RSS export of vacancies - Seulement les offres à la une : No / Profil : Physique corpusculaire et cosmos, Sciences du vivant

SL-DAM-26-0788 - Prompt fission neutron spectrum precision measurement in the spontaneous fission of 252Cf

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:43 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
The 252Cf(sf) prompt fission neutron spectrum (PFNS) is a reference neutron data that is widely used as a well known neutron flux for cross section measurements and neutron detector characterization. The current evaluation of the spectrum dates from the work of Mannhart in 1988. With the improvement of detection systems, the uncertainty on the spectrum has an increasingly significant impact on the uncertainty of new nuclear data measurements using it as a reference. Improving the precision on the 252Cf(sf) PFNS would therefore have a wide impact on the nuclear data community and improve the uncertainties on all data that were measured with respect to this reference spectrum. The thesis aims to measure again the 252Cf(sf) PFNS with a focus on the region below 1 MeV and the region above 8 MeV, where the uncertainties are greatest, using recoil proton detectors. The chosen candidate will have to actively participate to the design and construction of the setup, leading the technological choices through simulations, will participate to the experiment and do the data analysis. The work will then be presented in international conferences and peer-reviewed articles.

Prompt fission neutron spectrum precision measurement in the spontaneous fission of 252Cf

SL-DRF-26-0699 - Uncovering the signaling roles of inositol polyphosphates in plant growth and development

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:43 Z

Category : Life Sciences
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
Inositol polyphosphates (InsPs), particularly their pyrophosphate derivatives (PP-InsPs), are recently characterized as signaling molecules present in all eukaryotes. Extensive research has been conducted on the PP-InsP pathway revealing its impacts on organogenesis and various diseases such as cancer metastasis, obesity, and diabetes. Cellular PP-InsPs exist in low concentrations, complex isoforms, and turnover fast, therefore, making them a real challenge to monitor and to analyze. This restricts the PP-InsP study especially on defining their specific roles or putatively variable distribution among cells/tissues. To solve the problem, this project aims to create cellular reporters for monitoring PP-InsPs in real-time. Given the PP-InsP pathway is conserved, the development of the PP-InsP sensors in plants will have a broader impact on the study of to the fundamental characteristics of PP-InsP signaling in animals. For example, the transfer of the PP-InsP reporters to cancer cell lines for possibility to use it for better understanding of PP-InsP-regulated cancer metastasis in the future.

Uncovering the signaling roles of inositol polyphosphates in plant growth and development

SL-DRF-26-0676 - Non-invasively exploring the cerebellum microstructure with magnetic resonance

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:43 Z

Category : Life Sciences
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
To better diagnose and monitor brain diseases, we need “non-invasive biopsies” to access the tissue cell-type composition and state without opening the skull. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research efforts attempt to tackle the challenge but often lack cellular specificity because of the ubiquitous nature of water. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRS) measures diffusion of intracellular and partly cell specific molecules in a region of interest, and forms a solid basis for resolving cell-types non-invasively. Among challenges, resolving signal contributions from the different cerebellar neurons could help monitor and understand neurodevelopmental and ataxic disorders. The cerebellum is a brain region representing 10% of the brain volume but containing more than half of the brain neurons, with the very large and complex Purkinje cells and the very small and round granule cells, both having very different functions and metabolism. The PhD project aims to disentangle these cells with complementary strategies: a classical dMRS approach and a quantum dMRS approach confronted to the state-of-the-art microstructure MRI methods.

Non-invasively exploring the cerebellum microstructure with magnetic resonance

SL-DRF-26-0634 - Role of the JMY protein in human brain development and glioblastoma stem cell radioresistance: from brai

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:43 Z

Category : Life Sciences
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
The JMY protein is an important regulator of the actin cytoskeleton, involved in cell migration and morphogenesis. Expressed in the developing brain, it is associated with several key processes of neurogenesis, including neurite formation, dendritogenesis, myelination, and neuronal migration. However, its specific role in human brain development remains poorly characterized. In parallel, our work demonstrates that JMY plays a central role in the pathophysiology of glioblastoma, a highly aggressive brain tumor. Following irradiation, glioblastoma stem cells increase their migratory and invasive capacities through a pathway involving HIF1a and JMY. This activation promotes the formation of actin-rich structures known as tumor microtubes, which are associated with therapeutic resistance. This project aims to investigate JMY as a common regulator of neurodevelopment and tumor plasticity. In a first axis, we will analyze the impact of JMY deficiency in human brain organoids derived from iPS cells, in order to assess its effects on proliferation, differentiation, neurogenesis, and cortical organization. In a second axis, a high-throughput pharmacological screening will be conducted to identify inhibitors capable of blocking radiation-induced migration of glioblastoma tumor stem cells. The expected results will improve our understanding of JMY’s role in the human brain and support the development of new strategies aimed at limiting glioblastoma recurrence after radiotherapy.

Role of the JMY protein in human brain development and glioblastoma stem cell radioresistance: from brain organoids to therapeutic screening

SL-DRF-26-0618 - From Few-body to High-Energy antinuclei Collision Kinematics

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:43 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
Because rare antinuclei in space could carry information about exotic production mechanisms—including, potentially, dark-matter annihilation or decay—their study has become a high-impact frontier connecting nuclear physics, astroparticle physics, and collider measurements. Interpreting present and future antinuclei searches, however, is limited by a lack of key nuclear input data: low-energy scattering, annihilation, and breakup processes of antinuclei on ordinary matter are difficult to measure directly, precisely because producing and manipulating antinuclei is so challenging. This motivates a complementary, theory-driven strategy. Our project adopts a bottom-up approach: we will establish a controlled, ab initio description of the simplest low-energy antimatter nuclear systems and collisions, identify the underlying many-body mechanisms of annihilation, and then propagate these constraints to transport and event-level modeling at the many-body and higher-energy scales. In doing so, we aim to both deepen our understanding of matter–antimatter interactions at the nuclear level and deliver validated inputs for the simulation tools used in astroparticle and collider applications. Two-way transfer between the two fields: In this project, we simplify the problem to the simplest case that can be treated by the ab initio method: in INCL the annihilation of the antideuteron is identified as an annihilation with a quasi-deuteron in a large target. Two key questions must be addressed in part using ab initio calculations: 1. Which quasi-deuteron will interact? 2. Which output channel will result?

From Few-body to High-Energy antinuclei Collision Kinematics

SL-DRF-26-0611 - Gyrokinetic modelling of the nonlinear interaction between energetic particle-driven instabilities and m

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:43 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
Tokamak plasmas are strongly nonlinear systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium, in which instabilities of very different spatial scales coexist, ranging from large-scale macroscopic oscillations to microturbulence. The presence of energetic ions produced by fusion reactions or by auxiliary heating further enhances these instabilities through wave–particle resonances. Microturbulence is responsible for heat and particle transport in the thermal plasma, while instabilities driven by energetic particles can induce their radial transport and, consequently, their losses. Both phenomena degrade the performance of present tokamak plasmas, and possibly also those of burning plasmas such as ITER. Recent results, however, show that these instabilities, which have long been studied separately, can interact nonlinearly, and that this interaction may lead to an unexpected improvement of plasma confinement. The objective of this project is to investigate these multiscale interactions using the gyrokinetic code GTC, which is able to simultaneously simulate turbulence and energetic-particle-driven instabilities. This work aims to improve the understanding of the nonlinear mechanisms governing plasma confinement and to identify optimal regimes for future fusion plasmas.

Gyrokinetic modelling of the nonlinear interaction between energetic particle-driven instabilities and microturbulence in tokamak plasmas

SL-DRF-26-0616 - Modelling the redshift distribution of Euclid’s lensed galaxies for field-level analyses

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:43 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
The Euclid mission will deliver weak lensing data with unprecedented precision, which has the potential to revolutionise our understanding of dark energy and the growth of cosmic structures. Extracting its full information content requires going beyond the standard analyses. To make optimal use of the data, the OCAPi project will analyse Euclid's lensing maps directly at the pixel level. This approach, known as field-level inference, captures all the information and provides up to 5 times better constraints on the cosmological parameters (Porqueres et al. 2022, 2023). This increased precision, however, requires an accurate modelling of the data. One of the main calibration challenges in weak lensing surveys is the redshift distribution of the lensed galaxies. Current calibration methods were designed for the standard analyses and may not be sufficiently accurate for field-level techniques. Quantifying the accuracy requirements and developing methods capable of reaching it is essential to enable field-level analyses of Euclid data and unlock the full scientific potential of the survey. The goal of this PhD project is to develop a new redshift sampler for weak lensing, designed to meet the accuracy requirements of field-level inference. This sampler will combine physical models of galaxy populations with flexible machine-learning techniques. The thesis will contribute to maximising the potential of Euclid's weak lensing data and advance our understanding of the formation of cosmic structures.

Modelling the redshift distribution of Euclid’s lensed galaxies for field-level analyses

SL-DAM-26-0590 - Applications using laser-accelerated relativistic electrons with PETAL

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:43 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
This PhD project focuses on the physics of plasmas generated by ultra-high-power and high-intensity lasers. The work will be carried out at the LMJ facility, using the PETAL laser which operates at intensities exceeding 10¹8 W·cm?² and enables the production of high-energy particles. The main objective of the thesis is to investigate the generation and acceleration of relativistic electron beams in a gas jet. The potential applications of these beams will be assessed for electron–positron pair production and for electron-beam-based radiography. The research will combine experimental and numerical approaches. The PhD candidate will take part in experimental campaigns scheduled for 2026–2027, including the implementation of diagnostics and data analysis. In parallel, Particle-In-Cell and Monte Carlo simulations will be performed to support the interpretation of the experimental results. In a second phase, the thesis will contribute to the qualification of upgrades to the PETAL laser, focusing in particular on secondary sources of electrons, protons, and hard X-ray radiation generated by laser–matter interactions, within the framework of the PETAL-UPGRADE project.

Applications using laser-accelerated relativistic electrons with PETAL

SL-DRF-26-0659 - Resilience of fusion plasmas in a metallic environment, from WEST to ITER

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:43 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
Magnetic confinement nuclear fusion is an attractive option for contributing to the future energy mix, and the ITER project will, in the coming decade, mark a new milestone in the scientific and technological development of this field by producing more fusion energy than the energy deposited to sustain it. However, in a fusion power plant, the wall of the combustion chamber will be subjected to strong thermal and neutron stresses and must also limit the trapping of hydrogen isotopes used in the nuclear reaction. The material considered the best compromise is tungsten, a metal whose high melting point and lack of chemical affinity with hydrogen are its main advantages. However, its high atomic number makes it highly radiative in the plasma where the reactions occur, which is detrimental to energy confinement and overall performance. It is therefore crucial to understand—both on current machines and through simulations for ITER—the impact of the inevitable tungsten dust (observed in the WEST tokamak) on turbulent transport, magneto-hydrodynamic stability, and ultimately on achieving a viable scenario for nuclear fusion. These aspects will form the foundation of the PhD project, combining experimental analysis on WEST at CEA with validation through simulations that include all relevant aspects, and extrapolation to the ITER environment. This work will be carried out in collaboration with ITER, the UKAEA (United Kingdom) for the simulation code, the CNR-Milano team for the tungsten dust trajectory, and the CEA teams at the IRFM.

Resilience of fusion plasmas in a metallic environment, from WEST to ITER

SL-DRF-26-0534 - Elliptic Flow of Charmed Hadrons in Heavy-Ion Collisions at LHCb?

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
The FLOALESCENCE project explores one of the most fundamental questions in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD): how quarks and gluons transition from a deconfined Quark–Gluon Plasma (QGP) into ordinary hadrons.?This transition, called hadronization, occurred microseconds after the Big Bang and can be recreated today in ultra-relativistic lead–lead collisions at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The PhD will focus on charm quarks—excellent probes of the QGP because they are produced early in the collision and interact throughout its evolution. Using the LHCb detector, uniquely sensitive in the forward rapidity region, the project aims to measure the elliptic flow (v2) of charmed baryons (?c+) and mesons (D0) in Pb–Pb collisions.?The goal is to test whether these heavy quarks thermalize and hadronize through a coalescence mechanism, a key feature of QGP dynamics. Objectives and tasks: - Extract and analyze ?c+ and D0 signals in newly collected 2024–2025 Pb–Pb datasets at LHCb. - Implement a novel flow analysis method (based on the reformulated Lee–Yang Zeros approach) for the first time at LHCb. - Develop an event-by-event multiplicity metric to correlate flow with system energy density. - Compare results to theoretical models and cross-check with measurements at central rapidity (ALICE). - Publish results and present findings at international conferences. The successful candidate will: - Develop advanced data-analysis expertise with CERN’s LHCb software framework, ROOT, and machine learning–based signal extraction. - Gain in-depth knowledge of QCD and relativistic heavy-ion physics, especially QGP properties and collective phenomena. - Learn modern statistical methods for flow analysis and uncertainty estimation. - Acquire collaborative and communication skills within a major international experiment (LHCb), including presentations in collaboration meetings and conferences. - Build strong experience in scientific computing, big-data handling, and detector physics, valuable for both academic and industry careers.

Elliptic Flow of Charmed Hadrons in Heavy-Ion Collisions at LHCb?

SL-DRF-26-0547 - Probing quantum information with the top quark at the LHC

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
This PhD project aims to explore the quantum nature of top-quark pair production at the Large Hadron Collider by studying spin correlations and entanglement-related observables in data recorded by the ATLAS experiment. The recent breakthrough observations of entanglement in top-antitop events have opened an entirely new window onto the quantum structure of fundamental interactions, transforming the LHC into a machine to test quantum information at the TeV scale. Building on this momentum, the thesis will focus on reconstructing the quantum state of top-quark pairs using ATLAS Run-3 data, with particular attention to the extraction of spin correlations and entanglement-sensitive observables in challenging high-momentum topologies. By improving reconstruction strategies and carefully assessing detector effects, the aim is to measure quantum properties with good precision and to contribute to understand what quantum information can bring us to our understanding of elementary particles.

Probing quantum information with the top quark at the LHC

SL-DRF-26-0457 - Impact of magnetohydrodynamic on access and dynamics of X-point radiator regimes (XPR)

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
ITER and future fusion powerplants will need to operate without degrading too much the plasma facing components (PFC) in the divertor, the peripheral element with is dedicated to heat and particle exhaust in tokamaks. In this context, two key factors must be considered: heat fluxes must stay below engineering limits both in stationary conditions and during violent transient events. An operational regime recently developed can satisfy those two constraints: the X-point Radiator (XPR). Experiments on many tokamaks, in particular WEST which has the record plasma duration in this regime (> 40 seconds), have shown that it allowed to drastically reduce heat fluxes on PFCs by converting most of the plasma energy into photons and neutral particles, and that it also was able to mitigate – or even suppress – deleterious magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) edge instabilities known as ELMs (edge localised modes). The mechanisms governing these mitigation and suppression are still poorly understood. Additionally, the XPR itself can become unstable and trigger a disruption, i.e., a sudden loss of plasma confinement cause by global MHD instabilities. The objectives of this PhD are: (i) understand the physics at play during the interaction XPR-ELMs, and (ii) optimise the access and stability of the XPR regime. To do so, the student will use the 3D non linear MHD code JOREK, the European reference code in the field. The goal is to define the operational limits of a stable XPR with small or no ELMs, and identify the main actuators (quantity and species of injected impurities, plasma geometry). A participation to experimental campaigns of the WEST tokamak (operated by IRFM at CEA Cadarache) – and of the MAST-U tokamak operated by UKAEA – is also envisaged to confront numerical results and predictions to experimental measurements.

Impact of magnetohydrodynamic on access and dynamics of X-point radiator regimes (XPR)

SL-DRF-26-0414 - Point Spread Function Modelling for Space Telescopes with a Differentiable Optical Model

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
Context Weak gravitational lensing [1] is a powerful probe of the Large Scale Structure of our Universe. Cosmologists use weak lensing to study the nature of dark matter and its spatial distribution. Weak lensing missions require highly accurate shape measurements of galaxy images. The instrumental response of the telescope, called the point spread function (PSF), produces a deformation of the observed images. This deformation can be mistaken for the effects of weak lensing in the galaxy images, thus being one of the primary sources of systematic error when doing weak lensing science. Therefore, estimating a reliable and accurate PSF model is crucial for the success of any weak lensing mission [2]. The PSF field can be interpreted as a convolutional kernel that affects each of our observations of interest, which varies spatially, spectrally, and temporally. The PSF model needs to be able to cope with each of these variations. We use specific stars considered point sources in the field of view to constrain our PSF model. These stars, which are unresolved objects, provide us with degraded samples of the PSF field. The observations go through different degradations depending on the properties of the telescope. These degradations include undersampling, integration over the instrument passband, and additive noise. We finally build the PSF model using these degraded observations and then use the model to infer the PSF at the position of galaxies. This procedure constitutes the ill-posed inverse problem of PSF modelling. See [3] for a recent review on PSF modelling. The recently launched Euclid survey represents one of the most complex challenges for PSF modelling. Because of the very broad passband of Euclid’s visible imager (VIS) ranging from 550nm to 900nm, PSF models need to capture not only the PSF field spatial variations but also its chromatic variations. Each star observation is integrated with the object’s spectral energy distribution (SED) over the whole VIS passband. As the observations are undersampled, a super-resolution step is also required. A recent model coined WaveDiff [4] was proposed to tackle the PSF modelling problem for Euclid and is based on a differentiable optical model. WaveDiff achieved state-of-the-art performance and is currently being tested with recent observations from the Euclid survey. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was recently launched and is producing outstanding observations. The COSMOS-Web collaboration [5] is a wide-field JWST treasury program that maps a contiguous 0.6 deg2 field. The COSMOS-Web observations are available and provide a unique opportunity to test and develop a precise PSF model for JWST. In this context, several science cases, on top of weak gravitational lensing studies, can vastly profit from a precise PSF model. For example, strong gravitational lensing [6], where the PSF plays a crucial role in reconstruction, and exoplanet imaging [7], where the PSF speckles can mimic the appearance of exoplanets, therefore subtracting an accurate and precise PSF model is essential to improve the imaging and detection of exoplanets. PhD project The candidate will aim to develop more accurate and performant PSF models for space-based telescopes exploiting a differentiable optical framework and focus the effort on Euclid and JWST. The WaveDiff model is based on the wavefront space and does not consider pixel-based or detector-level effects. These pixel errors cannot be modelled accurately in the wavefront as they naturally arise directly on the detectors and are unrelated to the telescope’s optic aberrations. Therefore, as a first direction, we will extend the PSF modelling approach, considering the detector-level effect by combining a parametric and data-driven (learned) approach. We will exploit the automatic differentiation capabilities of machine learning frameworks (e.g. TensorFlow, Pytorch, JAX) of the WaveDiff PSF model to accomplish the objective. As a second direction, we will consider the joint estimation of the PSF field and the stellar Spectral Energy Densities (SEDs) by exploiting repeated exposures or dithers. The goal is to improve and calibrate the original SED estimation by exploiting the PSF modelling information. We will rely on our PSF model, and repeated observations of the same object will change the star image (as it is imaged on different focal plane positions) but will share the same SEDs. Another direction will be to extend WaveDiff for more general astronomical observatories like JWST with smaller fields of view. We will need to constrain the PSF model with observations from several bands to build a unique PSF model constrained by more information. The objective is to develop the next PSF model for JWST that is available for widespread use, which we will validate with the available real data from the COSMOS-Web JWST program. The following direction will be to extend the performance of WaveDiff by including a continuous field in the form of an implicit neural representations [8], or neural fields (NeRF) [9], to address the spatial variations of the PSF in the wavefront space with a more powerful and flexible model. Finally, throughout the PhD, the candidate will collaborate on Euclid’s data-driven PSF modelling effort, which consists of applying WaveDiff to real Euclid data, and the COSMOS-Web collaboration to exploit JWST observations. References [1] R. Mandelbaum. “Weak Lensing for Precision Cosmology”. In: Annual Review of Astronomy and Astro- physics 56 (2018), pp. 393–433. doi: 10.1146/annurev-astro-081817-051928. arXiv: 1710.03235. [2] T. I. Liaudat et al. “Multi-CCD modelling of the point spread function”. In: A&A 646 (2021), A27. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039584. [3] T. I. Liaudat, J.-L. Starck, and M. Kilbinger. “Point spread function modelling for astronomical telescopes: a review focused on weak gravitational lensing studies”. In: Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 10 (2023). doi: 10.3389/fspas.2023.1158213. [4] T. I. Liaudat, J.-L. Starck, M. Kilbinger, and P.-A. Frugier. “Rethinking data-driven point spread function modeling with a differentiable optical model”. In: Inverse Problems 39.3 (Feb. 2023), p. 035008. doi:10.1088/1361-6420/acb664. [5] C. M. Casey et al. “COSMOS-Web: An Overview of the JWST Cosmic Origins Survey”. In: The Astrophysical Journal 954.1 (Aug. 2023), p. 31. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/acc2bc. [6] A. Acebron et al. “The Next Step in Galaxy Cluster Strong Lensing: Modeling the Surface Brightness of Multiply Imaged Sources”. In: ApJ 976.1, 110 (Nov. 2024), p. 110. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad8343. arXiv: 2410.01883 [astro-ph.GA]. [7] B. Y. Feng et al. “Exoplanet Imaging via Differentiable Rendering”. In: IEEE Transactions on Computational Imaging 11 (2025), pp. 36–51. doi: 10.1109/TCI.2025.3525971. [8] Y. Xie et al. “Neural Fields in Visual Computing and Beyond”. In: arXiv e-prints, arXiv:2111.11426 (Nov.2021), arXiv:2111.11426. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2111.11426. arXiv: 2111.11426 [cs.CV]. [9] B. Mildenhall et al. “NeRF: Representing Scenes as Neural Radiance Fields for View Synthesis”. In: arXiv e-prints, arXiv:2003.08934 (Mar. 2020), arXiv:2003.08934. doi: 10.48550/arXiv.2003.08934. arXiv:2003.08934 [cs.CV].

Point Spread Function Modelling for Space Telescopes with a Differentiable Optical Model

SL-DRF-26-0456 - Study of impurity transport in negative and positive triangularity plasmas

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
Nuclear fusion in a tokamak is a promising source of energy. However, a question arises: which plasma configuration is most likely to produce net energy? In order to contribute to answering this, during this PhD, we will study the impact of magnetic geometry (comparison between positive and negative triangularity) on the collisional and turbulent transport of tungsten (W). The performance of a tokamak strongly depends on the energy confinement it can achieve. The latter degrades significantly due to turbulent transport and radiation (primarily from W). On ITER, the tolerated amount of W in the core of the plasma is about 0.3 micrograms. Experiments have shown that the plasma geometry with negative triangularity (NT) is beneficial for confinement as it significantly reduces turbulent transport. With this geometry, it is possible to reach confinement levels similar to those of the ITER configuration (H-mode in positive triangularity), without the need for a minimum power threshold and without the associated plasma edge relaxations. However, questions remain: what level of W transport is found in NT compared to a positive geometry? What level of radiation can be predicted in future NT reactors? To contribute to answering these questions, during this PhD, we will evaluate the role of triangularity on impurity transport in different scenarios in WEST. The first phase of the work is experimental. Subsequently, the modeling of impurity transport will be carried out using collisional and turbulent models. Collaboration is planned with international plasma experts in NT configurations, with UCSD (United States) and EPFL (Switzerland).

Study of impurity transport in negative and positive triangularity plasmas

SL-DRF-26-0411 - Study of uranium-235 fission induced by neutrons from 0.5 to 40 MeV at NFS-SPIRAL2 using the FALSTAFF s

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
The presented project has two main objectives. The first one is the realization (building, calibration, data taking and data analysis) of a first experiment with the FALSTAFF detector in its configuration with two detection arms. In such a configuration, FALSTAFF will be able to detect in coincidence both fragments emitted by fast-neutron triggered fission reactions. These neutrons will be provided by the neutron beam of SPIRAL2-NFS in GANIL. The advantage of using direct kinematics is the ability to determine on an event-by-event basis the excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus by the measurement of the incident-neutron kinetic energy. For this first experiment, we will have a uranium 235 target. 235U is the main source of fission neutrons in nuclear reactors and therefore at the heart of the system. Hence, the understanding of neutron-induced fission of 235U is essential and the rather exclusive data FALSTAFF will provide, with not only the identification of the fission fragments but also their kinematics will permit to reconstruct also the fissioning system. Such a measurmement in direct kinematics have never been done, to our knowledge, with the accuracy we are aiming at. To perform this exepriment, we have improved and added detection capabilities to the FALSTAFF spectrometer, in particular with the financial support of the Région Normandie over the last two years. This experiment will be completed by a work to be done on a theoretical model developed by our collaborators of CEA-Cadarache. We will compare our detailled data with predictions of the model and have the model evolve, according to the laws of nuclear physics in order to obtain results from the model close to the data. Such a test of this model on as complete data as those we will obtain with FALSTAFF have never been done so far.

Study of uranium-235 fission induced by neutrons from 0.5 to 40 MeV at NFS-SPIRAL2 using the FALSTAFF spectrometer and the FIFRELIN code

SL-DRF-26-0406 - Precise time tagging and tracking of leptons in Enhanced Neutrino Beams with large area PICOSEC-Micromeg

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
The ENUBET (Enhanced NeUtrino BEams from kaon Tagging) project aims to develop a monitored neutrino beam with a precisely known flux and flavor composition, enabling percent-level precision in neutrino cross-section measurements. This is achieved by instrumenting the decay tunnel to detect and identify charged leptons from kaon decays. The PICOSEC Micromegas detector is a fast, double-stage micro-pattern gaseous detector that combines a Cherenkov radiator, a photocathode, and a Micromegas amplification structure. Unlike standard Micromegas, it operates with amplification also occurring in the drift region, where the electric field is even stronger than in the amplification gap. This configuration enables exceptional timing performance, with measured resolutions of about 12 ps for muons and ~45 ps for single photoelectrons, making it one of the fastest gaseous detectors ever developed. Integrating large-area PICOSEC Micromegas modules in the ENUBET decay tunnel would provide sub-100 ps timing for lepton tagging, improving particle identification, reducing pile-up, and enhancing the association between detected leptons and their parent kaon decays — a key step toward precision-controlled neutrino beams. Within the framework of this PhD work, the candidate will optimize and characterize 10 × 10 cm² PICOSEC Micromegas prototypes, and contribute to the design and development of larger-area detectors for the nuSCOPE experiment and the ENUBET hadron dump instrumentation.

Precise time tagging and tracking of leptons in Enhanced Neutrino Beams with large area PICOSEC-Micromegas detectors

SL-DRF-26-0366 - Chasing exo-aurorae

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
Aurorae are well known optical phenomena in the Solar System planets. Aurorae have great diagnostic value, as their emissions reveal the planets’ atmospheric compositions, the occurrence of magnetic fields and the solar wind conditions at the planet’s orbit. Looking for aurorae on exoplanets and brown dwarfs is the next frontier. A first breakthrough in this direction has occurred recently, with the detection of a CH4 emission attributed to auroral excitation on the brown dwarf W1935. This detection, and the prospects of observing other auroral features with existent and upcoming telescopes, is what motivates this project. In particular, we will build the first model dedicated to investigate CH4 and H3+ auroral emission on exoplanets and brown dwarfs. The model will be used to investigate the conditions at W1935, and to predict the detectability of aurorae on other sub-stellar objects.

Chasing exo-aurorae

SL-DRF-26-0330 - Understanding the origin of the remarkable efficiency of distant galaxy formation

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
The James Webb Space Telescope is revolutionizing our understanding of the distant universe. A result has emerged that challenges our models: the extremely high efficiency of star formation in distant galaxies. However, this finding is derived indirectly: we measure the mass of stars in galaxies, not their star formation rate. This is the main weakness of the James Webb. The aim of this thesis is to remedy this weakness by using its angular resolution capacity, which has not been taken into account until now, in order to obtain a more robust measurement of the SFR of distant galaxies. We will deduce a law that will improve the robustness of SFR determination using morphological properties and combining data from the James Webb Space Telescope with data from ALMA (z=1-3). We will then apply it to the distant universe (z=3-6, part 2) and use it as a benchmark for numerical simulations (part 3).

Understanding the origin of the remarkable efficiency of distant galaxy formation

SL-DRF-26-0328 - Understanding and modulating resistance to transferrin receptor targeted internal radiotherapy.

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Life Sciences
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
This project aims to unravel the mechanisms of resistance to transferrin receptor–targeted internal radiotherapy (RIV-Tf) in lung cancer. RIV-Tf may combine localized cytotoxic effects with a potential modulation of the tumor microenvironment, offering a promising thera(g)nostic strategy. Preliminary data show significant tumor reduction without complete remission, suggesting adaptive resistance mechanisms. The project integrates transcriptomic analyses enabled by a microfluidic platform developed at LICB and various biological techniques (flow cytometry, ELISA, western blot, targeted imaging) to identify molecular and immunological signatures associated with treatment response. These signatures will be validated in vivo to guide rational therapeutic combinations. Conducted jointly by the ImmunoMaps and LICB teams at CEA, this multidisciplinary work will deepen our understanding of the interplay between radiobiology and tumor immunity and help optimize RIV efficacy in oncology.

Understanding and modulating resistance to transferrin receptor targeted internal radiotherapy.

SL-DRF-26-0325 - Exploring trends in rocky exoplanets observed with JWST

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:15:42 Z

Category : Corpuscular physics and outer space
Contract : Thèse
Thesis topic details :
One of JWST’s major goals is to characterize, for the first time, the atmospheres of rocky, temperate exoplanets, a key milestone in the search for potentially habitable worlds. The temperate rocky exoplanets accessible to JWST are primarily those orbiting M-type stars. However, a major question remains regarding the ability of planets orbiting M-dwarfs to retain their atmospheres. In 2024, an exceptional 500-hour Director’s Discretionary Time (DDT) program, entitled Rocky Worlds, was dedicated to this topic, underlining its strategic importance at the highest level (NASA, STScI). The main objective of this PhD project is to: 1) Analyze all available JWST/MIRI eclipse data for rocky exoplanets from Rocky Worlds and other public programs using a consistent and homogeneous framework; 2)Search for population-level trends in the observations and interpret them using 3D atmospheric simulations. Through this work, we aim to identify the physical processes that control the presence and composition of atmospheres on temperate rocky exoplanets.

Exploring trends in rocky exoplanets observed with JWST