Research

The waves we are interested in cover a very broad spectrum from mechanical waves (acoustic, seismic, and water surface waves) to optical waves (infrared and visible) through electromagnetic waves (radio frequency, microwave, Terahertz radiation).

The research conducted at Institut Langevin aims at understanding the propagation mechanisms of all these kinds of waves in the most complex environments and take benefit of that understanding to develop innovative instruments for manipulating these waves and imaging these environments. Many of these instruments are based on the fruitful concept of Time Reversal Mirror (TRM). The TRM concept was invented by Mathias Fink in the early 90s. First tested for ultrasonic waves, it was extended by us to microwaves in the mid 2000s and now flourishes in an optical technique named wavefront shaping. Researchers from Institut Langevin also conduct pioneering research in the areas of multi-wave imaging (elastography, acousto-optic and photo-elastic imaging), ultrasound/laser methods, Full-Field Optical Imaging (Optical Coherent Tomography, Digital Holography), nanophotonics (near field microscopy in the infrared and THz ranges, optical nano-antennas, plasmonics) and metamaterials.

The fields of application are many and varied, ranging from medicine and biology to telecommunications, non-destructive testing and geophysics.

Institut Langevin is structured in three main thematics that continually feed off each other.