Atom optics Laser cooling and trapping of atoms can be used as the basis for research in a wide range of fundamental problems. Our interests are mainly in quantum chaos, quantum transport in optical lattices, quantum reflection from surfaces, control of atomic and molecular motion and biophysics.
	Granular media Imagine pouring sand from a glass onto a table top. The sand will flow out of the glass, like a liquid, impact the table, and form a stable pile. This may not seem like a difficult experiment, but in fact, it is a great challenge to explain this transition from liquid to solid behaviour with differential equations, the language that physicists use to describe nature.
	Biological physics In biophysics, physical tools are used to investigate the structure and function of biological objects. This field is already highly developed and tools such as lasers, advanced microscopy techniques, X-ray and neutron scattering, and NMR have helped to advance biology to its current level.
	Fracture dynamics Things break when over stressed. This truism is both a curse and a boon: adrinking glass is only useful if unbroken but a diamond is desirable only if broken. The fracture of an object into multiple pieces is a growth process in which a small crack extends until it attains the size of the system.
	Rotation in Fluid dynamics The effect of rotation on fluid flows is important in understanding geophysical and astrophysical flows, that is to say flows of atmospheres and oceans around planets.
	Interfacial Instabilities The variety of patterns formed by the instability of a fluid interface hints at the process's complexity.  Viscous fingering is studied as an archetypal growth process. Within this diversity, there exist common mechanisms and features.
	Bouncing Jet When a stream of oil falls to a pool of the same liquid, it usually plunges into the bulk and mixes. We report that a stream of oil falling onto the surface of a moving pool can bounce, which is relevant for pouring processes and gas-liquid reactors
	Discoveries Made at CNLD Many different systems and problems have been studied at CNLD. Here are a few examples of research done in the past.