Serge Haroche won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2012 along with American physicist David Wineland for their work on studying quantum phenomena when matter and light interact. The study of matter at its most fundamental level may be hard for many people to wrap their heads around, but as Haroche tells FRANCE 24, study in this field has led to the inventions of life-changing devices. “The GPS is based on atomic clocks; magnetic resonance imaging, which is used in medicine, is also based on quantum phenomena.”
He notes, however, that scientists conduct this kind of research because they are “curious” and its application comes much later. This is one of the reasons why investing in the scientists of tomorrow is so important.
Haroche is a member of the honorary committee of the International Physics Olympiad, a competition for aspiring scientists under the age of 20. Their challenges, Haroche says, include “how to mitigate the effects of global warming” and “how to use solar energy in a more efficient way”.
The competition is currently taking place in France, for the first time in 55 years.
