Grand prix Ampère de l’Electricité de France awarded to the geodynamo team!

Academy of Sciences

On 23 November, took place under the dome of the Institut de France, the Award ceremony of the Academy of Sciences 2021. These awards honour experienced scientists or young researchers at the beginning of their careers. Through them, the Academy of Sciences contributes directly to its mission of encouraging scientific life.

Among these awards, the Prix Ampère de l’Électricité de France 2021 was awarded to the Géodynamo team of ISTerre. This award recognises one or more researchers working in a French laboratory for outstanding research work in the field of mathematical or physical sciences, fundamental or applied.

Created in 1997, the Geodynamo team explores the dynamics of the Earth’s core and the origin of planetary magnetic fields. Its work has shed light on the major role of rotation on the quasi-geostrophic organisation of flows in the core, and has led to the discovery of geostrophic Alfvén waves in the core. Its studies were always guided by experimental results. In particular, the team’s flagship experiment (DTS, using liquid sodium) was distinguished by its very advanced instrumentation (velocimetry, magnetometry). The interpretation of the geomagnetic observations was also based on the geodynamic simulations carried out by the team, which reached extreme spatial and temporal resolutions thanks to a new spherical harmonic transformation algorithm.

The Academy paid tribute to the geodynamo team at the award ceremony under the dome of the Institut de France on 23 November 2021. The team would like to associate its collaborators and former members to this honour.

Review the ceremony on Youtube (Presentation of the Ampère Prize at 25:53)