Dr Mehdi Langlois

Dr Mehdi Langlois

School of Physics and Astronomy
Research Fellow

Contact details

Address
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr. Mehdi Langlois is a research fellow in quantum sensor; he leads the development of compact gradiometers at the University of Birmingham. Mehdi holds a PhD from Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris, France.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Quantum Physics, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 2017
  • MSc in Fundamental Physics, Université Paris-Sud, 2013
  • BSc in Physics, Université Paris-Sud, 2010

Biography

Dr. Mehdi Langlois is a Research Fellow in the Midlands Ultracold Atom Research Centre. He leads the development of compact cold atom gravity gradiometers in the Atom Interferometry team. He currently works on the Gravity Imager project funded by DSTL.

Mehdi is an active member of the researcher community, he published on every experiment he has worked on and participated in many conferences, workshops and scientific collaborations.

Mehdi Langlois obtained his PhD from Pierre and Marie Curie University in 2017 on the design and the realisation of a cold atom gravity gradiometer at Paris Observatory. During his PhD he developed recent tools for atom interferometry, such as an atom chip to generate ultracold atoms and a fibred laser bench to use atom elevator and large momentum transfer. He also worked on a cold atom gravimeter to compensate the wave front aberration with a MEMS deformable mirror. Before his PhD he worked as a Research Engineer at Paris Observatory to assemble and characterise a compact atomic clock, with which he performed trials during zero gravity flights.

Mehdi taught in tutorial classes for undergraduate students in two mathematics classes, in real analysis and linear algebra at the University of Paris-Sud.

Research

Research interests

Cold atoms quantum sensors

Current projects

 

Compact gravity gradiometer.

 

Develop a compact gravity gradiometer suitable for drone deployment.

  • prism MOT cooling
  • compact packaging

Previous projects

Gravity gradiometer

Develop a gravity gradiometer using two sources of ultra-cold atoms on atom chips and large momentum transfer interrogation.

  • mirror-MOT and molasses cooling
  • Bloch elevator launching
  • simultaneous Raman interrogation
  • time of flight detection
  • atom chip fabrication
  • differential phase extraction

Gravimeter with MEMS mirror

Correct the laser wavefront aberration with a MEMS deformable mirror in an cold atom gravimeter.

  • MOT and molasses cooling
  • Raman interrogation
  • time of flight detection
  • laser wavefront aberration compensation with a MEMS deformable mirror
  • gravimetric measurement

Compact atomic clock

Assembly and characterisation of a compact atomic clock based using cold rubidium atoms and carried out measurements in microgravity.

  • isotropic light cooling
  • microwave interrogation in resonant cavity
  • absorption detection
  • clock measurement in microgravity flight

Publications

Articles

  • Langlois, M., Schaff, J.-F., De Sarlo, Luigi, Bernon, S., Holleville, D., Dimarcq, N. (2018), Compact cold atom clock for on-board timebase: tests in reduced gravity, Physical Review Applied,
  • Langlois, M., Caldani, R., Trimeche, A., Merlet, S., Pereira dos Santos, F. (2017), Differential phase extraction in dual interferometers exploiting the correlation between classical and quantum sensors, Physical Review A, 96, 053624
  • Trimeche, A., Langlois, M., Merlet, S., Pereira dos Santos, F. (2017), Active control of laser wavefronts in atom interferometers, Physical Review Applied, 7, 034016 

Proceedings

  • Langlois, M., Trimeche, A., Merlet, S., Pereira dos Santos, F. (2017), Correction of laser wavefronts in atom interferometers with a deformable mirror, EFTF-IFCS
  • Trimeche, A., Langlois, M., Merlet, S., Pereira dos Santos, F. (2017), Active control of laser wavefronts in atom interferometers, CLEO®/Europe-EQEC
  • Merlet, S., Langlois, M., Trimeche, A., Garrido Alzar, C., Pereira Dos Santos, F. (2016), Ultrasensitive Ultra Cold Atom Gradiometer, from capability demonstrations in laboratory to space missions, EGU
  • Micalizio, S., Levi, F., Godone, A., Francois, B., Guerandel, S., Holleville, D., De Clercq, R., De Sarlo, L., Yun, P., Danet, J.M., Langlois, M., Abdel Hafiz, M., Sahin, E., Affolderbach, C., Kang, S., Gruet, F., Gharavipour, F., Mileti, G., Desruelle, B. (2015), Compact Clocks for Industrial Applications: the EMRP Project IND 55 MClocks, IFCS-EFTF
  • Langlois, M., Merlet, S., Pereira dos Santos, F. (2015), Gravity gradiometer using large momentum transfer beamsplitters, 50th Rencontres de Moriond
  • De Sarlo, L., Langlois, M., Holleville, D., Lours, M., Dimarcq, N., Schaff, J.-F., Bernon, S., Desruelle, B. (2014), Preliminary test of a cold-atom based clock prototype on a microgravity platform: Rubiclock on the A-300 0g, EFTF