Welcome!
Our team at the Institute of Light and Matter (iLM) in Lyon (France) is interested in the theoretical and numerical modelling of light scattering and transport in complex media. We study the interaction of electromagnetic waves with structured matter from the nanoscale (e.g., individual wavelength-scale particles) to the mesoscopic scale (e.g., disordered arrangements of hundreds or thousands of particles), to the macroscopic scale (radiative transfer in complex media).
Our research is developed along mainly three axes: (i) Development of new theoretical and numerical tools to model and understand the optical properties of complex media; (ii) Development of new concepts in optics and photonics; (iii) Application of our expertise to solve industrially-relevant problems (integrated photonics, photovoltaics, thermal management, visual appearance design, ...).
We are an integral part of the Modeling of Condensed Matter and Interfaces (MMCI) team, composed of 20-30 people (permanent researchers, post-docs, PhD students, Master interns), with whom we share modelling techniques and computing facilities, alongside great social time.
Latest news
Publication in JOSA A
8 April 2025
We published an article introducing the quasiannealed Monte Carlo method for light transport in strongly heterogeneous media. This approach enables fast and accurate predictions of the steady-state optical properties of complex multiphase materials, such as pigmented emulsions.
Published article | Preprint
Guest postdoctoral fellow
1 April 2025
We are pleased to welcome Sinuhé Perea, postdoc in the group of Silvia Vignolini at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam (Germany), who is joining us for a duration of 4 months, thanks to a grant from the CNRS-MPG SALTO programme. Sinuhé will theoretically study the multiple scattering of light by chiral correlated disordered media.
PhD defense
25 March 2025
Loïc Tran successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled "Modélisation physique de l'apparence colorée de milieux complexes pour la cosmétique" ("Physical modeling of the colored appearance of complex media for cosmetics"). Congratulations!
Publication in Advances in Optics and Photonics
5 March 2025
We contributed to a review article, covering the key theoretical, numerical, and experimental aspects related to disordered optical metasurfaces.
Published article | Preprint
Workshop on Waves in Complex Media
4 March 2025
The workshop "Waves in Complex Media: theoretical aspects, numerical methods and applications" at the Institut Henri Poincaré (Paris, France), co-organized by Laure Giovangigli, Artur Gower and Kevin Vynck, is starting! The workshop brings together mathematicians and physicists who work on the topic to bridge the gaps between us and share recent advances.
Read more
Publication in JQSRT
19 December 2024
We contributed to an initiative on suggesting a data format for T-matrices in light scattering.
Published article (open access)
New PhD student
2 December 2024
We welcome today Simon Milcent, who is starting a PhD thesis on the modeling and experimental characterization of light transport in strongly heterogeneous materials, in collaboration with Jean-Jacques Greffet (Charles Fabry Laboratory) and Mathieu Hébert (Hubert Curien Laboratory).
Publication in The Journal of Chemical Physics
18 October 2024
We contributed to a study on the microscopic description of the polarization-resolved second-harmonic intensities of a vapor/liquid interface of pure water.
Published article | Preprint
New PhD student
1 October 2024
We welcome today Jialin Hu, who is starting a PhD thesis on the electromagnetic modelling and characterization of disordered plasmonic metasurfaces for highly-contrasted goniochromatic effects, in collaboration with Nathalie Destouches (Hubert Curien Laboratory).
ANR project funded
11 July 2024
Our ANR project IDEA "Disorder engineering in soft matter for acoustics", led by Thomas Brunet at the I2M laboratory (Bordeaux, France), is funded! We will soon have a position opening for a post-doctoral fellow. Stay tuned!
Publication in Applied Physics Letters
28 June 2024
We contributed to a roadmap on photonic metasurfaces with an article on disordered metasurfaces. The roadmap has been featured on the cover of Applied Physics Letters.
Published roadmap (open access)
Plenary meeting of the GDR APPAMAT
18 June 2024
We are hosting in Lyon the plenary meeting of the GDR APPAMAT, which federates the french research community working on the visual appearance of materials.
Read more
Publication in Photoniques
4 March 2024
We published a semi-popular article on the impact of disorder on the visual appearance of nanostructured surfaces (in french).
Published article | PDF
Publication in Review of Modern Physics
15 November 2023
Our review article on the fascinating topic of correlated disordered media in optics and photonics has now been published.
Published article | Preprint |PDF
Book chapter
11 August 2023
The book "Adventures in Contemporary Electromagnetic Theory" (Springer), edited by Tom G. Mackay and Akhlesh Lakhtakia, and to which we contributed with a chapter on the specular reflection and transmission of electromagnetic waves by disordered metasurfaces, is out!
Published chapter | Preprint
ANR project funded
30 June 2023
Our ANR project SLICID "Secured laser printing of color images in identity documents", led by Nathalie Destouches at the Hubert Curien Laboratory (Saint-Etienne, France), is funded! We will soon have a position opening for a PhD student. Stay tuned!
Publication in ACS Nano
28 March 2023
We contributed to an experimental and theoretical study on the diffuse iridescence of disordered metasurfaces, following up on our previous proposal that disordered metasurfaces could create novel visual effects.
Published article | Preprint
Multiple Wave Scattering workshop
20 March 2023
The workshop "Theory of wave scattering in complex and random media" at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (Cambridge, UK), co-organized by Art Gower, Valerie Pinfield, Katy Tant and Kevin Vynck, is starting! The workshop aims to bridge the gaps between mathematicians, physicists and engineers, working on multiple wave scattering theories.
Read more
Nano-Appearance workshop
16 November 2022
The workshop "Visual appearance of nanostructured media", chaired by Kevin Vynck, is starting! The workshop aims to bring together researchers and engineers, both academic and industrial, working around the theme of the appearance of nanostructured media.
Read more
Complex Nanophotonics Science Camp
2 August 2022
The Complex Nanophotonics Science Camp at the Cumberland Lodge (Windsor Great Park, UK), co-organized by Paloma A. Huidobro, Dave Phillips, Giorgio Volpe, and Kevin Vynck, is starting! The Science Camp brings together 60 early-career scientists, but also science writers and editors in an unconventional format – mixing contributed and invited talks, seminars and debates – to present and discuss the latest research and future directions of the field in an open atmosphere and help developing the Complex Nanophotonics community.
Read more
Publication in Nature Materials
19 May 2022
Our work on the predictive rendering on macroscopic disordered metasurfaces and the exotic visual effects they produce has just been published.
Published article | Preprint