CohenTannoudji

Cohen-Tannoudji (Claude Cohen-Tannoudji) is a French physicist born April 1, 1933, in Constantine, French Algeria. He is a leading figure in quantum optics, known for developing experimental and theoretical approaches to the interaction of light with matter. In 1997, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics alongside Steven Chu and William D. Phillips for the development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light.

He studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and earned a doctorate in physics in the 1960s. He has held professorships at major French institutions and has been associated with research institutes focusing on quantum optics and atomic physics. He co-authored the influential text Atom-Photon Interactions with Jacques Dupont-Roc and Gilbert Grynberg, which surveys the theoretical framework for how atoms respond to electromagnetic fields and forms a staple in the field.

Cohen-Tannoudji's work spans laser cooling and trapping, cavity quantum electrodynamics, and precision measurements in atomic physics. His contributions helped establish cold-atom techniques widely adopted in metrology, quantum information science, and fundamental tests of quantum mechanics. He has received other honors and has played a prominent role in French science leadership and education.