Michele LEDUC

1961 Student at the École normale supérieure for Young Women in Sèvres

1965 Agrégée in Physical Sciences

1965 Agrégée preparatrice at the ENS for Young Women in Sèvres

1969 Research Associate at the CNRS at the Hertzian Spectroscopy Laboratory of the ENS

1972 Doctor of Science (University of Paris)

2005 CNRS Research Director, Exceptional Class

2007 CNRS Emeritus Research Director

• Member of the “Bose-Einstein Condensates” team at the Kastler-Brossel Laboratory
• In charge of external relations and communication for QuanTip (research network on quantum technologies in the Île-de-France region)
• Expert for the European Commission for FETopen programs
• Ethics expert for the European Commission
• President of the Ethics Committee of the LNE (National Laboratory of Metrology and Testing)
• Director of the “Savoirs Actuels” collection (CNRS Editions and EDP Sciences)
• Director of the “Introduction to” collection (EDP Sciences)
• Co-editor-in-chief of the journal Raison Présente (Rationalist Union)
• Member of the editorial board of the Reflets de la Physique magazine (SFP)

• 1989-1992 Consultant in Materials Science (DRED Ministry of Higher Education)
• 1989-1993 Member and Rapporteur of the Scientific Council of Defense
• 1993-1998 Director of the Physics Center at the École de Physique des Houches
• 1994-1999 Director of the Kastler-Brossel Laboratory (ENS and UPMC)
• 1999-2002 Advisor at the Directorate of Research at MENRT (Physics and SPI)
• 2001-2002 National Coordinator of the Large Research Infrastructures Unit
• 2002-2011 Member of the Scientific Council of the City of Paris
• 2007-2011 Member of the High Scientific Council of ONERA
• 2007-2010 President of the French Physical Society (SFP)
• 2005-2012 Director of IFRAF (Île-de-France Institute for Research on Cold Atoms)
• 2007-2011 Member of the ERC panel PE2 (chair of the panel in 2011)
• 2012-2015 Co-leader of the regional DIM nano-K
• 2012, 2014 Member of the IUF-junior jury
• 2012-2016 President of COMETS (CNRS Ethics Committee)

• 1976 Paul Doisteau-Emile Blutel Prize from the French Academy of Sciences
• 1987 Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters
• 1989 Grand Prize “Science and Defense”
• 1998 “European Science Award” from the Koerber Foundation
• 2009 Irène Joliot-Curie Prize “Female Scientist of the Year”
• 2010 Commander of the National Order of Merit
• 2014 Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honor

Step 1: Spectroscopy and Collisions in Rare Gases via Optical Pumping

Given my familiarity with nuclear physics techniques, the first project assigned to me for my thesis was the measurement of nuclear magnetic moments of radioactive atoms polarized by optical pumping. I then shifted focus, beginning a strong collaboration with Franck Laloë, with whom I formed a small team initially dedicated to various studies on collisions and spectroscopy in rare gases subjected to discharges.

Step 2: Polarized Quantum Fluids at Low Temperature, LNA Laser, Helium Magnetometers, Polarized Nuclear Targets

With this team, I decided to study quantum statistical effects related to particle indistinguishability in polarized ^3He at low temperature. After developing the theory of nuclear orientation of ^3He via optical pumping, we succeeded in experimentally demonstrating spin waves in a dilute gas of cold ^3He atoms and showed how the transport properties of the gas, especially heat conduction, were modified by the polarization of the nuclear spins. This work led me to develop new infrared lasers for optical pumping of helium, which were not commercially available at the time. In particular, I discovered and built LNA solid-state lasers, which were later used for over fifteen years by nearly 50 laboratories working with helium atoms. In the 1980s, I continued collaboration with a laboratory in Caen on helium magnetometry, for which I filed several patents. I also leveraged these advancements, in collaboration with Ernst Otten in Mainz, to develop polarized and compressed ^3He gas targets for applications in nuclear physics and neutronics, particularly at the ILL in Grenoble.

Step 3: Laser-Cooled Metastable Helium Gas, Bose-Einstein Condensation, Photo-Association, Metrology

In 1993, I joined the “Cold Atoms” team led by Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, taking over the setup developed by Alain Aspect for cooling ^4He gas in the metastable triplet state. With a large team of many PhD students and post-doctoral researchers, I first demonstrated the cooling mechanism beyond the recoil limit, interpreted by a Lévy statistics mechanism. I then completely rebuilt the experimental setup to achieve high densities of very cold metastable ^4He gas, which allowed us to observe Bose-Einstein condensation of the gas in February 2001, followed by various studies on the dynamics of condensation in the hydrodynamic regime. After 2002, the experiment expanded with photo-association methods, leading to the production of ultra-cold giant molecules via laser-assisted collisions, as well as a very precise determination of the scattering length derived from the ultra-fine black resonances obtained. Finally, spectroscopic measurements were carried out in collaboration with a laboratory in Amsterdam, linking the singlet and triplet spectra of the helium atom and testing QED calculations.

Step 3 bis: Lung Imaging by MRI with Hyperpolarized ^3He

Simultaneously, I became involved in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) using ^3He that was nuclear-polarized by optical pumping. This method, devised with Ernst Otten, involves using the hyperpolarized gas, which was originally intended for nuclear targets, compressing it, having a volunteer inhale it while holding their breath, and recording the MRI image of their lungs. The goal is to study ventilation during the gas absorption and to measure the state of the lung cavities via diffusion of the hyperpolarized gas. Starting in 1996, we demonstrated the unexpected feasibility of the method and its potential for diagnosing lung pathologies. I introduced this research area with Pierre-Jean Nacher at the Kastler-Brossel Laboratory and served as the coordinator of a European PHIL network in the health field focusing on MRI with helium applied to emphysema. Since 2005, this field has also been developed at the LKB with the “Quantum Fluids” team.

LEDUC M., LEHMANN J.C., C.R. Acad. Sci. 262B (1966) p.736-739: “Mesure du rapport des moments magnétiques nucléaires des isotopes 111 et 113 du cadmium
LEDUC M., BROSSEL J., LEHMANN J.C., C.R. Acad. Sci. 263B (1966) p.740-743: “Mesure du rapport des fréquences de résonance magnétique nucléaire de 199Hg et 111Cd en phase vapeur”
LEDUC M., BROSSEL J., C.R. Acad. Sci. 266B (1968) p.12-14: “Mesure du rapport des moments magnétiques nucléaires des isotopes 111 et 109 du cadmium”
LALOE F., LEDUC M., MINGUZZI P., C.R. Acad. Sci. 266B (1968) p.1517-1520: “Etude de l’influence sur les propriétés de dispersion et d’absorption d’une vapeur de 201Hg, des modulations de l’orientation et de l’alignement dans l’état fondamental des atomes”
LEDUC M., BROSSEL J., C.R. Acad. Sci. 266B (1968) p.287-290: “Etude comparée de la relaxation sur des parois de silice de noyaux de 109Cd et 111Cd orientés par pompage optique”
LALOE F., LEDUC M., MINGUZZI P., C.R. Acad. Sci. 267B (1968) p.328-331: “Etude de l’influence des caractéristiques d’un faisceau lumineux détecteur sur les signaux d’absorption et de dispersion modulées d’une vapeur de 201Hg”
LALOE F., LEDUC M., MINGUZZI P., J. Physique 30 (1969) p.277-288: “Relation entre l’état angulaire d’une vapeur atomique soumise au pompage optique et ses propriétés d’absorption et de dispersion” (1ère partie)
LALOE F., LEDUC M., MINGUZZI P., J. Physique 30 (1969) p.341-350: “Relation entre l’état angulaire d’une vapeur atomique soumise au pompage optique et ses propriétés d’absorption et de dispersion” (2ème partie)
LEDUC M., LALOE F., BROSSEL J., C.R. Acad. Sci. 271 (1970) p.342-345: “Pompage optique du 21Ne”
LEDUC M., LALOE F., Optics Comm. 3 (1971) p.56-58: “Détection de l’orientation des ions 3He+ produite par pompage optique dans une décharge”
DUPONT-ROC J., LEDUC M., LALOE F., Phys. Rev. Lett. 27 (1971) p.467-470 :”New value for the metastability exchange cross section in Helium”
BARBE R., LEDUC M., LALOE F., C.R. Acad. Sci. 274 (1972) p.645-648: “Dépolarisation du niveau métastable 2S de l’He-4 par collisions quasi résonnantes avec le néon ; influence de la température”
NOEL A., LEDUC M., LALOE F., C.R. Acad. Sci. 274 (1972) p.77-80: “Orientation de niveaux excités du 21Ne par pompage optique dans une décharge”
LEDUC M., LALOE F., BROSSEL J., J. Physique 33 (1972) p.49-58: “Mesure du rapport entre les moments magnétiques du niveau 2S de l’He-4 et du niveau fondamental de l’He-3”
DUPONT-ROC J., LEDUC M., LALOE F., J. Physique 34 (1973) p.961-987 et 977: “Contribution ‡ l’étude du pompage optique par échange de métastabilité dans 3He” (1ère et 2ème partie)
BARBE R., LEDUC M., LALOE F., Lett. Nuovo Cimento 8 (1973) p.915-919: “Magnetic resonance with inhomogeneous R.F. fields”
PINARD M., LEDUC M., J. Phys. (Paris) 35 (1974) p.741-752: “Etude par pompage optique de la résonance magnétique de l’ion 3He+ dans l’état fondamental”
DUPONT-ROC J., LEDUC M., J. Phys. Lettres (Paris) 35 (1974) p.L-175-178: “Population and orientation mechanisms for excited states in helium discharges”
BARBE R., LEDUC M., LALOE F., J. Physique 35 (1974) p.699-725: “Résonance magnétique en champ de radiofréquence inhomogène”. Partie théorique
BARBE R., LEDUC M., LALOE F., J. Physique 35 (1974) p.935-951: “Résonance magnétique en champ de radiofréquence inhomogène. Vérification expérimentale: mesure du coefficient de self diffusion de He-3”.
PINARD M., LEDUC M., J. Phys. (Paris) 38 (1977) p.609-622: “Etude par pompage optique de l’échange de métastabilité dans le néon ».
LEFEVRE-SEGUIN V., LEDUC M., J. Phys. B 10 (1977) p.2157-2164: “Metastability exchange and depolarizing collisions in xenon and krypton”.
LEDUC M., WEISBUCH C., Optics Comm. 26 (1978) p.78-80: “CW dye laser emission beyond 1000 nm”
PINARD M., LEDUC M., TRENEC G., AMINOFF C.G., LALOE F., Appl. Phys. 19 (1979) p.399-403: “Efficient single mode operation of a standing wave dye laser”.
LEDUC M., Optics Comm. 31 (1979) p.66-68: “Synchronous pumping of dye lasers up to 1095 nm”
NACHER P.J., LEDUC M., TRENEC G., LALOE F., J. Phys. Lettres (Paris) 43 (1982) p.L-525-529: “Polarisation nucléaire de He-3 gazeux par pompage optique laser”.
TRENEC G., NACHER P.J., LEDUC M., Optics Comm. 43 (1982) p.37-40: “Single frequency operation of a color-center laser in the 1.0-1.15 micron range”.
LEDUC M., TRENEC G., Rev. Phys. Appl. 17 (1982) p.355-356: “High power CW dye laser emission around 888 nm”.
EISELE H., PAUS H.J., WAGNER J., LEDUC M., J. Appl. Phys. 54 (1983) p.4821-4825: “Fading properties of a NaF:F2+ color center laser.
HIMBERT M., LEFEVRE-SEGUIN V., NACHER P.J., DUPONT-ROC J., LEDUC M., LALOE F., J. Phys. Lettres (Paris) 44 (1983) p.523-529: “Nuclear polarization through optical pumping of gaseous He-3 below 1K”.
LEDUC M., CRAMPTON S.B., NACHER P.J., LALOE F., Nucl. Sci. Appl. 1 (1983), p 1-20 : “Nuclear polarization in gaseous He-3 by optical pumping”.
NACHER P.J., TASTEVIN G., LEDUC M., CRAMPTON S.B., LALOE F., J. Phys. Lettres (Paris) 45 (1984) p.441-448: “Spin rotation effects and spin waves in gaseous He-3”.
NACHER P.J., LEDUC M., J. Phys. (Paris) 46 (1985) p.2057-2073: “Optical pumping in He-3 with a laser”.
BLOCH D., TRENEC G., LEDUC M., J. Phys. B 18 (1985) p.1093-1100: “Isotope shift of the 2S-2P transition in helium”
TASTEVIN G., NACHER P.J., LEDUC M., LALOE F., J. Phys. Lettres (Paris) 46 (1985) p.249-254: “Direct detection of spin waves in gaseous He-3”.
LALOE F., LEDUC M., NACHER P.J., NOVIKOV L.V., TASTEVIN G., Usp.Fiz.Nauk 147 (1985) p.433-458: “Polarisation optique des noyaux d’hélium 3″[Sov.Phys.Usp. 28 (1985) p. 941-955 : “Optical polarization of helium-3 nuclei”].
BETTS D.S., LEDUC M., Ann. Phys. Paris 11 (1986) p.267-296: “L’hélium polarisé : méthodes et applications”.
SCHEARER L.D., LEDUC M., VIVIEN D., LEJUS A-M., THERY J., IEEE J. Quant. Electron. QE22 (1986) p.713-717: “LNA: a new CW Nd laser tunable around 1.05 and 1.08 micron”.
SCHEARER L.D., LEDUC M., IEEE J. Quant. Electron. QE22 (1986) p.756-758: “Tuning characteristics and new laser lines in an Nd:YAP CW laser”
METCALF D., GIOVANNI de P., ZACHOROWSKI J., LEDUC M., Appl. Opt. 26 (1987) p.4508-4517: “Laser resonators containing self-focusing elements”.
LEDUC M., NACHER P.J., BETTS D.S., DANIELS J.M., TASTEVIN G., LALOE F., Europhys. Lett. 4 (1987) p.59-64: “Nuclear polarization and heat conduction changes in gaseous He-3”.
SCHEARER L.D., LEDUC M., ZACHOROWSKI J., IEEE J. Quant. Electron. 23 (1987) p.1996-1998: “CW laser oscillations and tuning characteristics of neodymium-doped lithium niobate crystals”.
DANIELS J.M., SCHEARER L.D., LEDUC M., NACHER P.J., J.O.S.A. B 4 (1987) p.1133-1135: “Polarizing He-3 nuclei with neodymium LaNdMgAl11O19 lasers”.
HAMEL J., CASSIMI A., ABU-SAFIA H., LEDUC M., SCHEARER L.D., Optics Comm. 63 (1987) p.114-117: “Diode pumping of LNA lasers for helium optical pumping”.
BOHLER C.L., SCHEARER L.D., LEDUC M., NACHER P.J., ZACHOROWSKI J., MILNER R.G., McKEOWN R.D., WOODWARD C.E., J. Appl. Phys. 63 (1988) p.2497-2501: “Spin-polarized He-3 nuclear targets and metastable He-4 atoms by optical pumping with a tunable Nd:YAP laser”.
TASTEVIN G., NACHER P.J., WIESENFELD L., LEDUC M., LALOE F., J. Phys. (Paris) 49 (1988) p.1-6: “Obtaining polarized liquid helium-3 from optically oriented gas”.
AMINOFF C.G., LARAT C., LEDUC M., LALOE F., Rev. Phys. Appl. 24 (1989) p.827-831: “Optical pumping of helium with arc lamp excited LNA lasers”.
BETTS D.S., LALOE F., LEDUC M., Progress in Low Temperature Physics 12 (1989), p 45-114, Elsevier publishers B.V. “Properties of strongly spin-polarized He3 gas”
LARAT C., LEDUC M., NACHER P.J., TASTEVIN G., VERMEULEN G., J. of Low Temp. Phys. 80 (1990) p.299-313: “Heat conduction in spin polarized gaseous He-3 at low temperature”.
ELBEL M., LARAT C., NACHER P.J., LEDUC M., J. Physique 51 (1990) p.39-46: “Optical pumping of helium-3 with a frequency electro-modulated laser”.
AMINOFF C.G., LARAT C., LEDUC M., VIANA B., VIVIEN D., J. of Luminescence 50 (1991) p.21-29: “Characterization and laser properties of lanthanum magnesium hexa-aluminate activated by neodymium and chromium”.
BIGELOW N., NACHER P.J., LEDUC M., J. Physique II 2 (1992) p.2159-2179: “Accurate optical measurements of nuclear polarization in optically pumped He3 gas”.
ECKERT G., HEIL W., MEYERHOFF M., OTTEN E.W., SURKAU R., WERNER M., LEDUC M., NACHER P.J., SCHEARER L.D., Nucl. Instrum. Methods A320 (1992) p.53-65: “A dense polarized He3 target based on compression of optically pumped gas”.
LAWALL J., BARDOU F., SAUBAMEA B., SHIMIZU K., LEDUC M., ASPECT A., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Phys. Rev. Lett. 73 (1994) p.1915-1918: “Two-dimensional subrecoil laser cooling”.
BECKER J., HEIL W., KRUG B., LEDUC M., MEYERHOFF M., NACHER P.J., OTTEN E.W., PROKSCHA TH, SCHEARER L.D., SURKAU R., Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research 346 (1994) p.45-51: “Study of mechanical compression of spin-polarized 3He gas”.
MEYERHOFF M.,Ö, LEDUC M.,Ö, WALCHER TH., Phys. Lett. B 327 (1994) p.2016: “First measurement of the electric formfactor of the neutron in the exclusive quasi-elastic scattering of polarized electrons from polarized 3He”.
LAWALL J., KULIN S., SAUBAMEA B., BIGELOW N., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Phys. Rev. Lett. 75 (1995) p.4194-4198: “Three-dimensional laser cooling of helium beyond the single-photon recoil limit”.
CHERON B., GILLES H., HAMEL J., LEDUC M., MOREAU O., NOEL E., J. Physique III 5 (1995) p.1287-1295: “3He Nuclear spin relaxation in Cesium coated cells at room temperature”.
HEIL W., HUMBLOT H., OTTEN E.W., SCHAFER M., SURKAU R., LEDUC M., Phys. Letters A 201 (1995) p.337-343: “Very long nuclear relaxation times of spin polarized helium 3 in metal coated cells”.
STOLTZ E., MEYERHOFF M., BIGELOW N., LEDUC M., NACHER P.J., TASTEVIN G., Appl. Phys. B 63 (1996) p.629-633: “High nuclear polarization in 3He and 3He-4He gas mixtures by optical pumping with a laser diode”.
BECKER J., EBERT M., GROSSMANN T., HEIL W., HUMBLOT H., LEDUC M., OTTEN E.W., ROHE D., SCHAEFER M., SIEMENSMEYER K., STEINER M., SURKAU R., TASSET F., TRAUTMANN N., Journal of Neutron Research 5 (1996) p.1 “Development of a dense polarized 3He spin filter based on compression of optically pumped gas”.
EBERT M., GROSSMANN T., HEIL W., OTTEN E.W., SURKAU R., LEDUC M., BACHERT P., KNOPP M.V., SCHAD L.R., THELEN M., The Lancet 347 (1996) p.1297-1299: “Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging with hyperpolarised helium-3”.
KULIN S., SAUBAMEA B., PEIK E., LAWALL J., HIJMANS T.W., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Phys. Rev. Lett. 78 (1997) p.4185-4188: “Coherent manipulation of atomic wavepackets by adiabatic transfer”.
SAUBAMEA B., HIJMANS T.W., KULIN S., RASEL E., PEIK E., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Phys. Rev. Lett. 79 (1997) p.3146-3149: “Direct measurement of the spatial correlation function of ultracold atoms”
CHERNIKOV S.V., TAYLOR J.R., PLATONOV N.S., GAPONTSEV V.P., NACHER P.J., TASTEVIN G., LEDUC M., BARLOW M.J., Electronics Letters 33 (1997) p.787-789: “1083 nm ytterbium doped fibre amplifier for optical pumping of helium”
CONSTANTINESCO A., CHOQUET P., WIOLAND M., LEDUC M., NACHER P.J., TASTEVIN G., Médecine nucléaire – imagerie fonctionnelle et métabolique 21 (1997) p.285-292: “L’IRM des gaz rares hyperpolarisés : une concurrence future pour la médecine nucléaire ?”
SURKAU R., BECKER J., EBERT M., GROSSMANN T., HEIL W., HOFMANN D., HUMBLOT H., LEDUC M., OTTEN E.W., ROHE D., SIEMENSMEYER K., STEINER M., TASSET F., TRAUTMANN N., Nucl. Instrum. Methods A 384 (1997) p 444-450: “Realisation of a broad band neutron spin filter with compressed polarized 3He gas”.
LEDUC M., NACHER P.J., TASTEVIN G., Laser Physics 8, (1998) p 1-4 : “Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using Polarized Noble gases”
KULIN S., CASTIN Y., OLSHANII M., PEIK E., SAUBAMEA B., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Europ. Phys. J. D7 (1999) p 279-284: “Exotic Quantum Dark States” .
RASEL E., PEREIRA F., PAVONE F., PERALES F., UNNIKRISHNAN C. S., LEDUC M., Europ. Phys. J. D7 (1999) p 311-316: “White light cooling of a helium beam” .
BECKER J.,Ö,LEDUC M.,Ö,WILMS E., Europ . Phys. J. A6 (1999) p 329-344 : “Determination of the neutron electric form factor from the reaction 3 He(e,en) at medium energy transfer”.
SAUBAMEA B.,LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Phys.Rev.Lett. 83 (1999) p 3796-3799: “Experimental investigation of nonergodic effects in subrecoil laser cooling”.
BORISOV Y., HEIL W., LEDUC M. (*), LOBASHEV V., OTTEN E.W., SOBOLEV Y., Nuclear Instruments and Methods A440 (2000) p 483-488: “Feasibility study of a 3He magnetometer for neutron electric dipole moment experiments”
PEREIRA DOS SANTOS F., PERALES F., LEONARD J., SINATRA A., JUNMIN WANG , PAVONE F.S., RASEL E., UNNIKRISHNAN C.S., LEDUC M., Europ. Phys.J.AP 14 (2001) p 69-77: « Efficient magneto-optical trapping of a metastable helium gas »
PEREIRA DOS SANTOS F., PERALES F., LEONARD J., SINATRA A., JUNMIN WANG, PAVONE F.S., RASEL E., UNNIKRISHNAN C.S., LEDUC M., Europ. Phys.J.D 14 (2001) p 15-27-: « Penning collisions of laser-cooled metastable helium atoms »
PEREIRA DOS SANTOS F, .LEONARD J, JUNMIN WANG, BARRELET C.J., PERALES F., RASEL. E, UNNIKRISHNAN C.S., LEDUC M., COHEN TANNOUDJI C., Phys.Rev.Letters 86, (2001) p 3459-3463 : « Bose-Einstein Condensation of metastable helium »
PEREIRA DOS SANTOS F, LEONARD J, JUNMIN WANG, BARRELET C.J., PERALES F., RASEL E., UNNIKRISHNAN C.S., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Eur.Phys.J.D. 19, (2002), p 103-110 : « Production of a Bose-Einstein condensate of metastable helium atoms »
LEDUC M., LEONARD J., PEREIRA DOS SANTOS, JAHIER E., SCHWARTZ S., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Acta Physica Polonica B 8, (2002), p 2213-2224: « Hydrodynamic modes in a trapped gas of metastable helium above the Bose-Einstein transition »
LEONARD J., WALHOUT M., MOSK A.P., MUELLER T., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Phys.Rev.Letters 91, (2003), 073203, 1-4, “Giant helium dimmers produced by photoassociation of ultracold metastable atoms”.
Voir aussi: “Paired-up helium atoms make it big”, Nature 424, 865 (21 August 2003) and Physics News in 2003 a supplement to APS News, page 2, in “Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics” : “Giant helium molecules”.
LEONARD J., MOSK A.P., WALHOUT M., Van der STRATEN P., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Phys.Rev.A 69, (2004), 032702: “Analysis of photoassociation spectra for giant helium dimers”
LEONARD J., MOSK A.P., WALHOUT M., LEDUC M., Van RIJNBACH M., NEHARI D.,VAN DER STRATEN P., Europhysics Letters 70 ,(2005), p 190-196: “rotationally induced Penning ionization of ultracold photoassociated helium dimmers”.
KIM J., RAPOL U., MOAL S., LEONARD S., WALHOUT M., LEDUC M., EPJD 31,(2004), p 227-239: “photoassociation experiments with utra-cold metastable helium atoms”.
KOELEMEIJ J.C.J., LEDUC M., EPJD 31,(2004) p 263-271: « Prospects for measurement and control of the scattering length of metastable helium using photoassociation techniques ».
KIM J., MOAL S., PORTIER M., LEDUC M., « Laser Physics » 15 (2005), pp 1075-1079 : « Observation of the photoassociation resonances of ultracold metastable helium dimmers by a mechanical effect ».
LEDUC M., VIGUE J., “Theor.Chem. Acc”., 116, (2006) p 598-607: “Interplay between theoretical quantum chemistry and cold atom experiments”.
KIM J, MOAL S., PORTIER M., DUGUE J., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., EurophysicsLetters 72 (2005), pp 548-554 : “Light induced frequency shifts of ultracold metastable helium photoassociation spectra: a new method for measuring the scattering length”.
MOAL S., PORTIER M., KIM J., DUGUE J., RAPOL U., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Phys.Rev.Letters. 96, 023203 (2006) : “Accurate determination of the scattering length of metastable helium atoms using dark resonances between atoms and exotic molecules”.
PORTIER M., MOAL S., KIM J., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., DULIEU O., J Phys B 39-S881 (2006). “Analysis of light-induced frequency shifts in the photoassociation of ultracold metastable helium atoms”.
MOAL S., PORTIER M., ZAHZAM N., LEDUC M., Phys. Rev.A 75, 033415 (2007) : « Lifetime of weakly-bound dimmers of ultracold metastable helium studied by photoassociation”.
MOAL S., PORTIER M., KIM J. ARIMONDO E., LEDUC M., EurophysicsLet. 83, 23001(2008): “Mechanical effect of photoassociation: a new method to measure the scattering length of ultracold metastable atoms”.
PORTIER M., LEDUC M., COHEN-TANNOUDJI C.,Proceedings of the Royal Society of Chemistry Faraday Discussions, 2009, 142, pp 415 -428  : « Fano profiles in two-photon photoassociation spectra ».
LEDUC M., and COHEN-TANNOUDJI C., Laser Physics, 2009, Vol. 19, No. 9, pp. 1–10 « Ultracold Metastable Helium from Atoms to Exotic Molecules ».

WASSEN W, COHEN-TANNOUDJI C, LEDUC M, et al, Review of Modern Physics, 2012, 84, pp 175-210: “Cold and trapped metastable noble gases”.

Brevets

HAMEL J., LEDUC M., LALOE F., SCHEARER L.D., Brevet 8606776 pris par ANVAR en 1986, acheté par CROUZET en 1987 et étendu au USA, JAPON et EUROPE : ´ MagnétomËtre ‡ Helium pompé par laser ª
LARAT C., NACHER P.J., LEDUC M., WEISBUCH C., Brevet Thomson-CSF 89-14894 (1989) : « Cellule de vapeurs atomiques ou moléculaires pour pompage optique et magnétomètre ou gyroscope utilisant une telle cellule »
CHERON B., GILLES H., HAMEL J., LEDUC M., HEIL W., OTTEN E.W., SURKAU R., Brevet (1994): « Récipient pour contenir un fluide, notamment de l’hélium 3 » (Brevet BREVATOME B7215PM/dm).

At COMETS

I was appointed in June 2011 as the president of COMETS (Ethics Committee of the CNRS) for a five-year term, succeeding mathematician Jean-Pierre Bourguignon. I was reappointed in 2017 (until 2021) as a member of this committee, which underwent a renewal of its composition and presidency. The mission of COMETS is to foster reflection on research practices and to provide recommendations on the responsibilities of researchers to both the institution and society. The committee is independent from the CNRS administration and initiates discussions on topics it deems necessary. It publishes opinions after several months of work, including reviews, interviews, discussions within small groups, and plenary sessions (held six times a year). I dedicate a significant portion of my time to preparing these opinions, which are published in both French and English on the COMETS website, which is itself accessible through the CNRS website. I am usually the author and rapporteur of these opinions. These opinions are presented as well-documented studies, supported by a large body of notes and references. They are widely disseminated throughout the CNRS and universities through the CPU and also resonate with the Academy of Sciences and occasionally the media (see the list of COMETS opinions in my publications on ethics). My work with COMETS has led to many invitations to give lectures followed by debates on ethical issues, as well as to write articles on the topic.

At CoFIS (French Council for Scientific Integrity)

My work with COMETS led me to focus more closely on scientific integrity. In 2015, I co-authored the “National Charter of Ethics for Public Research Professions” for the CNRS (with three other institutions), which has since been signed by most major research institutions in France, including agencies, universities, and grandes écoles. These concerns address the prevention of fraud and inappropriate behavior in research. This led to the creation of a commission of 12 members, of which I was a part, under the presidency of Pierre Corvol. A report was submitted on the implementation of the Charter to the Minister for Higher Education and Research in 2017. Subsequently, a new institution, the OFIS (French Office for Scientific Integrity), was created as a department within HCERES. The OFIS has a Scientific Council (CoFIS), of which I have been a member since 2018. The mission of CoFIS is to provide insight and promote policies and actions regarding scientific integrity within national research communities. OFIS and its CoFIS council coordinate the network of RIS (Scientific Integrity Referees) within institutions and organize training. I personally contributed to organizing and drafting the report for a national conference on the topic of “Scientific Integrity and Open Science.” I should also mention that I am occasionally called as an independent expert to produce a confidential report on cases of breaches of integrity or research ethics at certain universities.

Avis du COMETS dont j’ai été rédactrice et rapporteur (extraits)

Avis 2021-41     « Sciences, risques et principe de précaution »

Avis 2019-40     « Les publications à l’heure de la science ouverte »

Avis 2018-39     « Des liens d’intérêts aux conflits d’intérêts dans la recherche publique »

Avis 2018-38     « La recherche un droit mondial »

Avis 2018-36     « Le harcèlement sexuel dans les laboratoires : quelques considérations éthiques”

Avis 2018-35     « Libertés et responsabilités dans la recherche académique »

Avis 2017-34     « Réflexion éthique sur le plagiat dans la recherche »

Avis 2016-33     « Le CNRS face aux écarts par rapport à l’intégrité scientifique »

Avis 2015-31     « Les sciences citoyennes »

Avis 2014-29     « La politique de l’excellence en recherche »

Avis 2013-27     « Risques naturels, expertise et situation de crise »

Autres publications

« Sommes-nous toujours honnêtes dans nos pratiques de la recherche ? » n°37 de Reflets, 2013

« La responsabilité du chercheur scientifique » n°19 de l’Archicube, 2015

« Du plagiat dans nos pratiques de recherche ? » n°55 de Reflets de la Physique, 2017

« Du plagiat sous toutes ses formes » n°207 de Raison Présente, 2018

« Science et confiance » dans « La Science » Editions Atlande, 2020

« Science et confiance : l’intégrité de rigueur » n°28 de l’Archicube, éditions de la rue d’Ulm, 2020

« Ethique, intégrité, responsabilité en recherche », actes du colloque Polethis 2018, publié en 2020

« Experts, médias et crise sanitaire » (avec Sylvestre Huet), blog le Monde/Huet mars 2021

« Le principe de précaution et l’expertise des scientifiques  » , Michèle Leduc, Raison Présente 2023 n°2278, p 83-9

« Un nouveau souffle pour l’intégrité scientifique »; Emmanuel Didier et Michèle Leduc, AOC 3 mai 2023

« La France doit se mobiliser contre le harcèlement », Michèle Leduc dans Le Monde 23 février 2023

« Liberté responsabilité des chercheurs et des chercheuses », Xavier Bouju et Michèle Leduc, Raison Présente 2024 n°229, p 101-110