Non-linear coupling in two non-linear delayed acoustic resonators Reda, J., M. Fink, and F. Lemoult Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 158, no. 3, 2130-2137 (2025)
Résumé: Building on our previous work on a Hopf resonator that mimics the cochlear amplifier from Reda, Fink, and Lemoult [(2023). Europhys. Lett. 144(3), 37001], we now turn to the fact that the inner ear comprises thousands of such resonators, which interact through coupling mechanisms. To gain insight into these interactions, we investigate the coupling of two acoustic resonators with slightly detuned resonance frequencies, interacting through time-delayed feedback loops. By modulating the gain of the loop and the coupling strength, we demonstrate the emergence of frequency synchronization at low amplitudes and bifurcations leading to desynchronization at higher amplitudes. This tunable non-linear interaction offers insights into resonance phenomena in coupled systems, with potential implications for auditory modeling and complex acoustic systems.
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Transmission interference microscopy of anterior human eye Alhaddad S., , Ghouali W., Baudouin C., A. C. Boccara, and V. Mazlin Nature Communications 16, no. 1 (2025)
Résumé: Cellular imaging of the human anterior eye is critical for understanding complex ophthalmic diseases, yet current techniques are constrained by a limited field of view or insufficient contrast. Here, we demonstrate that Ernst Abbe’s foundational principles on the interference nature of transmission microscopy can be applied in vivo to the human eye to overcome these limitations. The transmission geometry in the eye is achieved by projecting illumination onto the posterior eye (sclera) and using the back-reflected light as a secondary illumination source for anterior eye structures. Specifically, we show that the tightly localized illumination spot at the sclera functions analogously to a closed condenser aperture in conventional microscopy, significantly enhancing interference contrast. This enables clear visualization of cells and nerves across all corneal layers within an extended 2 mm field of view. Notably, the crystalline lens epithelial cells, fibers, and sutures are also distinctly resolved. In patients, Fuch’s endothelial dystrophy - a major ophthalmic disease affecting 300 million people - is highlighted under a transmission contrast, providing complementary information to traditional reflection contrast. Constructed using consumer-grade cameras, the instrument offers a path toward broad adoption for pre-screening and surgical follow-up, as well as for diagnosing corneal infections in low-resource settings, where anterior eye diseases are most prevalent.
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Evidence for weak seismic attenuation in Mars’ deep mantle Li, J., J. Hua, T. P. Ferrand, L. Pou, Q. Huang, L. Allibert, H. Meng, H. Samuel, Z. Jing, W. Wang, T. Yang, and T. Zhou Communications Earth and Environment 6, no. 1 (2025)
Résumé: The present-day distribution of surface and subsurface water on Mars reflects a complex history of exchange between the planet’s surface and interior since its formation. Constraining the water content of the deep mantle is essential for estimating the planet’s total water budget and understanding its long-term geologic and hydrologic evolution. Yet, the abundance of water at depth remains loosely constrained. Here, we analyze seismic data from global tectonic marsquakes and meteorite impacts recorded by the InSight mission, and identify evidence for weaker attenuation in Mars’ deep mantle (500–1500 km), in contrast to Earth. This low attenuation likely reflects fundamental differences in mantle properties between the two planets, including water content, grain size, oxygen fugacity, and/or temperature. Isolating the role of water from other parameters is key to quantifying Mars’ deep water reservoir and provides new constraints on the volatile inventory and interior evolution of the red planet.
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Analog phase-sensitive time-reversal of optically carried radiofrequency signals Llauze, T., and A. Louchet-Chauvet Optics Letters 50, no. 16, 4874-4877 (2025)
Résumé: Achieving low-latency time-reversal of broadband radiofrequency signals is crucial for reliable communications in dynamic, uncontrolled environments. However, existing approaches are either digitally assisted—making broadband extension challenging—or limited to amplitude modulation. In this work, we report the very first, to our knowledge, experimental realization of a fully analog, phase-preserving time-reversal architecture for optically carried radiofrequency signals. The method exploits the exceptional coherence properties of rare-earth ion-doped materials and leverages the well-established photon echo mechanism, widely used in quantum technologies. While our demonstration is conducted with a modest bandwidth, we identify the fundamental cause of this limitation and propose solutions for future scalability.
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Ultrasound matrix imaging for 3D transcranial in vivo localization microscopy Bureau, F., L. Denis, A. Coudert, M. Fink, O. Couture, and A. Aubry Science Advances 11, no. 31 (2025)
Résumé: Transcranial ultrasound imaging is usually limited by skull-induced attenuation and high-order aberrations. By using contrast agents such as microbubbles in combination with ultrafast imaging, not only can the signal-to-noise ratio be improved, but super-resolution images down to the micrometer scale of the brain vessels can also be obtained. However, ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) remains affected by wavefront distortions that limit the microbubble detection rate and hamper their localization. In this work, we show how ultrasound matrix imaging, which relies on the prior recording of the reflection matrix, can provide a solution to these fundamental issues. As an experimental proof of concept, an in vivo reconstruction of deep brain microvessels is performed on three anesthetized sheep. The compensation of wave distortions is shown to markedly enhance the contrast and resolution of ULM. This experimental study thus opens up promising perspectives for a transcranial and nonionizing observation of human cerebral microvascular pathologies, such as stroke.
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Quantitative evaluation of methods to analyze motion changes in single-particle experiments Muñoz-Gil, G., H. Bachimanchi, J. Pineda, B. Midtvedt, G. Fernández-Fernández, B. Requena, Y. Ahsini, S. Asghar, J. Bae, F. J. Barrantes, S. W. B. Bender, C. Cabriel, J. A. Conejero, M. Escoto, X. Feng, R. Haidari, N. S. Hatzakis, Z. Huang, I. Izeddin, H. Jeong, Y. Jiang, J. Kæstel-Hansen, J. Miné-Hattab, R. Ni, J. Park, X. Qu, L. A. Saavedra, H. Sha, N. Sokolovska, Y. Zhang, G. Volpe, M. Lewenstein, R. Metzler, D. Krapf, G. Volpe, and C. Manzo Nature Communications 16, no. 1 (2025)
Résumé: The analysis of live-cell single-molecule imaging experiments can reveal valuable information about the heterogeneity of transport processes and interactions between cell components. These characteristics are seen as motion changes in the particle trajectories. Despite the existence of multiple approaches to carry out this type of analysis, no objective assessment of these methods has been performed so far. Here, we report the results of a competition to characterize and rank the performance of these methods when analyzing the dynamic behavior of single molecules. To run this competition, we implemented a software library that simulates realistic data corresponding to widespread diffusion and interaction models, both in the form of trajectories and videos obtained in typical experimental conditions. The competition constitutes the first assessment of these methods, providing insights into the current limitations of the field, fostering the development of new approaches, and guiding researchers to identify optimal tools for analyzing their experiments.
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