Professor of Physics · Sorbonne Université

Sylvain
Gigan

I co-lead the PICo Lab at the Kastler Brossel Laboratory (ENS, Paris), working at the intersection of wave physics, biological imaging, and optical computing. My research harnesses light propagation in disordered media — turning scattering from a limitation into a resource for computation, imaging, and quantum information.

Sylvain Gigan
Position Professor, Sorbonne Université
Deputy Director, LKB
Location ENS Ulm, 24 rue Lhomond
75005 Paris, France — L192
Email
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Research

I
Computational & deep imaging

Wavefront shaping, transmission matrix measurement, and computational microscopy to image through opaque biological tissues. Non-linear and label-free techniques for in vivo neurophotonics.

Wavefront shaping Transmission matrix Neurophotonics Non-linear microscopy
II
Optical computing & physical AI

Leveraging multiple scattering to build optical computing architectures — reservoir computing, random matrix projections, nonlinear encoding — massively parallel and energy-efficient.

Reservoir computing Random projections OPU Physical AI
III
Quantum technologies

Manipulation of non-classical states of light through multimode fibers and complex media. Spatial multimode quantum optics, quantum imaging, and quantum machine learning with photons.

Multimode quantum optics Quantum imaging Entanglement Quantum ML
IV
Applications

Translational research in biophysics, neuroscience, and material science. Collaborations with clinicians, neuroscientists, and industrial partners including international initiatives (CZI, NIH BRAIN, DARPA).

Biology Neuroscience Material science CZI · NIH · DARPA
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Selected publications

2025
Training of Physical Neural Networks
A. Momeni et al. · Nature 645, 53
Nature
DOI ↗
2025
Generalized angle-orbital-angular-momentum Talbot effect and modulo mode sorting
J. Hu, M. Eriksson, S. Gigan, R. Fickler · Nature Photonics
Nature Photonics
DOI ↗
2025
Optical next generation reservoir computing
H. Wang, J. Hu, Y. Baek, K. Tsuchiyama, M. Joly, Q. Liu, S. Gigan · Light: Science and Applications 14, 245
Light: Sci. & Appl.
DOI ↗
2024
Nonlinear optical encoding enabled by recurrent linear scattering
F. Xia, K. Kim, Y. Eliezer, L. Shaughnessy, S. Gigan, H. Cao · Nature Photonics
Nature Photonics
DOI ↗
2024
Large-scale photonic computing with nonlinear disordered media
H. Wang, J. Hu, A. Morandi et al. · Nature Computational Science 4, 429
Nat. Comput. Sci.
DOI ↗
2023
Phase conjugation with spatially incoherent light in complex media
Y. Baek, H. B. de Aguiar, S. Gigan · Nature Photonics 17, 1114
Nature Photonics
DOI ↗
2022
Imaging and computing with disorder
S. Gigan · Nature Physics 18, 980
Nature Physics
DOI ↗
2022
Roadmap on wavefront shaping and deep imaging in complex media
S. Gigan, O. Katz et al. · JPhys Photonics 4, 042501
Review
DOI ↗
2020
Inference in artificial intelligence with deep optics and photonics
G. Wetzstein, A. Ozcan, S. Gigan et al. · Nature 588, 39
Nature
DOI ↗
2020
Large-scale optical reservoir computing for spatiotemporal chaotic systems prediction
M. Rafayelyan, J. Dong, Y. Tan, F. Krzakala, S. Gigan · Phys. Rev. X 10, 041037
Phys. Rev. X
DOI ↗
2020
Programmable linear quantum networks with a multimode fibre
S. Leedumrongwatthanakun, L. Innocenti, H. Defienne et al. · Nature Photonics 14, 139
Nature Photonics
DOI ↗
2020
Readout of fluorescence functional signals through highly scattering tissue
C. Moretti, S. Gigan · Nature Photonics 14, 361
Nature Photonics
DOI ↗
2017
Light fields in complex media: mesoscopic scattering meets wave control
S. Rotter, S. Gigan · Rev. Mod. Phys. 89, 015005
Rev. Mod. Phys.
DOI ↗
2017
Observation of mean path length invariance in light-scattering media
R. Savo, R. Pierrat, U. Najar, R. Carminati, S. Rotter, S. Gigan · Science 358, 765
Science
DOI ↗
2010
Measuring the transmission matrix in optics: an approach to the study and control of light propagation in disordered media
S. Popoff, G. Lerosey, R. Carminati, M. Fink, A.C. Boccara, S. Gigan · Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 100601
Phys. Rev. Lett.
DOI ↗
2006
Self-cooling of a micro-mirror by radiation pressure
S. Gigan, H. R. Böhm, M. Paternostro et al. · Nature 444, 67
Nature
DOI ↗
Full list on Google Scholar ↗
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Profiles & resources

04

Contact

For research inquiries, potential collaborations, or information about open positions in the group, please get in touch by email. Applications for PhD and postdoc positions are welcome — see the PICo Lab jobs page.

Email
Office ENS Ulm, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris — L192
Affiliations
Sorbonne Université
École Normale Supérieure – PSL
CNRS
Collège de France