Dear Dr Kono,
It’s already been more than two years now since my return to France and I still have some very vivid memories of my stay at RIKEN, probably due to the fact that I spent such a great time there.
I remember very well our first contact when I came to give a seminar at the Low Temperature Physics Laboratory looking for a postdoc position. I was struck both by the impressive experimental apparatus your lab has gathered and built over the years and by the casual and friendly atmosphere that seemed to reign amongst your group.
When I arrived in Wako, almost one year later, to start my work on the detection of single electrons floating on liquid helium, I was not disappointed. On a professional level, my 18-month stay at RIKEN was an important step for me. While benefitting from your advice and experience in low-temperature physics, I learned to move on from my PhD student mindset to work more independently and gather new techniques. I really enjoyed discovering new solid-state physics fields I scarcely knew beforehand, be it nanoscience or helium-related physics. The scientific interactions with people in the group as well as with the numerous visitors you welcomed each year were very important for me to discuss, learn and ultimately build up a larger physics culture.
The research environment at RIKEN is also one I am grateful to have experienced. The administrative staff were so helpful and nice that they almost made paperwork look easy! The research facilities were fantastic to work in: everything you needed was within arm’s reach: cryostats, low-temperature equipment or fabrication facilities, and the very nice Nanoscience Joint Laboratory. The campus itself was so pleasant: every season had its highlights—cherry blossoms, crickets chirping, the beautiful autumn leaves, you name it—and each morning I had the impression of going to work in a garden.
On a more personal level, I think you already know how much I enjoyed the company of all the people I worked with. Gladly, we were able to talk about more than just physics at the different nomikai, badminton or softball matches, or at the parties we had. I’ve made some friends who I always look forward to meeting at conferences or whenever I come back to Japan. This, of course, has been an invaluable benefit from my stay at your laboratory.
I would like to thank you again for giving me the opportunity to work in such a pleasant and stimulating environment. I think I will cherish the memories from this experience for a very long time.
All the best,
Claire Marrache-Kikuchi
Associate Professor
CSNSM–Université Paris-Sud
Bat. 108, 91450 Orsay Campus, France
