM imaging and EDS analysis: i) Rapid decomposition of both silicate particles into CaO nano-crystals separated by (presumably SiO2-rich) amorphous areas at low flux for both silicates; ii) once reached a threshold electron flux, formation of an amorphous crater in both silicates, fully calcium-depleted in C3S but never in C2S; iii) significant post-mortem structural evolution of the craters that at least partially recrystallize in C2S, to be compared to the quasi frozen damaged area in C3S; iv) hole drilling at high flux but only in C3S once reached a threshold flux, ϕth ∼ 7.9 × 1021 e− cm−2 s−1, of the same order of magnitude than previously estimated in a number of ceramic materials, whereas C2S still amorphizes under the electron beam for a flux as high as 2.2 × 1022 e− cm−2 s−1. The radiation damages and their post–mortem evolution differ largely between C2S and C3S. We attempted to relate the obtained results, and especially the evolution of the Ca content in the damaged areas under the electron beam to the available structural characteristics of these two orthosilicates.
Date: 21 oct 2019 - 17:59
Desc: Synchrotron experiments combining real-time stress, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray reflectivity measurements, complemented by in situ electron diffraction and photon electron spectroscopy measurements, revealed a detailed picture of the interfacial silicide formation during deposition of ultrathin Pd layers on amorphous silicon. Initially, an amorphous Pd2Si interlayer is formed. At a critical thickness of 2.3 nm, this layer crystallizes and the resulting volume reduction leads to a tensile stress buildup. The [111] textured Pd2Si layer continues to grow up to a thickness of ≈3.7 nm and is subsequently covered by a Pd layer with [111] texture. The tensile stress relaxes already during Pd2Si growth. A comparison between the texture formation on SiOx and a-Si shows that the silicide layer serves as a template for the Pd layer, resulting in a surprisingly narrow texture of only 3° after 800 s Pd deposition. The texture formation of Pd and Pd2Si can be explained by the low lattice mismatch between Pd(111) and Pd2Si(111). The combined experimental results indicate a similar interface formation mechanism for Pd on a-Si and c-Si, whereas the resulting silicide texture depends on the Si surface. A new strain relaxation mechanism via grain boundary diffusion is proposed, taking into account the influence of the thickness-dependent crystallization on the material transport through the silicide layer. In combination with the small lattice mismatch, the grain boundary diffusion facilitates the growth of Pd clusters, explaining thus the well-defined thickness of the interfacial silicide layer, which limits the miniaturization of self-organized silicide layers for microelectronic devices.
Date: 17 nov 2020 - 09:32
Desc: Liquid Crystal (LC) topological defects have been shown to trap nanoparticles (NPs) in the defect cores. The LC topological defects may thus be used as a matrix for new kinds of NP organizations templated by the defect geometry. We here study composites of LC smectic dislocations and gold NPs. Straight NP chains parallel to the dislocations are obtained leading to highly anisotropic optical absorption of the NPs controlled by light polarization. Combining Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), Rutherford Back Scattering (RBS), Spectrophotometry and the development of a model of interacting NPs, we explore the role of the Np size regarding the dislocation core size. We use NPs of diameter D = 6 nm embedded in an array of different kinds of dislocations. For dislocation core larger than the NP size, stable long chains are obtained but made of poorly interacting NPs. For dislocation core smaller than the NP size, the disorder is induced outside the dislocation cores and the NP chains are not equilibrium structures. However we show that at least half of these small dislocations can be filled, leading to chains with strongly enhanced electromagnetic coupling between the NPs. These chains are more probably stabilized by the elastic distortions around the defect cores, the distortion being enhanced by the presence of the grain boundary where the dislocations are embedded.
Date: 15 déc 2020 - 23:19
Desc: In this article, we show how advanced hierarchical structures of topological defects in the so-called smectic oily streaks can be used to sequentially transfer their geometrical features to gold nanospheres. We use two kinds of topological defects, 1D dislocations and 2D ribbon-like topological defects. The large trapping efficiency of the smectic dislocation cores not only surpasses that of the elastically distorted zones around the cores but also the one of the 2D ribbon-like topological defect. This enables the formation of a large number of aligned NP chains, within the dislocation cores that can be quasi-fully filled without any significant aggregation outside the cores. When the NP concentration is large enough to entirely fill the dislocation cores, the LC confinement varies from 1D to 2D. We demonstrate that the 2D topological defect cores induce a confinement that leads to planar hexagonal networks of NPs. We then draw the phase diagram driven by NP concentration, associated with the sequential confinements induced by these two kinds of topological defects. Owing to the excellent large-scale order of these defect cores, not only the NP chains but also the NP hexagonal networks can be oriented along the desired direction, suggesting a possible new route for the creation of either 1D or 2D highly anisotropic NP networks. In addition, these results open rich perspectives based on the possible creation of coexisting NP assemblies of different kinds, localized in different confining areas of a same smectic film that would thus interact thanks to their proximity but also would interact via the surrounding soft matter matrix.
Date: 13 Mar 2019 - 03:24
Desc: We show that simulated relativistic motion can generate entanglement between artificial atoms and protect them from spontaneous emission. We consider a pair of superconducting qubits coupled to a resonator mode, where the modulation of the coupling strength can mimic the harmonic motion of the qubits at relativistic speeds, generating acceleration radiation. We find the optimal feasible conditions for generating a stationary entangled state between the qubits when they are initially prepared in their ground state. Furthermore, we analyse the effects of motion on the probability of spontaneous emission in the standard scenarios of single-atom and two-atom superradiance, where one or two excitations are initially present. Finally, we show that relativistic motion induces sub-radiance and can generate a Zeno-like effect, preserving the excitations from radiative decay.
Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7
U.F.R. Physique
Bâtiment Condorcet
10, rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet
75205 PARIS CEDEX 13