Christophe Vaillant
Research Associate
Department of Chemistry
Durham University
United Kingdom
Biography
I was born in Liege, Belgium, however spent most of my childhood living in various countries including South Africa (where I originally learnt English), Saudi Arabia and the UAE. I finished my A-Levels at Dubai College and subsequently came to Durham to do my undergraduate degree. After my first year, I decided experiment was not for me, and switched to the theoretical degree, which I completed in 2010. I did my PhD under Robert Potvliege and Matt Jones for the Strontium Rydberg project, for which I was the theorist. Specifically, I'm involved in calculating the dipole-dipole interactions between Rydberg (i.e. highly excited) atoms. These Rydberg atoms show incredibly strong dipole-dipole interactions, which are exploited within the wider group for a variety of applications. I currently work for Jeremy Hutson in the chemistry department, where I am applying my knowledge of multichannel quantum defect theory to collisions between cold atoms and molecules. Detailed knowledge of these collisions is crucial for the formation of ultracold molecules.
Research Interest
Research Interests are Atom-atom collisions, Cold molecules, Long range interactions, Multichannel quantum defect theory, Rydberg atoms.
Publications
-
Vaillant, C.L., Jones, M.P.A. & Potvliege R.M. (2012). Long-range Rydberg–Rydberg interactions in calcium, strontium and ytterbium. Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics 45(13): 135004.
-
Vaillant, C L, Jones, M P A & Potvliege, R M (2014). Multichannel quantum defect theory of strontium bound Rydberg states. Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics 47(15): 155001.
-
Vaillant, C. L., Potvliege, R. M. & Jones, M. P. A. (2015). Intercombination effects in resonant energy transfer. Physical Review A 92(4): 042705.
