Acronyme du projet/ Acronym of the project

4.1.13.2Valorisation / Exploitation of results

X/CEA-LSI has issued 6 patents during the last 5 years (full list in 7.2). 1 of them is on the way of technological transfer to industrials (on-going contacts with several companies: SENSINNNOV, PALMSENS, DROPSENS, MESUREO, EDF. Besides, several contracts have been signed or are still alive between the X/CEA-LSI teams and industrial companies (St Gobain, EDF, RTE, ).

For all its valorization activities, X/CEA-LSI relies on the IP pool either at CEA/DSM or Ecole Polytechnique

4.1.13.3Enseignement superieur / Higher education

X/CEA-LSI scientists are deeply involved in higher education, together with communication activities towards the society and young students.

• PhD level: 9 of us have the HdR and commonly act as Thesis Director

• Master Level: We are currently teaching at Master level, in particular the Master "Sciences et Technologies, Mention Physique et Applications" and the "NanoSciences" Master at U. Paris XI.

• UnderGrad level: We are regularly teaching at Undergrad level, in particular at Ecole Polytechnique

• High School and colleges: Internship focussed on the discovery of the scientific world for scholars (classes: 3^ème and 4^ème)

• Textbooks: L. Reining is co-author of a book « Interacting electrons: theory and computational approaches », with R.M. Martin and D. Ceperley. (to be published by Cambridge University Press).

Semiconductors and Devices, M. Voos, H.-J. Drouhin, and B. Drévillon, Ecole Polytechnique (2000)

4.1.13.4Organisation / Organisation

X/CEA-LSI is part of the LSI, one of the 22 laboratories at Ecole Polytechnique. It is mainly focused on theoretical analysis of nanostructures and spectroscopy. One of the groups (XNano) has just been created as a consequence of the last AERES evaluation of LSI

The three teams are active in fund raising, both from local, national and international agencies. Within the last 5 years, 6 ANR projects, 1 CnanoIdF, 3 with the Triangle de la Physique, 2 EU contracts and 2 with the French DGA.

4.1.14Partenaire 14/ Partner 14 : Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (LPS) UMR8502

4.1.14.1Recherche et innovation / Research and innovation

LPS/Nano gathers 3 of the 17 research teams from the Laboratoire de Physique du Solide, which is a joint unit between CNRS and U. Paris XI (UMR8502). Those teams are:

• 
  Tissues and biological fibres (Head Jean Doucet), which focuses on the development of new physical tools for analyzing tissues and cells in the context of biomedical and pharmaceutical research
  
• 
  Imaging and Dynamics in Magnetism (IDMAG; Head André Thiaville) whose expertise resides in the microscopic observation of magnetic nanostructures, and their micromagnetic modeling
  
• 
  STEM/ODMC, which is a joint team gathered for joining the NanoSaclay LabEx from two existing groups at LPS. This team has a strong expertise in structural characterization by X-ray diffraction or Transmission Electron Microscopy (global versus local approaches), and in investigation of the electronic and optical properties of individual nano-objects by using state of the art TEM related spectroscopy techniques (EELS and cathodoluminescence).
  

LPS/Nano gathers 14 researchers (including 5 teaching researchers), 2 research engineers, 6 PhD students and 6 postdoctoral fellows.

Evaluation: The LPS was evaluated by AERES in 2008. All teams concerned by LPS/Nano were quoted A+

Excerpt of the report (A+): The LPS is a very productive and successful Laboratory, which lives up to its tradition and to the expectations of the international scientific community. […] For several years now, LPS has been developing a remarkable expertise in the analysis of physical phenomena at reduced dimensions.

Excerpt of the STEM group report: The STEM group is one of the leading international groups in electron microscopy, with an outstanding reputation, more specifically in electron spectroscopy. Its success is based both on remarkable developments in instrumentation and analysis, and on the intelligent choice of highly appropriate research topics. The newly acquired ultra STEM gives the team the means to stay at the forefront of international research.

Excerpt of the ODMC group report: In the last two years an original program on the toxicity of nanotubes has started in collaboration with the group ‘Tissus et fibres biologiques’ and the INSERM. The first results are very encouraging and the committee strongly supports this new activity.

Excerpt of the IDMAG group report: The IDMAG group has unique expertise in magneto-optical measurements of magnetic systems of reduced dimension. The group develops ground-breaking instrumentation, e.g. a high resolution Kerr magnetometer with exceptional sensitivity. In contrast, the Micro-SQUID is restricted to low-temperature measurements. Magnetic BEEM is a magnetic microscopy technique with an ultimate resolution approximately one order of magnitude worse than SP-STM. The Committee supports the group's aim of evaluating moreprecisely the potential of Magnetic BEEM.

Excerpt of the FIBRE group report: The FIBRES group pursues research topics that are closely connected with medical issues. This approach israther uncommon, due to the difficulty of disentangling the multiple causes that may contribute to a givenpathology. The choice of topics and techniques is quite broad, and the Committee appreciates the group's willingness to take risks.
High profile scientists:
STEPHAN, Odile (H = 29, > 3500 citations); U. Paris XI; Pr

Distinctions: Franqui chair award, Univ. Namur (2010)

Major publications (IF>7): 1 Nature, 2 Science, 1 Nature Phys., 1 Nature Nanotech., 5 PRL, 3 Nanolett, 4 JACS, 1 Angew. Chem.

Other assessment points: Junior member of the Institut Universitaire de France
LAUNOIS, Pascale (H = 20, > 1300 citations); CNRS; DR2

Distinctions: CNRS Bronze Medal (1991); 2004 Prize from "La Recherche" (Science large audience newspaper)

Major publications (IF>7): 3 PRL, 3 Nanolett
THIAVILLE, André (H = 23, > 1800 citations); CNRS; DR2

Distinctions: Prize Daniel Guinier from French Physics Society (1989); CNRS Bronze Medal (1993); Prize Louis Ancel from French Physics Society (2004)

Major publications (IF>7): 1 Nature Mater., 1 PRL
MILTAT, Jacques (H = 24, > 1800 citations); CNRS; DR1 (Emeritus)

Major publications (IF>7): 1 PRL
DOUCET, Jean (H = 28, > 3000 citations); CNRS; DR1

Major publications (IF>7): 5 Nature, 1 PRL, 1 Nano Letters
KOCIAK, Mathieu (H = 19, >1800 citations); CNRS; CR1 (36 years old)

Distinctions: A. Guigner Young Researcher Award 2002

Major publications (IF>7): 2 Science, 1 Nature Phys., 9 PRL, 1 Angew Chemie, 3 Nanolett
Research activities: LPS/Nano issued 189 publications in reviewed journals between 2006 and 2010, together with 4 patents. Among those publications: 1 Science, 1 Nature Mater., 1 Nature NanoTech., 1 Nature Phys., 5 NanoLett., 1 JACS, 5 PRL. (see 7.2 for details)

11 PhD theses have been obtained within the same period. Among them, 5 new doctors already hold a permanent position and 6 hold a temporary position. 3 HdR were obtained during that period at LPS/Nano.

Scientists from LPS/Nano are gave more than 20 invited lectures, mainly at international conferences during the past 5 years (A partial list is given in 7.2)

LPS/Nano teams have numerous collaborations (18 current collaborations within the Campus Paris-Saclay, many of them members of the NanoSaclay LabEx, ca. 15 collaborations with research French labs and more than 15 international active collaborations)

Equipments: LPS/Nano focuses its scientific activities on imaging at the nanoscale, from magnetic nanostructures to tissue cells. For that purpose, they both rely on various X-ray diffraction and diffusion techniques, mainly performed with synchrotron radiation, and on high-resolution electronic microscopy for which they are recognized among the best experts in the world.

Synthesis: Cell culture room.

Analysis: Immunofluorescence microscopy; cathodoluminescence set-up; X-Ray scattering

Microscopy: 1 conventional TEM and 2 dedicated Scanning TEM (STEM), including a last generation STEM equiped with an objective lens aberration corrector for atomically-resolved EELS experiments; Magnetic Force Microscopy; Ballistic Electron Tunneling Microscope under field

Magnetic measurements: Ferromagnetic resonance Microscopy, SQUID, Magneto-Optical Magnetometry

X-rays: 8 rotating anodes with original scattering set-ups (including micro-diffraction)

Besides, LPS/Nano is the leader of the TEMPOS project, which unites the efforts of the U. Paris XI, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, and CEA to create a world-class centre for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) linked to the C2N-NanoInnov initiative. It will push forward the limits in the study of individual nano-objects and nanomaterials, from their growth to the most local measurement of their physical properties, with innovative instrumentation

LPS/Nano is also partner of the STRAS EquipEx project for low-temperature STM, AFM, MFM and BEEM.