École supérieure d'optique
Encyclopedia
The École supérieure d'optique ("Higher school of optics"), nicknamed "SupOptique", is the leading French grande école in the field of optics and its industrial and scientific applications, and a member of the prestigious UniverSud Paris
UniverSud Paris
UniverSud Paris is one of the PRES ) in France. It gathers 21 Public universities, Grandes Écoles and National Research Center, covering nearly the whole spectrum of sciences .-History:...

 and ParisTech
ParisTech
ParisTech the Paris Institute of Technology is one of the collegiate universities in France. It gathers 11 of the best French engineering schools, covering nearly the whole spectrum of engineering science, and 1 business school, aiming to be of comparable status to the most famous universities of...

 (Paris Institute of Technology). The École supérieure d'optique was opened in 1920, as part of the Institut d'optique théorique et appliquée, aiming to train engineers and cadres for the French optics industry. It is consequently the oldest institution of higher education and research in optics in the world , and the most important in term of annual number of graduates.

The École supérieure d'optique provides an education of high scientific level, specially for former students from the French Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles
Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles
The classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles , commonly called classes prépas or prépas, are part of the French post-secondary education system. They consist in two very selective years , acting as a prep course with the main goal of training undergraduate students for enrolment in one of the...

. It trains engineers to be, in industry and research, the actors of the development of optics in many areas such as telecommunications, biology, energy, materials, nanotechnologies, aerospace engineering. It trains also researchers and teachers in the fields of optics and physics. Through the Institut d'optique théorique et appliquée, it participates at the world level to the promotion of knowledges and to the development of new techniques in optics

Since September 2006, the set constituted by the École supérieure d'optique and the Institut d'optique théorique et appliquée has been designated by the names "Institut d'optique Graduate School" or Institut d'optique.

Project & Creation

Armand de Gramont who was a rich industrialist and friend of Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...

, is the man who first initiated the will to create the Institut d'Optique. In 1916, Gramont and Henri Chrétien
Henri Chrétien
Henri Jacques Chrétien was a French astronomer and an inventor.Born in Paris, France, his most famous invention is the anamorphic widescreen process, that resulted in the CinemaScope, and the co-invention of the Ritchey-Chrétien telescope , which was anadvanced type of astronomical telescope, now...

 (a French astronomer) were working together at the French Technical Arenotics Section. Chrétien was working at the time on calculations for optical instruments. They both decided to create the project of building an institute dedicated to teaching Optics. That same year, Gramont became part of a comity that examined inventions that could interest the ministry of Defense. That is where he met Charles Fabry
Charles Fabry
Maurice Paul Auguste Charles Fabry FMRS was a French physicist.-Life:Fabry graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and received his doctorate from the University of Paris in 1892, for his work on interference fringes, which established him as an authority in the field of optics and...

, who had previously become famous thanks to his experimental demonstration of the existence of the Ozone layer in the atmosphere. On October 21, 1916 Gramont had lunch with four government ministers. As a result, a new committee was formed, in charge of establishing the project. During the month of November 1917, the first board meeting was held.

Academics

A number of noted French optical scientists have been associated with SupOptique, including Henri Chrétien
Henri Chrétien
Henri Jacques Chrétien was a French astronomer and an inventor.Born in Paris, France, his most famous invention is the anamorphic widescreen process, that resulted in the CinemaScope, and the co-invention of the Ritchey-Chrétien telescope , which was anadvanced type of astronomical telescope, now...

, Charles Fabry
Charles Fabry
Maurice Paul Auguste Charles Fabry FMRS was a French physicist.-Life:Fabry graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and received his doctorate from the University of Paris in 1892, for his work on interference fringes, which established him as an authority in the field of optics and...

, André Maréchal, and Alain Aspect
Alain Aspect
Alain Aspect is a French physicist noted for his experimental work on quantum entanglement....

.

As of 2006 the school had 50 permanent faculty members (teachers, teacher-researchers and researchers), 241 students in the "diplôme d'ingénieur de l'ESO" programme, 15 students in the national research master programme (some of them matriculated in the université Paris-XI or another institution) and 40 doctoral students (matriculated in the université Paris-XI).

Admission & Engineer's degree

Like most grandes écoles
Grandes écoles
The grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. The grandes écoles select students for admission based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams...

 in France, students have to follow a two or three-year intensive preparation in a "classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles
Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Écoles
The classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles , commonly called classes prépas or prépas, are part of the French post-secondary education system. They consist in two very selective years , acting as a prep course with the main goal of training undergraduate students for enrolment in one of the...

" (CPGE) before entering the school after having sat a competitive entrance exam. If selected, students can then follow the three-year course. For those undergraduate students, the engineer's degree of the school (diplôme d'ingénieur de l'École supérieure d'optique) is a first degree. About 10 graduate students enter also the first or second year of the engineer's degree programme after sitting an entrance exam.

The course lasts for three years. Students have the possibility, during the second year, of taking part in the "apprentissage" which consists of a partnership between the school and a company. The student will thus follow part of the studies at the school and will work a the company the rest of the time.

It is possible to follow courses abroad in universities that have partnerships with the school (such as Imperial College for instance) for the entire year. Students can also choose to do their third year a special branch of the school located in Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...

.

The first year consists of fundamental physics and engineering sciences (820 hours). At the end of year one, students must do a one-month internship. Year two is centered around optical components (720 hours) and ends with a two-month internship. And finally, during year three, students must choose amongst a variety of specialities and learn how to integrate optical technologies to systems.

Teachings

  • Year One


Mathematics (Signal Processing, Probability & Noise), Geometric Optics, Physical Optics, Polarization, Electronics (Anologue & Digital), Computer Sciences (numerical analysis), Quantum Mechanics, Atomic Physics, Semiconductors, Electromagnetism, Microproessors, Engineering Sciences (Automatics), Practicals (Optics & Electronics), Communication, English, Second Language (Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese)
  • Year Two


Lasers, Fourier Optics, Aberrations & Diffraction, Radiometry, Detection Systems, Optical Design, Computer Sciences (C language), Laser Diodes, Electro & Acousto-Optics, Waveguided Optics, Non-Linear Optics, Holography, Statistical Optics, Electronics (Commutation & High Frequencies, Practicals (Optics & Electronics), project work, English, Second Language, Innovation in Science & Engineering, Company Economy
  • Year Three


3 specialities to choose from:
Laser Technology, Signal Processing applied to Imaging, Non-Linear Electromagnetism, Optronics, Telecommunications, Computer Sciences (C++ language)

3 specialities to choose from:
Imaging, Opto-Electronic components, Micro-Optics, Turbulence Imaging, Near Field Microscopy, Nanophotonics, Plasma, Computer Sciences (Optical Design Software), Micro-fabrication, Radar, Economy courses at the HEC school in Paris

3 specialities to choose from:
Opto-Mechanical Surfaces, Bio-Physics, Bio-Photonics, Visualization, Quantum Optics, Pattern Recognition, Optical Sensors, Photometric Engineering, HEC courses

Compulsory subjects:
English, Project Management, Company & Contract Law, Patents, Project Work (20–30 days)

Post-graduate studies

Graduates from a university (with a French diploma or degree "DUT", "BTS", "DEUG", "licence", "maîtrise" or a foreign degree) can be admitted in the first or second year of the "diplôme d'ingénieur de l'ESO" programme. Graduates from the École polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...

 and from the École Normale Supérieure de Cachan
École Normale Supérieure de Cachan
The École Normale Supérieure de Cachan is one of the most prestigious French Grandes Écoles. Like all the other Grandes Écoles, this higher education institution is not included in the mainstream framework of the French public universities...

 can be admitted in the fifth years of this programme.

SupOptique organizes also a national research master programme in two years (diplôme national de master en sciences et technologie à finalité de recherche mention physique et applications spécialité optique, matière et plasma) for graduate students with a licence or an equivalent foreign degree. Students in the "diplôme d'ingénieur de l'ESO" programme have also access to this programme. A doctorate in optics can be prepared in the internationally recognized research laboratory of SupOptique, the Laboratoire Charles Fabry, the doctor's degree is awarded by the Université Paris-XI or the École polytechnique.

Research teams & activities

Most research groups are part of the Charles Fabry Laboratory since 1998, which is associated to the CNRS and the University of Paris XI. Pierre Chavel is the director of the laboratory.

Here are the different research groups of the laboratory (2005):
  • Atom optics
    Atom optics
    Atom optics is the area of physics which deals with beams of cold, slowly moving neutral atoms, as a special case of a particle beam....

     group (head: Alain Aspect
    Alain Aspect
    Alain Aspect is a French physicist noted for his experimental work on quantum entanglement....

    )
  • Quantum optics
    Quantum optics
    Quantum optics is a field of research in physics, dealing with the application of quantum mechanics to phenomena involving light and its interactions with matter.- History of quantum optics :...

     group (head: Philippe Grangier)
  • Nanophotonics
    Nanophotonics
    Nanophotonics or Nano-optics is the study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale. It is considered as a branch of optical engineering which deals with optics, or the interaction of light with particles or substances, at deeply subwavelength length scales...

     & Electromagnetism
    Electromagnetism
    Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...

     group (head: Henri Benisty & Philippe Lalanne)
  • Laser
    Laser
    A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...

     & Biophotonics
    Biophotonics
    The term biophotonics denotes a combination of biology and photonics, with photonics being the science and technology of generation, manipulation, and detection of photons, quantum units of light. Photonics is related to electronics in that it is believed that photons will play a similar central...

     group (head: Alain Brun & Patrick Georges)
  • groupe Non-Linear Materials & Applications (head: Gerald Roosen & Gilles Pauliat)
  • Optical systems and components group (head: Pierre Chavel)


The school also has a special body called IOTech that has the function of working on industrial development.

There are about 100 people on the research staff. The total budget for the research department is 7.8 million euros.

The mirrors used for the STEREO mission (NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 project, see picture) were made at the Institut d'Optique by the "Optical Surfaces" team.

International partnerships

About 60% of the students have an international experience as they come out of the school, after having gone abroad for a whole year of study or through an internship. It is possible to go and study in a foreign university or school as part of the degree. Students usually get a double diploma for doing that.

International partnerships:
  • UK: Imperial College, London (Master of Science in Optics and Photonics)
  • Canada: Université Laval
    Université Laval
    Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...

     (Maîtrise en physique)
  • USA: University of Arizona
    University of Arizona
    The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...

    , Tucson (Master of Science in Optical Sciences)
  • USA: University of Central Florida
    University of Central Florida
    The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...

    , Orlando (Master of Science in Physics)
  • Singapore: Nanyang Technological University
    Nanyang Technological University
    Nanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...



The "Optics in Science and Technology" Erasmus Mundus
Erasmus Mundus
The European Union's Erasmus Mundus programme aims to enhance quality in higher educationthrough scholarships and academic co-operation between Europe and the rest of the world.Erasmus Mundus comprises three Actions:-Erasmus Mundus Joint Programmes:...

 programme takes part in 23 projects that are recognized by the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....

. The members of this programme are:
  • France: Institut Optique Graduate School
  • France: Université de Paris-Sud
  • Netherlands: Technische Universiteit Delft, Delft (Master of Science in applied physics)
  • Germany: Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
    Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
    Friedrich Schiller University of Jena , is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany....

    , Iéna (Diplom-Physiker)
  • Poland: Warsaw University of Technology
    Warsaw University of Technology
    The Warsaw University of Technology is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland, and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professors . The student body numbers 36,156 , mostly full-time. There are 17 faculties covering almost all fields of...

    , Warsaw
  • UK: Imperial College, London (Master of Science in optics and photonics).

External links

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