Institut Langevin - Ondes et Images : Biophotonics

Our group is interested in the development of far-field optical techniques for the detection of biomolecules and nanoscale pollutants, as well as for the sub-wavelength imaging of cellular environments. In particular, we develop new approaches to super-resolution microscopy, plasmon-based optical biosensors and interferometric microscopy to detect viruses and image biological tissue. Furthermore, we investigate bioinspired self-assembly strategies for high-scale and low-cost nanofabrication techniques in photonics. For more information :
– Optical Antennas
– Super-Resolution Microscopy
– Full-field Optical Coherence Tomography

Recent publications

Achiral Magnetic Photonic Antenna as a Tunable Nanosource of Chiral Light Cui, L., X. Yang, B. Reynier, C. Schwob, S. Bidault, B. Gallas, and M. Mivelle ACS Photonics 10, no. 11, 3850-3857 (2023) Résumé: Sensitivity to molecular chirality is crucial for many fields, from biology and chemistry to the pharmaceutical industry. By generating superchiral light, nanophotonics has brought innovative solutions to reduce the detection volume and increase sensitivity at the cost of a nonselectivity of light chirality or a strong contribution to the background. Here, we theoretically propose a simple achiral plasmonic resonator based on a rectangular nanoslit in a thin metallic layer behaving as a magnetic dipole to generate a tunable nanosource of purely chiral light working from the UV to the infrared. This nanosource is free of any background, and the sign of its chirality is externally tunable in wavelength and polarization. These unique properties, resulting from the coupling between the incident wave and the magnetic dipolar character of our nanoantenna, coupled with a method of Fluorescent Detected Circular Dichroism (FDCD), shown to be 2 orders of magnitude more sensitive than classical circular dichroism measurements, thus provide a platform with deep subwavelength detection volumes for chiral molecules and a roadmap for optimizing the signal-to-noise ratios in circular dichroism measurements to reach single-molecule sensitivity.
A Magnetic Monopole Antenna Reynier, B., X. Yang, B. Gallas, S. Bidault, and M. Mivelle ACS Photonics 10, no. 9, 3070-3076 (2023) Résumé: Magnetic monopoles are hypothetical particles which, similar to the electric monopoles that generate electric fields, are at the origin of magnetic fields. Despite many efforts, to date, these theoretical particles have yet to be observed. Nevertheless, many systems or physical phenomena mimic the behavior of magnetic monopoles. Here, we propose a new type of photonic nanoantenna behaving as a radiating magnetic monopole. We demonstrate that a half-nanoslit in a semi-infinite gold layer generates a single pole of enhanced magnetic field at the nanoscale and that this single pole radiates efficiently in the far field. We also introduce an effective magnetic charge using Gauss’s law of magnetism, in analogy to the electric charge, which further highlights the monopolar behavior of this new antenna. Finally, we show that different plasmonic and metallic materials can provide magnetic monopole antennas covering the visible-to-near infrared range, even down to GHz frequencies. This original antenna concept opens the way to a new model system to study magnetic monopoles and a new optical magnetic field source to study “magnetic light-matter coupling.” Furthermore, it shows potential applications at lower frequencies, such as in magnetic resonance imaging.

Rapid On-Site Histopathological Analysis of Kidney Biopsy With Dynamic Full-Field Optical Coherence Tomography Zuccarelli, L., Q. Bernard, G. Tarris, L. Martin, M. Funes De La Vega, A. Jacq, J. M. Rebibou, C. Tinel, C. Boccara, O. Thouvenin, J. M. Chassot, M. Rabant, J. Zuber, C. Legendre, J. P. Quenot, M. N. Peraldi, L. Amrouche, A. Scemla, N. Chavarot, D. Anglicheau, M. Legendre, and T. Maldiney Kidney International Reports (2025) Résumé: Introduction: Kidney histology preparation requires a multistep process that is usually responsible for delayed results. This study introduces dynamic full-field optical coherence tomography (D-FF-OCT) as a label-free alternative to overcome the limitations of traditional histopathology for on-site kidney pathology assessment. Methods: Two patient cohorts were considered, with a total of 31 patients included in the study; one cohort involved patients requiring biopsy of transplant kidney, and the other involved patients requiring biopsy of native kidney. The clinical and biological data were prospectively collected. Histopathological analysis of kidney biopsies was conducted using both conventional stains and dynamic D-FF-OCT imaging. Results: D-FF-OCT enabled the recognition of most kidney structures. The results showed a significant correlation between this technology and conventional stains for the evaluation of both interstitial fibrosis (IF) (r = 0.61, P < 0.001) and tubular atrophy (TA) (r = 0.60, P < 0.001). Although many lesions could be identified such as interstitial inflammation, acute tubular necrosis, glomerular crescents, and vascular intimal thickening; other recognitions such as glomerular membranous deposits, vascular amyloidosis, and peritubular capillaritis will require confirmation in larger cohorts. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the potential of D-FF-OCT imaging for on-site analysis of kidney biopsies, providing rapid and high-resolution images without extensive sample preparation.
Multi-spectral reflection matrix for ultrafast 3D label-free microscopy Balondrade, P., V. Barolle, N. Guigui, E. Auriant, N. Rougier, C. Boccara, M. Fink, and A. Aubry Nature Photonics 18, no. 10, 1097-1104 (2024) Résumé: Label-free microscopy exploits light scattering to obtain a three-dimensional image of biological tissues. However, light propagation is affected by aberrations and multiple scattering, which drastically degrade the image quality and limit the penetration depth. Multi-conjugate adaptive optics and time-gated matrix approaches have been developed to compensate for aberrations but the associated frame rate is extremely limited for three-dimensional imaging. Here we develop a multi-spectral matrix approach to solve these fundamental problems. On the basis of a sparse illumination scheme and an interferometric measurement of the reflected wave field at multiple wavelengths, the focusing process can be optimized in post-processing for any voxel by addressing independently each frequency component of the reflection matrix. A proof-of-concept experiment shows a three-dimensional image of an opaque human cornea over a 0.1 mm3 field of view at a 290 nm resolution and a 1 Hz frame rate. This work paves the way towards a fully digital microscope allowing real-time, in vivo, quantitative and deep inspection of tissues.

ABYSS: Therapeutic hypothermia by total liquid ventilation following cardiac arrest and resuscitation André Dias, S., A. Berdeaux, L. Darrasse, M. Demanesse, L. De Rochefort, M. Filoche, B. Ghaleh, A. Hutin, D. Isabey, T. Kunc, F. Lidouren, L. Lotteau, B. Louis, and R. Tissier IRBM 36, no. 2, 110-117 (2015)
Frugal random exploration strategy for shape recognition using statistical geometry Hidalgo-Caballero, S., A. Cassinelli, E. Fort, and M. Labousse Physical Review Research 6, no. 2 (2024) Résumé: Very distinct strategies can be deployed to recognize and characterize an unknown environment or a shape. A recent and promising approach, especially in robotics, is to reduce the complexity of the exploratory units to a minimum. Here, we show that this frugal strategy can be taken to the extreme by exploiting the power of statistical geometry and introducing different invariant features. We show that an elementary robot devoid of any orientation or location system, exploring randomly, can access global information about an environment such as the values of the explored area and perimeter. The explored shapes are of arbitrary geometry and may even nonconnected. From a dictionary, this most simple robot can thus identify various shapes such as famous monuments and even read a text.

3D Single-Molecule Super-Resolution Imaging of Microfabricated Multiscale Fractal Substrates for Calibration and Cell Imaging Cabriel, C., R. M. Córdova-Castro, E. Berenschot, A. Dávila-Lezama, K. Pondman, S. Le Gac, N. Tas, A. Susarrey-Arce, and I. Izeddin ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 17, no. 6, 9019-9034 (2025) Résumé: Microstructures arrayed over a substrate have shown increasing interest due to their ability to provide advanced 3D cellular models, which open up new possibilities for cell culture, proliferation, and differentiation. Still, the mechanisms by which physical cues impact the cell phenotype are not fully understood, hence the necessity to interrogate cell behavior at the highest resolution. However, cell 3D high-resolution optical imaging on such microstructured substrates remains challenging due to their complexity as well as axial calibration issues. In this work, we address this issue by leveraging the geometrical characteristics of fractal-like structures, which serve as axial calibration tools and modulate cell growth. To this end, we use multiscale 3D SiO2 substrates consisting of spatially arrayed octahedral features of a few micrometers to hundreds of nanometers. Through optimizations of both the structures and optical imaging conditions, we demonstrate the potential of these 3D multiscale structures as an alternative to electron microscopy for material imaging but also as calibration tools for 3D super-resolution microscopy. We used their multiscale and known geometry to perform lateral and axial calibrations in 3D single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) and assess imaging resolutions. We then utilized these substrates as a platform for high-resolution bioimaging. As a proof of concept, we cultivate human mesenchymal stem cells on these substrates, revealing very different growth patterns compared to flat glass. Specifically, the spatial distribution of cytoskeleton proteins is vastly modified, as we demonstrate with a 3D SMLM assessment. Mots-clés: 3D single-molecule localization microscopy; bioimaging; multiscale material; fractal-like microstructures; calibration; material imaging
Isotope effects and temperature-dependence studies on vibrational lifetimes of interstitial oxygen in silicon Kohli, K. K., G. Davies, N. Q. Vinh, D. West, S. K. Estreicher, T. Gregorkiewicz, I. Izeddin, and K. M. Itoh Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 253, no. 1-2, 200-204 (2006)

Group Members

Permanent Researchers
– Sébastien BIDAULT
– Claude BOCCARA
– Emmanuel FORT
– Ignacio IZEDDIN

Post-doctoral Researchers
– Daria ANDREOLI
– Egidijus AUKSORIUS
– Charles-Edouard LEROUX
– Nemanja MARKESEVIC
– Thu-Mai NGUYEN

PhD Students
– Clement APELIAN
– Vincent BACOT
– Olivier THOUVENIN
– Peng XIAO

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