Étienne Klein (; born 1958) is a French

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

and

philosopher of science A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, born in 1958. A graduate of

École Centrale Paris École Centrale Paris (ECP; also known as École Centrale or Centrale) was a French grande école in engineering and science. It was also known by its official name ''École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures''. In 2015, École Centrale Paris mer ...

, he holds a DEA (

Master of Advanced Studies A Master of Advanced Studies or Master of Advanced Study (MAS, M.A.S., or MASt) is a postgraduate degree awarded in various countries. Master of Advanced Studies programs may be non-consecutive programs tailored for "specific groups of working pro ...

) in

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...

, as well as a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in philosophy of science and an accreditation to supervise research (HDR).

Profile

Étienne Klein is a Research director at the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA).Centre Saclay CEA
/ref> He is currently head of the Laboratoire des Recherches sur les Sciences de la Matière (LARSIM), a research laboratory belonging to the CEA and located in

Saclay Saclay () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It had a population of 3,067 in 2006. It is best known for the large scientific facility CEA Saclay, mostly dealing with nuclear and pa ...

near Paris. He took part in several major projects, such as the adjustment of a method of isotopic separation involving the use of lasers, and the study of a

particle accelerator A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies, and to contain them in well-defined beams. Large accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle ...

with superconducting cavities. At

CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...

he was involved in the design of the

Large Hadron Collider The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and hundred ...

(LHC).« Carte blanche à Étienne Klein », Futura-Sciences
/ref> He taught

quantum physics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, qua ...

and

particle physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...

at Centrale Paris for several years and currently teaches philosophy of science. He is a specialist in the question of time in physics and has written a number of essays on the subject. He is also a member of the Conseil d'analyse de la société, of the conseil scientifique de la Cité des Sciences, of the Conseil de l' Office parlementaire d'évaluation des choix scientifiques et technologiques (OPECST), of the

French Academy of Technologies The National Academy of Technologies of France (''Académie des technologies'') is a learned society, founded in 2000, with an emphasis on technology, and the newest of French academies. In 2007 it acquired the status of ''établissement public'', w ...

and of the Conseil d'Orientation de l' Institut Diderot. Every Thursday morning he presents a radio chronicle, ''Le Monde selon Étienne Klein'', as well as ''La Conversation scientifique'' every Saturday afternoon, on the French public station

France Culture France Culture is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. Its programming encompasses a wide variety of features on historical, philosophical, sociopolitical, and scientific themes (including debates, discussions, and documentari ...

. Étienne Klein practises mountain-climbing and other endurance sports.

Plagiarism affair

In December 2016, Science magazine, a publication of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

, reported that Popular French physicist Étienne Klein was responsible of a plagiarism, his work was said to be plagiarizing the novelist

Stefan Zweig Stefan Zweig (; ; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist, and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular write ...

and other authors.

Chorizo tweet

On July 22, 2022, Klein tweeted a photo that he claimed was an image taken by the

James Webb Space Telescope The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope which conducts infrared astronomy. As the largest optical telescope in space, its high resolution and sensitivity allow it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Spa ...

of Proxima Centuri, the closest star to our solar system. A few days later, he admitted that the photo was actually of a slice of

chorizo Chorizo (, from Spanish ; similar to but distinct from Portuguese ) is a type of pork cured meat originating from the Iberian Peninsula. In Europe, chorizo is a fermented, cured, smoked meat, which may be sliced and eaten without cooking, or ...

against a black background. He described his tweet as a "form of amusement" and urged his 92,000 Twitter followers to "be wary of arguments from authority".

Distinctions and awards

* Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques * Award for the best scientific book of the year 1993 in Germany for ''Conversations avec le Sphinx, les paradoxes en physique'' * Prix Jean Perrin for popularizing science from the

Société française de physique The Société Française de Physique (SFP), or the French Physical Society, is the main professional society of French physicists. It was founded in 1873 by Charles Joseph d'Almeida. History The French Physical Society is a state-approved non- ...

in 1997Les prix de la SFP
/ref> * Grammaticakis-Neumann Award from the

Académie des sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at the ...

in 2000 * Award for the best book of scientific literature of the year for ''L’Atome au pied du mur et autres nouvelles'' * Prix Budget from the

Académie des sciences morales et politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

in 2000 * Prix « La science se livre » 2003 for ''Les Tactiques de

Chronos Chronos (; grc-gre, Χρόνος, , "time"), also spelled Khronos or Chronus, is a personification of time in pre-Socratic philosophy and later literature. Chronos is frequently confused with, or perhaps consciously identified with, the Tit ...

'' * Prix Jean Rostand in 2004 * Prix Thorel for ''Galilée et les Indiens. Allons-nous liquider la science ?'' in 2008 *

Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, promotion du 1er janvier 2010 * Prix Thorel from the

in 2010

Bibliography

* ''Conversations avec le Sphinx, les paradoxes en physique'', 1991 * ''Regards sur la matière. Des quanta et des choses'', avec

Bernard d'Espagnat Bernard d'Espagnat (22 August 1921 – 1 August 2015) was a French theoretical physicist, philosopher of science, and author, best known for his work on the nature of reality. Wigner-d'Espagnat inequality is partially named after him. ''Quote'': ...

, 1993 * ''Le Temps'', 1995 * ''Le Temps et sa flèche'' ctes du colloque dir. Étienne Klein and

Michel Spiro Michel Spiro (born 24 February 1946 in Roanne, Loire, France) is a French physicist. Biography Michel Spiro attended the high school Jean-Puy de Roanne. Spiro obtained the baccalauréat in 1963, with a specialisation in elementary mathematic ...

, 1996 * ''L’Atome au pied du mur et autres nouvelles'', 2000 * ''L’Unité de la physique'', 2000 * ''La Quête de l’unité. L’Aventure de la physique'', with Marc Lachièze-Rey, 2000 * ''Sous l’atome, les particules'' * ''La Physique quantique'' * ''Trésor des sciences : dictionnaire des concepts'', co-author (dir.

Michel Serres Michel Serres (; 1 September 1930 – 1 June 2019) was a French philosopher, theorist and writer. His works explore themes of science, time and death, and later incorporated prose. Life and career The son of a bargeman, Serres entered France's ...

) * ''Moi, U235 noyau radioactif'', with Bernard Bonin and Jean-Marc Cavedon, 2001 * ''Le temps existe-t-il ?,'' Collection Les petites pommes du savoir, 2002 * ''La science nous menace-t-elle ?'', 2003 * ''Les Tactiques de

'', 2003 * ''Petit voyage dans le monde des quanta'', 2004 * ''Il était sept fois la révolution,

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

et les autres'', 2005 * ''Le Temps qui passe'', 2006 * ''Le facteur temps ne sonne jamais deux fois'', 2007 * ''Les Secrets de la matière'', 2008 * ''Galilée et les Indiens. Allons-nous liquider la science ?'', 2008 * ''Pourquoi je suis devenu chercheur scientifique'', 2009 * ''Discours sur l’origine de l’univers'', 2010 * ''La Science en jeu'', written with Jean-Michel Besnier, Hervé Le Guyader and Heinz Wismann, 2010 * ''Le Small bang des nanotechnologies'', 2011 * ''Anagrammes renversantes, ou le sens caché du monde'', with Jacques Perry-Salkow, 2011 * ''Rugby quantique'', with Jonny Wilkinson and Jean Illiopoulos, 2011 * ''D'où viennent les idées (scientifiques)?'', 2013 * ''En cherchant Majorana. Le physicien absolu'', 02/2015 * ''Y a-t-il eu un instant zéro ?'', 03/2015 * ''Le pays qu'habitait Albert Einstein'', 2016 * ''Tout n'est pas relatif'', 2017 * ''Sauvons le progrès, dialogue avec Denis Lafay'', 2017 * ''Matière à contredire, essai de philo-physique'', 2018 * ''Le goût du vrai'', 2020

Filmography

*
Quels temps font-ils ?
', co-author with Marc Lachièze-Rey, film directed by Hervé Lièvre, 2001

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Etienne 1958 births Scientists from Paris 21st-century French philosophers École Centrale Paris alumni French science writers French physicists Philosophers of physics Theoretical physicists Living people Science communicators People associated with CERN Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite