Paris-Saclay

The Institute of Optics Graduate School of Paris-Saclay is divided between two locations: the 503 photonics entrepreneurship center in Orsay and the main campus in Palaiseau, home to the School and the Charles Fabry research laboratory.

The School: Specialized Programs

All first-year students begin their studies at the Paris-Saclay campus, where they develop a strong foundation in science and general knowledge, explore various engineering careers, and define their future goals. In their second and third years, students can choose from specialized tracks focused on:

• light-matter interactions
• nanosciences
• signal and image processing
• advanced optical system design

Research: The Charles Fabry Laboratory

The Charles Fabry Laboratory, a joint research unit of the CNRS and the Institute of Optics Graduate School, is the historical heart of research at the Institute of Optics. Its research spans a wide range of optics and its applications, including:

• Biophotonics
• Quantum Gases Imaging and Information Lasers
• Nanophotonics
• Quantum Optics
• XUV Optics
• Nonlinear Photonics
• Industrial Photonics

Additionally, the Institute of Optics is a member of l’Université Paris-Saclay. Founded in 2019, the University of Paris-Saclay brings together 9,000 researchers and faculty members from various universities, institutions, and research organizations.

Finally, the Institute of Optics is the host institution of the Institute of Light Sciences, (l’Institut des Sciences de la Lumière), a virtual institute created to coordinate optics-related activities across the entire University.

Paris-Saclay University: A Century of Excellence in Optics

Paris-Saclay University (Université Paris-Saclay) is one of the few universities worldwide to combine a long-standing tradition of fundamental research and engineering education in optics, spanning over a century (see sidebar). It boasts a vast array of research platforms, including the SOLEIL synchrotron, an infrared free-electron laser, an extreme ultraviolet attosecond laser, and the C2N nanotechnology center.

Within Paris-Saclay University, 700 researchers and faculty members, distributed across 25 laboratories and five graduate schools, contribute to advancements in light sciences across all domains. Their work spans from the most fundamental to the most applied, encompassing optoelectronics, quantum physics, life sciences, and environmental sciences.

Paris-Saclay University produces far more light science specialists than comparable institutions. The Institute of Optics produces 150 graduate engineers annually, one-third of whom pursue doctoral studies. Polytech Paris-Saclay produces approximately 40 graduate engineers specializing in photonics and optoelectronic systems each year. 

A Brief History of Light at Paris-Saclay

• 1917: The Institute of Optics led by Charles Fabry, is established.
• 1922: The Ritchey-Chrétien telescope design is conceived. This optical configuration is used in major telescopes such as the Very Large Telescope, the Canary Islands Telescope, and the Hubble Space Telescope.
• 1950: The Nomarski interference contrast microscope is developed. Georges Nomarski, a professor at the Institute of Optics, refines the phase contrast microscope.
• 1954: Oscar awarded for the invention of Cinemascope. The prize is given to Henri Chrétien, a professor at the Institute of Optics.
• 1959: The Varilux progressive lens is created. Invented by Bernard Maitenaz, a former student of the Institute of Optics and co-founder of Essilor in 1972.
• 1966: Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Developed at the Aimé Cotton Laboratory by Janine and Pierre Connes based on an idea by Pierre Jacquinot. (1978 CNRS Gold Medal).
• 1969: Transmission of the first steps on the Moon filmed with an Angénieux zoom lens. Pierre Angénieux, a former student of the Institute of Optics, invented the zoom lens.
• 1971: Stimulated X-UV emission in a hot plasma. First indication of a laser effect in the X-UV domain by the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry.
• 1982: Demonstration of quantum entanglement. Observation of the violation of Bell's inequalities by Alain Aspect's team (CNRS Gold Medal 2005).
• 1983: First visible free-electron laser. Observed at the Laboratory for the Use of Electromagnetic Radiation (LURE). Billardon et al.
• 1988: First observation of high-order harmonics in the XUV range in noble gases, Ferray et al. at the Atomic and Surface Physics Department, CEA.
• 1995: Launch of the SOHO mission. Three instruments are developed at the Institute of Space Astrophysics in collaboration with the LAL, LURE, and the Charles Fabry Laboratory.
• 2001: First observation of an attosecond radiation pulse. Team of P. Agostini at CEA-Saclay.
• 2006: Opening of the SOLEIL synchrotron.
• 2017: CNRS Gold Medal for Alain Brillet, a former member of the Atomic Clock Laboratory and then the Linear Accelerator Laboratory. He was one of the initiators of the Virgo project for detecting gravitational waves.
• 2020: Launch of the Solar Orbiter mission. The Institute of Space Astrophysics, the Paris-Saclay Observatory of Universe Sciences, and the Charles Fabry Laboratory participated in the development of three solar observation instruments.