The Institute covers a wide range of fields in physics, and our research activities are dispatched in 6 departments:
- "Molecular physics" department : The Department of Molecular Physics brings together theoreticians and experimentalists working on the structure and dynamics of atomic and molecular systems as well as their interaction with light. Research is organised around three main axes (theory and simulation, laboratory astrophysics and combustion/plasmas/environment), and is both fundamental in nature as well as applied to various domains such as astrophysics and atmospheric, environmental and industrial physics.
- "Soft matter" department : The department works on a wide range of soft materials: granular media, foams, emulsions, bubbles and drops, biological tissues, membranes, proteins at interface. The experimental techniques belong to the fields of optics, mechanics, physico-chemistry, biology. The activities are structured in 4 axes: Self-organization, Fluid Interfaces, Rheology and Plasticity, Disorder and Transport.
- "Materials - nanosciences" department : We study the fundamental properties of matter at the nanometer scale and contribute to the experimental and theoretical efforts necessary for future developments of new materials and associated devices in the fields of electronics, photonics and information storage. Our activities are organized within three main research axes: Nano-confined materials, Surfaces and interfaces, Theory and simulation. Our researches are characterized by a strong interaction between experiment and theory. An important effort is also devoted to the development of original experimental and numerical tools.
- "Divided matter" department : The departement is mainly interested in the physics of granular flow in the geological, environmental and industrial contexts and also in the transport of (bio)colloïds in confined environments.
- "Mechanics and glasses" department :The Mechanics and Glasses Department has an original and transdisciplinary position which lies at the crossroads of mechanics, physics and chemistry. Innovative experimentation coupled with numerical simulation means have made it possible to develop a recognized research activity on the mechanical behavior of amorphous materials: glasses and elastomers.
- "Materials and light" department : Materials can have different states, associated with different properties, that can change under the effect of external constraints such as light, temperature, pressure. To understand the properties of materials, we study their structure and electronic state by diffraction and ultra-fast optical techniques. Our scientific goal is focused on understanding and controlling photoinduced phenomena in molecular materials
