Passing of Dominique Delande

Dominique joined the LKB in 1979 for his DEA internship, which was followed by a third-cycle thesis under the supervision of Jean-Claude Gay. He was recruited to the CNRS in 1981 in the same team, where he continued his research on Rydberg atoms in intense static fields and defended his doctoral thesis in 1988.

A recognised expert in quantum chaos in the 1990s, Dominique later played a key role in the field of multiple light scattering on atoms. Combined with his numerical expertise, his deep understanding of light-matter interactions led to an unprecedented description of localisation phenomena in these systems in the early 2000s. For this work, he was awarded the CNRS Silver Medal in 2002.

These early studies on disorder quickly earned him a reputation as a leading expert in the physics of disordered quantum gases, a field that began to flourish in 2005. His numerical simulations of the Anderson transition in cold atoms have since become a benchmark in the field, accompanying French experimental breakthroughs and recent measurements.

Dominique was a theoretical physicist who worked closely with experimentalists, but was also a strong advocate of the independent development of theoretical activities. His high-level work on many-body localisation, carried out in his French-Polish collaborations, has recently been recognised with a prize.

Throughout his career, Dominique has been deeply involved in collective endeavours, contributing significantly to the laboratory’s management team and IT services, at university level through the UFR, and within Section 2 of the National Committee. He also generously offered his expertise in high performance computing to the wider community.

To his staff, Dominique was one of those extraordinarily competent physicists to emulate – a role model and a source of stability. His vast knowledge was awe-inspiring, his strong sense of justice and ethics reassuring. To younger colleagues, Dominique was the embodiment of kindness and support. He was an unwavering pillar of support for his team in all circumstances. With a deep understanding of many areas of physics, he was always ready to advise and assist colleagues facing theoretical challenges. His sharp wit, non-conformism and human qualities will be deeply missed.

Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. Messages of support for his family can be sent to his professional address.

The LKB management team, his colleagues and friends.