The project has revolved about exploiting the complexity of light propagation in complex media with advanced signal processing tools, in order to develop a new paradigm for optics in complex media : using scattering not as a nuisance, but as a resource, by exploiting the randomness of the scattering process to one's advantage.
During the project, we have explored multiple aspects of the paradigm : For imaging, we have shown for instance that we can record neuronal activity at depth, by demixing the fluorescence emitted by neurons when they emit an action potential, but also developed many techniques to computationally reconstruct images of object buried deep behind a scatterer, using multiple contrast mechanism, from linear fluorescence and Raman to non-linear contrast mechanisms such as 3-photon fluorescence. In Optical computing, we have demonstrated the use of optical reservoir computing for large scale spatiotemporal time series prediction, as well as for simulating an Ising Hamiltonian. In the quantum realm, we have shown how a complex medium (a multimode fiber) can be used a reconfigurable linear circuit for multi-photon interference, which is of interest in quantum information processing and computing.
Overall, the project has therefore delivered important results in multiple directions, of high fundamental and practical importance, with potential societal impact in the long run, from biology and medecine to information technologies.