To find the right proposal !
Internship and thesis proposals
Criteria for selection
Number of proposals
24
1
Ground-state cooling of multiple nanoparticles in optical levitation
Domaines
Quantum optics/Atomic physics/Laser
Nonequilibrium statistical physics
Quantum optics
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
Optical levitation is a subfield of optomechanics, in which a nanoparticle is trapped in a vacuum at the focal spot of a microscope objective. Because levitated systems outperform other mechanical resonators, they offer the tantalizing prospect of investigating quantum mechanics at the mesoscale. To display quantum properties, the nanoparticle must be cooled down close to its ground state, which is typically achieved through the monitoring of its displacements and a modulation of the laser’s intensity. Currently, the most exciting endeavor in the field lays in performing levitation with many-body systems. Many-body levitation would offer the opportunity to observe effects for the first time, like the mesoscopic entanglement of nanoparticles. Sadly, conventional cooling techniques, cannot be multiplexed and fail badly to cool several elements in parallel.
Throughout this internship, the candidate will experimentally implement a new cooling technique intended to achieve the first-ever cooling of a many-body system composed of multiple nanoparticles in levitation. Compared to former strategies, here, a spatial light modulator is used to spatially shape the wavefront of the laser beam. Such a modulation enables to exert simultaneously adapted optical forces on all the nanoparticles in order to reduce their individual vibrational motions, which ultimately leads to the cooling of the many-body system. A funding is available to continue this internship through a PhD.
Contact
Nicolas Bachelard
15/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
2
Quantum informational resources in quantum optics and superselection rules: the role of detection.
Domaines
Quantum information theory and quantum technologies
Quantum optics
Metrology
Type of internship
Théorique, numérique Description
Quantum information protocols are well defined mathematically, and there exist different benchmarks for establishing the necessary resources for potential quantum advantage, as for instance the discrete Wigner function negativies or "magic". At the same time, physical systems, and in particular, bosonic systems - as the quantum electromagnetic field - can be used to encode quantum information or, alternatively speaking, simulate quantum informational protocols. Nevertheless, for such systems, the "magical" resources enabling quantum advantage over classical simulations - i.e., enabling the efficient simulation of quantum protocols - are subjected to physical constraints, as symmetries and conservation laws. While abstract qubits have no particular symmetry, photons are bosons, symmetric identical particles.
During this internship, we will address the interplay between physical and informational resources to determine how detection may be seen as a non-classical resource in quantum optics based quantum information protocols. This will be done by constructing a original framework where the phase reference of quantum optical states is explicitly treated as a resource. In general, this resource is implicit and disregarded, obscuring the assessment of the resource tradeoff of bosonic quantum information protocols. We will analyze, in particular, the role of detection in BosonSampling protocols and in homodyne detection, that is usually considered as resourceless.
Contact
Perola Milman
15/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
3
The mechanics of osmotic pressure
Domaines
Soft matter
Physics of living systems
Hydrodynamics/Turbulence/Fluid mechanics
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
The aim of this project is to elucidate the mechanical nature of osmotic pressure. To this end, we will
experimentally measure the deformations of a soft semi-permeable membrane under an osmotic flux.
Based on preliminary results, we will engineer hydrogel semi-permeable membranes seeded with nanotracers
in microfluidic chips, and quantify material displacements with confocal imaging techniques.
Beyond bringing fundamental insight into soft membranes, we expect this project will have far-reaching
implications in the fields of biophysics and polymer physics.
Contact
Nicolas Bain
15/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
4
Tipping thresholds and bistability of Antarctic continental shelf regimes
Domaines
Hydrodynamics/Turbulence/Fluid mechanics
Type of internship
Théorique, numérique Description
The goal of the project is to investigate mechanisms and physical processes governing oceanic properties on the Antarctic continental shelf and to assess their relevance for potential bifurcations of ice-shelf cavities. Understanding this problem is crucial for reducing uncertainties in long-term climate projections, especially regarding sea-level rise. The proposed work will combine numerical simulations in an idealized setup and geophysical fluid dynamics theory.
Contact
Corentin Herbert
Laboratory : laboratoire de physique, ENS de Lyon - umr 5672
Team : ENS de Lyon, Physique
Team Website
Team : ENS de Lyon, Physique
Team Website
14/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
5
Build a 3D-printed holographic microscope for tracking particles in soft matter
Domaines
Biophysics
Soft matter
Physics of living systems
Non-linear optics
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
Holographic microscopy uses interference patterns to recover the three-dimensional positions
of many particles from a single image, making it a powerful tool for studying transport in soft and
heterogeneous materials. The NanoX-funded MEMTIM project will use this technique to determine
howdeformationhistorycreatesanisotropyandmechanicalmemoryinmucus. Thisinternshipwilldeliver
the new microscope required for these measurements.
Contact
Wylie Ahmed
14/09/2026
/
Thesis :
Funding :
6
Ultra-fast mid-IR modulators for applications to frequency combs
Domaines
Condensed matter
Low dimension physics
Non-linear optics
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
See pdf file for all the details
Extreme brief summary:
The goal of the internship is to develop electrically reconfigurable meta-surfaces whose optical properties, in reflection/ absorption, can be addressed electrically on ultra-fast timescales. In particular, we target ultra-fast amplitude modulators for the mid-infrared spectral range.
These developments are crucial for applications such as laser phase stabilization, spectroscopy, frequency comb generation, mode-locking, optical communications.
Contact
Raffaele Colombelli
14/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
7
Shaping the polarization of light for tip-enhanced photoluminescence
Domaines
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
The goal of the internship is to develop an optical spectroscopy technique that is spatially resolved at the nanoscale, which is known as tip-enhanced photoluminescence (TEPL). This technique employs a laser beam focused onto the apex of a plasmonic metal tip (gold or silver) within an atomic force microscope (AFM) or scanning tunneling microscope (STM). To maximize the field enhancement effect at the tip apex, the focused beam must be radially polarized. To achieve this specific polarization, the intern will use a liquid-crystal polarization converter. The intern will then couple this beam to the plasmonic tip of an AFM or STM microscope, contribute to developing the software interface for controlling the optical detectors, and conduct TEPL experiments on semiconductor nanomaterial samples.
Contact
Eric Le Moal
14/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
8
Are there leaders in active systems?
Domaines
Statistical physics
Biophysics
Soft matter
Nonequilibrium statistical physics
Physics of living systems
Non-equilibrium Statistical Physics
Type of internship
Théorique, numérique Description
You will aim at developing computational techniques to infer the presence of leaders in active systems. The stage will be based in SPEC/CEA (University of Paris-Saclay) and LPTMC (Jussieu).
Contact
Cesare Nardini
14/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
9
Oceanic Vortex Generation at a Sea-Ice Edge in a Rotating Tank
Domaines
Physics of liquids
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
The objective of this internship is to investigate experimentally the generation and evolution of oceanic vortices at a sea-ice edge using a rotating-tank laboratory setup.
Contact
Charly De Marez
Laboratory : Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale - 6523
Team : Ocean Scale Interactions
Team Website
Team : Ocean Scale Interactions
Team Website
14/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
10
Wet active systems: from anomalous diffusion to self-organization
Domaines
Statistical physics
Biophysics
Soft matter
Nonequilibrium statistical physics
Physics of living systems
Non-equilibrium Statistical Physics
Kinetic theory ; Diffusion ; Long-range interacting systems
Hydrodynamics/Turbulence/Fluid mechanics
Type of internship
Théorique, numérique Description
You will develop theories for wet active systems, in order to understand how fluid flows affect their collective phenomenology. The focus will be on understanding their generic and universal properties, i.e. qualitative and quantitative properties independent of system details. The internship is planned as a well-defined entry point in the problem; it can naturally be continued for a PhD.
The stage will be developed between SPEC/CEA (Univ. Paris-Saclay) and LPTMC (Jussieu).
Contact
Cesare Nardini
14/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
11
PhD-thesis: Nonlinear dynamics in complex fiber networks
Domaines
Quantum optics/Atomic physics/Laser
Non-linear optics
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
We are looking for a PhD-student to investigate the properties of complex fiber networks and the dynamics of network lasers within the framework of an ANR project. The project is mainly experimental but will be accompanied by numerical simulations.
Contact
Stefan Bittner
13/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
12
Dynamics of a DFB-laser with optical injection into a residual mode
Domaines
Quantum optics/Atomic physics/Laser
Non-linear optics
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
Distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers are semiconductor lasers with a single lasing mode thanks to a cavity design that suppress all other modes (called residual modes) by reducing their quality factors. Optical injection into a laser can lead to injection locking (i.e., synchronization), but also to unstable and ultra-fast chaotic dynamics. While optical injection into the main lasing mode of a DFB-laser has been extensively studied, injection into a residual mode remains unexplored. The objective is to study the dynamics caused by injection into a residual mode and to explore the possibility to create chaotic dynamics with increased bandwidth in view of applications like chaos cryptography. A systematic experimental investigation of the laser dynamics will be complemented by the development of a theoretical model and numerical simulations.
Contact
Stefan Bittner
13/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
13
Chaotic graphs in silicon photonics
Domaines
Quantum optics/Atomic physics/Laser
Non-relativistic quantum field theory, quantum optics, complex quantum systems
Quantum information theory and quantum technologies
Quantum optics
Non-linear optics
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
The objective of the internship and the thesis is to investigate the combined effect of nonlinearities and complex interferences in these optical graphs, particularly regarding the formation and dynamics of soliton states. In a second time, we will inject non-classical light (squeezed light or entangled photons) to test if entanglement is sensitive to chaos.
Contact
Mélanie Lebental
11/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
14
A Light Higgs Boson in Light of Ultraviolet-Infrared Mixing
Domaines
High energy physics
Fields theory/String theory
Type of internship
Théorique, numérique Description
Theory and phenomenology in particle physics beyond the Standard Model; Electroweak symmetry breaking; Higgs mechanism; Hierarchy problem. See PDF file.
Contact
Florian NORTIER
11/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
15
Streaming at the water surface induced by complex surface wave field
Domaines
Soft matter
Physics of liquids
Hydrodynamics/Turbulence/Fluid mechanics
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
This internship aims to investigate experimentally and/or theoretically the fascinating complex flow patterns induced by random surface wave fields at the water surface. Preliminary results suggest that there exists strong connexion between the flow features (vortices/rivers) and the wave field features (zeros and maximum of oscillation), that are still to be explored and understood. Possibility to apply for PhD on the same topic.
Contact
Benjamin Apffel
11/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
16
Quantum plasmonic metamaterial time crystals
Domaines
Condensed matter
Quantum optics
Topological materials, Quantum Transport, Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics
Non-linear optics
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
Photonic time crystals -optical systems that are strongly and periodically modulated in time- have recently emerged as a novel paradigm for controlling light–matter interactions through temporal modulation, analogous to how conventional spatial photonic crystals manipulate light through spatial structuring. Building on our recent demonstration of a photonic time crystal using a plasmonic metamaterial operating at Terahertz frequencies, this internship aims to lay the groundwork for realizing a quantum plasmonic metamaterial time crystal, that is a photonic time crystal that can operate in the few-photon regime. This will require developing a Terahertz spectroscopy setup with extended frequency coverage as well as the design and characterization of advanced plasmonic metamaterials.
Contact
Yannis LAPLACE
Laboratory : Laboratoire des solides irradiés - UMR 7642
Team : New electronic states - TeraX-lab
Team Website
Team : New electronic states - TeraX-lab
Team Website
11/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
17
Controlling the polarization of light with chiral plasmonic nanostructures
Domaines
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
In this project we will (1) locally and electrically excite chiral plasmonic nanoparticles and (2) to use them to enhance the chiral properties of a new class of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors called transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), which are key for a new branch of physics and technology called valleytronics
Contact
Elizabeth Boer-Duchemin
10/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
18
Transverse spreading of 2D localized microwaves in the presence of absorption
Domaines
Quantum optics/Atomic physics/Laser
Condensed matter
Statistical physics
Low dimension physics
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
Various mechanisms underlie metal-insulator transitions in condensed matter. One of these mechanisms is Anderson localization, which is caused by quantum interference induced by disorder. As a consequence, the Drude diffusion of an electron through the sample has to be corrected, and when the interferences become large enough, conduction may cease, leading to an insulating phase. Because the origin of this phenomenon lies in interference, it has been suggested 40 years ago by Anderson himself that it should be easily observed using "classical" waves as light or sound. A signature of localization lies in the transmission transverse profile: in the diffusion regime, a Gaussian beam spreads in time whereas in the localization regime it saturates. This transverse profile beam spreading should be independent of transmission.
The intern will perform an experimental test of the independence of the claim that the transverse profile spreading in the presence of Anderson localization does not depend on absorption.
Contact
Geoffroy Aubry
10/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
19
Critical scaling of the bandgap appearance in 2D disordered photonic materials
Domaines
Quantum optics/Atomic physics/Laser
Condensed matter
Statistical physics
Low dimension physics
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Théorique, numérique Description
Historically, photonic crystals and the concept of photonic bandgap were introduced in the seminal works of Yablonovitch and John in the 1980s. Even if natural examples exists (for instance in the blue iridescent wings of the Morpho butterfly), the first experimental realizations were done in the microwave regime by drilling holes in epoxy resin, and over the last 15 years, significant progresses in the micro and nano fabrication have been achieved enabling the availability of 3D materials with gaps or pseudo-gaps in the near-infrared. Nevertheless, despite a considerable amount of work reporting the measurement of photonic band gaps in different regimes (optical, infrared or microwave), an explanation of when to expect or not to expect a band gap is still lacking. Furthermore, even when a bandgap does exist, it is unclear exactly at which frequency it will occur and how wide it will be.
Using bandgap computation to compute the bandgap frequency and width fluctuations in two-dimensional hyperuniform dielectric materials, we propose to explore the idea of a possible continuous phase transition in the appearance of the bandgap using finite size scaling.
Contact
Geoffroy Aubry
10/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
20
How activity shapes transport and mechanics in crowded cellular matter
Domaines
Statistical physics
Biophysics
Soft matter
Nonequilibrium statistical physics
Physics of living systems
Non-equilibrium Statistical Physics
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
The interior of a cell is a striking example of an active soft material: it is dense, heterogeneous, viscoelastic, and continuously driven far from equilibrium by internal energy-consuming processes. From a physics perspective, this activity can fluidize an otherwise glassy material and strongly enhance tracer motion. Yet we still lack a quantitative description of how energy injection and packing control fluctuations, transport, and mechanical response. The ANR-funded project, ActiveCyt, addresses this problem by combining controlled experiments with statistical-physics modeling.
Contact
Wylie Ahmed
10/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
21
Fabrication and magneto-optical characterization of a gadolinium doped silica optical fiber
Domaines
Quantum optics/Atomic physics/Laser
Condensed matter
Soft matter
Physics of liquids
Type of internship
Expérimental Description
Light transport is in general reciprocal, and therefore the statement "if I see you, you see me" is in general true. The magneto optical Faraday effect is one way to break reciprocity, and it is used in optical isolators for instance. In our group, we are interested in more fundamental questions raised by the presence or not of reciprocity and its consequences on multiple scattering, and we work in particular with optical fibers as the propagation medium. The Faraday effect, and thus reciprocity breaking, is proportional to the external applied magnetic field and to the length of the Faraday active medium. The proportionality constant—called the Verdet constant—is for most materials quite low, meaning that reciprocity can only be substantially broken over very large distances for the magnetic fields achievable in the lab. We would therefore like to fabricate an optical fiber with a large Verdet constant.
Silica optical fibers doped with a small concentration of Gadolinium seem to be good candidates, as the Verdet constant of Gd-doped fibers was reported to be 2 orders of magnitude larger than standard telecom optical fibers, with reasonably low losses. For this work, we propose to fabricate Gd-doped optical fibers, and then characterize then both optically and magneto-optically.
Contact
Geoffroy Aubry
10/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
22
Nanoparticle diffusion in a cytoplasmic extract
Domaines
Biophysics
Soft matter
Physics of living systems
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
The interior of a cell is dense and crowded with polydisperse molecules, and subjected to biochemical activity that fluidizes it. Crowding and activity endow the intracellular milieu with specific properties. In particular, using single-particle tracking of genetically-encoded nanoparticles, we found that particle diffusion is not Brownian in vivo. Many reasons can explain this non-Brownian diffusion, such as particle interactions, the type of biochemical noise, or local heterogeneities due to the ultrastructure of the cytoplasm. The purpose of this internship is to study and model, using in vitro systems, how nanoparticles can diffuse in a cytoplasmic extract, as a controllable surrogate for a real cell.
Contact
Morgan Delarue
10/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
23
Unconventional liquid-like physics in frustrated metamaterials
Domaines
Condensed matter
Statistical physics
Physics of liquids
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Description
The project centers on a macroscopic 2D metamaterial we recently developed: arrays of interacting magnets. This platform is uniquely suited for exploring and engineering frustration effects and related liquid-like physics, as it allows precise control over each individual meta-spin while enabling full spatial resolution of the overall spin configuration and real-time tracking of its evolution. With this capability, we aim to uncover unconventional emergent phenomena, reminiscent of effects encountered in different research fields—such as phase separation effects, typically studied in combinatorial mathematics, or charge separation, transport, and recombination, which are central to condensed-matter physics.
Contact
Johann Coraux
10/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :
24
Brownian motion in complex environments
Domaines
Condensed matter
Statistical physics
Biophysics
Soft matter
Physics of liquids
Nonequilibrium statistical physics
Physics of living systems
Non-equilibrium Statistical Physics
Kinetic theory ; Diffusion ; Long-range interacting systems
Hydrodynamics/Turbulence/Fluid mechanics
Nanophysics, nanophotonics, 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,, surface physicss, new electronic states of matter
Type of internship
Expérimental et théorique Contact
Thomas Salez
09/09/2026
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Thesis :
Funding :