Claude Cohen-Tannoudji: key obituary facts
Is Claude Cohen-Tannoudji dead? Yes. Claude Cohen-Tannoudji died on October 22, 2026, at age 93.
Cause of death: Claude Cohen-Tannoudji's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Claude Cohen-Tannoudji known for?
He was a French physicist (1933-).
More about Claude Cohen-Tannoudji
Born: 1 April 1933.
Place of birth: Constantine.
Place of death: Paris.
Gender: male.
Occupation: physicist, university teacher, researcher.
Nationality: France.
Employer: Collège de France, Leiden University, Kastler–Brossel Laboratory, Science Faculty of Paris, Pierre and Marie Curie University, University of Paris, Conservatoire national des Arts et Métiers.
Awards: Grand Cross of the National Order of Scientific Merit, CNRS Gold medal, Nobel Prize in Physics, Harvey Prize, Jean-Ricard Prize, Three Physicists Prize, Paul Langevin Award, Gay-Lussac-Humboldt-Prize.
Also known as: C. Cohen-Tannoudji.
Known for: Laser coolingQuantum Mechanics.
Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, a French physicist and Nobel laureate, died on October 22, 2026, aged 93.
Born on April 1, 1933, in Constantine, then part of French Algeria, he built an academic career in Paris and became associated with the École normale supérieure. His research and teaching also connected him with institutions including the Collège de France, the Kastler–Brossel Laboratory and Pierre and Marie Curie University.
Cohen-Tannoudji was known for experimental work on laser cooling. He showed that atoms could be cooled beyond the limit anticipated for sub-Doppler cooling, reaching temperatures below the recoil temperature. That result was part of the research for which he shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics with Steven Chu and William Daniel Phillips. The prize recognized their work on methods of laser cooling and trapping atoms. His other honors included the CNRS Gold Medal, the Harvey Prize and the Grand Cross of the National Order of Scientific Merit, as well as the Jean-Ricard Prize, the Three Physicists Prize, the Paul Langevin Award and the Gay-Lussac-Humboldt Prize.