Researchers' Night in Chambéry

When the magnetic field guides living things and electronics. Foxes are said to be able to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. They are believed to use it for hunting. This invisible force can be used in many ways by humans, particularly to wirelessly power electronic devices such as phones.

Electromagnetic radiation surrounds us: from the very low-frequency waves used for AM and FM radio to the gamma rays used in medicine. In the middle of this vast spectrum lies a form of radiation that we have been exposed to every day since time immemorial, one that is essential to life on Earth and our planet’s primary source of energy: solar radiation. In this presentation, we will trace the path of a ray of sunlight—in the form of an electromagnetic wave—from its creation through its journey and transformations around us here on Earth.

Mountain tourism is characterized by a strong tendency toward the highest peaks, which act as magnets for travelers. A brief nighttime stroll through the highest peaks of the Alps and their place in the geography of tourism.

Every year, millions of birds travel thousands of kilometers with astonishing precision. How do they manage not to get lost? Part of the answer lies in the Earth’s magnetic field, a vast invisible network generated by the planet’s core. Since the 1960s, we have known that birds can sense this field and use it as a natural compass. By detecting the inclination of magnetic field lines, they are able to estimate their position on the globe. But how do their bodies pick up such a weak signal? This is one of the great mysteries of modern biology.

From the earliest compasses to the latest concepts in spintronics, there have been many major and surprising discoveries, several Nobel Prizes, a wealth of new fields of research… and many of these developments took place along the banks of the Isère River. Here’s a brief journey through the long history of magnetism.

In this era of all-electric vehicles, it’s important to understand that an electric motor relies primarily on magnets, and that iron and cobalt alone are not enough to build an efficient motor: here’s a brief overview of the scientific and geopolitical challenges surrounding permanent magnets.

Did you know? Even if you're watching a cat video online, that video is inevitably stored on magnets somewhere. Storing computer data means being able to write to and read from it, thanks to magnetism.

This conference will trace the rich and unlikely journey—marked by encounters, surprises, and perseverance—that led from presentations of research findings, illustrated with makeshift experiments, to MAGNÉTIQUE, an unconventional exhibition created and produced entirely within a research laboratory, the Institut Jean Lamour, in Nancy.

Is magnetism less spectacular in real life than in science fiction? Not necessarily! It manifests itself in many ways, and some living beings use it… Here’s a glimpse at some surprising forms of magnetism in the universe—both near and far.

You may have heard of Tesla, Ørsted, or Gauss—scientists who not only made significant contributions to science but also lent their names to units of measurement in physics. Here’s a brief overview of how magnetism is measured and its place in the International System of Units alongside the meter, the ampere, and quantum metrology.