FROM SERGE MASSAR :
I met Renaud when I was starting my PhD, and he was finishing his. Renaud was Robert Brout’s second to last student, and I was his last. Working with Robert was not easy, especially for a rookie like me. Renaud took me under his wing, helped me navigate the spitfire of ideas coming from Robert, and taught me how to do research on my own. He was a bit like a big brother to me. My first scientific article was with Robert and Renaud. It was great trying to understand black hole evaporation together. For several years he was my main collaborator, and we often worked from afar by email, often with other friends like Philippe Spindel or François Englert.
Latter our scientific interests diverged. But we always kept in contact, seeing each other every few years in Tours, or Paris, or Brussels. Last year we published one more article together. During the last weeks before Renaud passed away, we had started a new discussion, trying to find new forceful arguments why gravity must be quantized
Some of my fondest memories of Renaud are the endless discussions in Robert’s office; a few days in Corsica for a summer school (where I did not learn anything interesting, but had great swims and walks with Renaud and Anna); suppers in Renaud’s garret in Tours eating blue cheese and drinking Vouvray; and the tiny tiny apartment in the heart of Paris.
I was always impressed by the humility and simplicity with which Renaud organized his life, his career, and his approach to science. Renaud had a deep understanding of quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and general relativity. His contributions to black hole physics have deeply influenced our understanding of quantum gravity. He had many successes, including his recent works on analogue black hole radiation.
I was lucky to see Renaud a few times (albeit by video conference) these last weeks. It was my opportunity to say good bye to him. I am still completely shocked by his disappearance. I wish a lot of courage to Anna, to his family, to his friends, to his colleagues.
Serge
FROM SERGE MASSAR :
I met Renaud when I was starting my PhD, and he was finishing his. Renaud was Robert Brout’s second to last student, and I was his last. Working with Robert was not easy, especially for a rookie like me. Renaud took me under his wing, helped me navigate the spitfire of ideas coming from Robert, and taught me how to do research on my own. He was a bit like a big brother to me. My first scientific article was with Robert and Renaud. It was great trying to understand black hole evaporation together. For several years he was my main collaborator, and we often worked from afar by email, often with other friends like Philippe Spindel or François Englert.
Latter our scientific interests diverged. But we always kept in contact, seeing each other every few years in Tours, or Paris, or Brussels. Last year we published one more article together. During the last weeks before Renaud passed away, we had started a new discussion, trying to find new forceful arguments why gravity must be quantized
Some of my fondest memories of Renaud are the endless discussions in Robert’s office; a few days in Corsica for a summer school (where I did not learn anything interesting, but had great swims and walks with Renaud and Anna); suppers in Renaud’s garret in Tours eating blue cheese and drinking Vouvray; and the tiny tiny apartment in the heart of Paris.
I was always impressed by the humility and simplicity with which Renaud organized his life, his career, and his approach to science. Renaud had a deep understanding of quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and general relativity. His contributions to black hole physics have deeply influenced our understanding of quantum gravity. He had many successes, including his recent works on analogue black hole radiation.
I was lucky to see Renaud a few times (albeit by video conference) these last weeks. It was my opportunity to say good bye to him. I am still completely shocked by his disappearance. I wish a lot of courage to Anna, to his family, to his friends, to his colleagues.
Serge
