Institut Langevin : Ondes et Images, du Fondamental à l'Innovation

Thanks to the LabEx WIFI Institut Langevin has been recognized as a world-leading center in the field of wave physics by combining in a thoroughly cross-disciplinary way high-level fundamental physics, creation of start-ups and training of future scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs. The main achievements are described below regarding these three components.

Research project: our originality is to exploit the deep synergies between acoustics and optics to learn how to manipulate waves in the most complex environments and to design new instruments for imaging and communication. A lot of breakthroughs have been reported since the beginning of the project. In 2020, we 

• made an important step towards understanding the origin of transparency of collagen-based, natural or artificial, materials (PNAS 117, 11947)
• realized an upside-down flotation experiment that exploits the vertical vibration of a levitating liquid on an air cushion (Nature 585, 48)
• proposed a new way of focusing waves offering a variety of new types of images that will be decisive for bio-medical diagnosis in ultrasound imaging and optical microscopy, non-destructive evaluation in industry and monitoring in geophysics (Phys. Rev. X, 10, 021048)
• shed a new light on the mechanisms that underline the triggering of certain landslides and rockfalls (Phy. Rev. E 102, 042901)
• developed a full-field OCT able to reliably image photoreceptors close to the fovea (Bio. Opt. Expr. 11, 492) and to perform real-time non-contact cellular imaging of human cornea (Nat. Com. 11, 1868)
• were able to relocate single molecules in super-resolved fluorescence lifetime images near a plasmonic nanostructure (ACS Phot. 7, 393)

Results of exploitation: 7 startups were founded.

• CARDIAWAVE (2014)
• GREENERWAVE (2015)
• LIGHTON (2016)
• ICONEUS (2016)
• ABBELIGHT (2016)
• MYRIADE (2017)
• SHARPEYE (2020)

Education:

Seven summer schools were organized.

Labex WIFI has been deeply involved in the organisation of the PSL Graduate Program in physics.