Jacques Villain

Jacques Villain ( born March 13, 1934) is a French theoretical physicist at the Center for Atomic Energy ( CEA) in Grenoble and member of the Académie des sciences.

Life

Jacques Villain studied physics at the École normale supérieure, a researcher at the Institut Laue -Langevin in Grenoble, was 1984-1988 Institute Director at the Research Centre Jülich and is since 1996 the directeur recherches at the CEA. In 2000 he was elected to the Académie des sciences.

Research

The focus of his scientific work lie in the statistical physics, solid state physics and surface physics. Particularly noteworthy are his contributions to the theory of crystal growth and the atomic dynamics at surfaces of low-dimensional magnetism and spatially modulated, commensurable and incommensurable structures in solids.

Among other things, he was awarded the 1962 Paul Langevin Prize, in 1985 the Prix Jean Ricard.

Writings (selection )

• Theoretical and experimental studies on one- dimensional magnets. In: Advances in Physics, vol 25 (1976 ), No. 2, pp. 87-209 ( together with M. Steiner and CG Windsor ) doi: 10.1080/00018737600101372
• Continuum models of crystal growth from atomic beams with and without desorption -. In: Journal de Physique, vol 1 (1991 ), No. 1, pp. 19-42, ISSN 1155-4304 doi: 10.1051/jp1: 1991114
• Physics of crystal growth ( Collection Aléa - Saclay, Vol 4). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1998, ISBN 0-521-55855-7 (along with Alberto Pimpinelli ).