{{Short description|French physicist (born 1945)}} {{Infobox scientist |birth_name = |image = Villeneuve-d'Ascq - IEMN - Mathias Fink - 2.jpg |caption = Mathias Fink at the IEMN in 2012 |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1945|10|18|df=yes}} |birth_place = Grenoble, Isère, France |fields = {{Plainlist| * Physics * Medical ultrasonography * Elastography }} |workplaces ={{Plainlist| * University of Strasbourg * Paris Diderot University * ESPCI ParisTech * French Academy of Sciences * Collège de France }} |alma_mater = {{Plainlist| * University of Paris-Sud }} |doctoral_advisor = Pierre Alais |academic_advisors = |doctoral_students = Claire Prada<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theses.fr/162518994|title=Claire Prada|work=theses.fr|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref> |notable_students = |known_for = Time reversal signal processing |influences = |influenced = |signature = }} '''Mathias Fink''' (born 18 October 1945) is a French physicist, professor at ESPCI Paris and member of the French Academy of Sciences.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.academie-sciences.fr/fr/Liste-des-membres-de-l-Academie-des-sciences-/-F/mathias-fink.html |title=Mathias Fink |website=academie-sciences.fr |lang=fr |access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> He is best known for his contributions to wave physics in complex media and its applications in imaging and telecommunications, such as time reversal signal processing.
== Life and career == Born in Grenoble, Mathias Fink received a M.S. degree in mathematics from Paris University, and the Ph.D. degree in solid state physics. Then he moved to medical imaging and received the ''Doctorat es-Sciences'' degree from Paris University in the area of ultrasonic focusing for real-time medical imaging under the direction of Pierre Alais (1978).<ref name="liberacion1996">{{cite web |url=https://www.liberation.fr/sciences/1996/03/12/mathias-fink-50-ans-a-trouve-comment-inverser-les-ultrasons-imagerie-medicale-detection-sous-marine-_166032 |title=Mathias Fink, 50 ans, a trouvé comment inverser les ultrasons |author=Dominique Leglu |date=1996-03-12 |language=fr |access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
In 1981 he was appointed Professor at the University of Strasbourg. After a stay as a visiting professor at the University of Irvine in the radiology department he returned to France to become professor at the Paris Diderot University (Paris 7). In 1990 and founded the "Waves and Acoustics Laboratory" at ESPCI whose director he was and which became the ''Institut Langevin'' in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.loa.espci.fr/ |title=Laboratoire Ondes et Acoustique |website=espci.fr |language= |access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> 2005 he was appointed professor at ESPCI, where he now is professor emeritus and holds the Georges Charpak chair.
Fink pioneered the development of time-reversal mirrors<ref>[http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0266-5611/17/1/201 Time-reversal mirrors]</ref> and Time Reversal Signal Processing. He developed many applications of this concept from ultrasound therapy, medical imaging, non-destructive testing, underwater acoustics, seismic imaging, tactile objects, to electromagnetic telecommunications. He also pioneered innovative medical imaging methods: transient elastography, supersonic shear imaging and multi-wave imaging that are now implemented by several companies. Six companies with close to 400 employees have been created from his research: Echosens,<ref>[http://www.echosens.com/ Echosens]</ref> Sensitive Object,<ref>[http://www.sensitiveobject.fr/ SensitiveObject]</ref> Supersonic Imagine,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.supersonicimagine.com/SuperSonic-Imagine/Founders |title=SuperSonic Imagine: Founders |access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> Time Reversal Communications, Cardiawave,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cardiawave.com/who-we-are/ |title=Cardiawave: Who we are |access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> and GreenerWave.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://greenerwave.com/executive-leadership/ |title=Greenerwave: Executive leadership |access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
== Honors and awards == * 1994 ''Grand prix de la créativité'' SNECMA * 1995 Foucault prize of the French Physical Society * 2002 elected to the French Academy of Engineering * 2003 elected to the French Academy of Sciences * 2006 Helmholtz-Rayleigh Interdisciplinary Silver Medal of the Acoustical Society of America<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2006-05-01|title=Silver Medal in Biomedical Ultrasound/Bioresponse to Vibration and Acoustical Oceanography|url=https://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.4786488|journal=The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America|volume=119|issue=5|pages=3359–3362|doi=10.1121/1.4786488|issn=0001-4966|last1=Fink|first1=Mathias|bibcode=2006ASAJ..119.3359F|url-access=subscription}}</ref> * 2007 Officer of the French Legion (since 2017 Commander)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.academie-sciences.fr/fr/Membres-a-la-une/mathias-fink-promu-au-grade-de-commandeur-dans-l-ordre-national-de-la-legion-d-honneur.html |title=Mathias Fink, promu au grade de commandeur dans l'Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur |website=academie-sciences.fr |date=2017-07-12 |language=fr |access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> * 2008 Louis Néel prize of the French Physical Society * 2008/2009 Liliane Bettencourt Chair of Technological Innovation at the Collège de France<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.college-de-france.fr/site/mathias-fink/index.htm |title= Mathias Fink Chaire d'Innovation technologique Liliane Bettencourt (2008-2009) |website=college-de-france.fr |language=fr |access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref> * 2014 Edwin H. Land Medal of the Optical Society and IS&T<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Optical Society Announces 20 Recipients of Prestigious OSA Awards for 2014 {{!}} Optica |url=https://www.optica.org/about/newsroom/news_releases/2014/the_optical_society_announces_20_recipients_of_prestigious_osa_awards_for_2014/ |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=www.optica.org}}</ref> * 2015 international colloquium in honor of his 70th birthday<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.institut-langevin.espci.fr/the_magic_of_waves?lang=en |title=The Magic of waves |website=espci.fr |access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
== Selected works == * {{cite journal |first1=M. |last1=Fink |first2=J.-F. |last2=Cardoso |title=Diffraction effects in pulse-echo measurement |journal=IEEE Transactions on Sonics and Ultrasonics |date=1984 |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=313–329 |doi=10.1109/T-SU.1984.31512|s2cid=42526365 }} * {{cite journal |first1=A. |last1=Derode |first2=M. |last2=Fink |title=The notion of coherence in optics and its application to acoustics |journal=Eur. J. Phys. |date=1994 |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=81–90 |doi=10.1088/0143-0807/15/2/008|bibcode=1994EJPh...15...81D |s2cid=250913039 }} * {{cite journal |first1=C |last1=Prada |first2=M. |last2=F |title=Eigenmodes of the time reversal operator: a solution to selective focusing in multiple target media |journal=Wave Motion |date=1994 |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=151–163 |doi=10.1016/0165-2125(94)90039-6|bibcode=1994WaMot..20..151P }} * {{cite journal |first1=P. |last1=Roux |first2=J. |last2=de Rosny |first3=M. |last3=Tanter |first4=M. |last4=Fink |title=The Aharonov-Bohm effect revisited by an acoustic time-reversal mirror |journal=Phys. Rev. Lett. |date=1997 |volume=79 |issue=17 |pages=3170–3173 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.79.3170|bibcode=1997PhRvL..79.3170R |url=https://hal.science/hal-03997953/file/8_PhysRevLett.79.3170_aharonov.pdf }} * {{cite journal |title=Time Reversed Acoustics |author=Mathias Fink |journal=Physics Today |volume=50 |issue=3 |pages=34–40 |date=1997 |doi=10.1063/1.881692|bibcode=1997PhT....50c..34F }} * {{cite journal |first1=Mathias |last1=Fink |first2=Claire |last2=Prada |title=Time-reversed acoustics - Topical review |journal=Rep. Prog. Phys. |volume=63 |pages=1933 |date=2000 |doi=10.1088/0034-4885/63/12/202|s2cid=250901143 }} * {{cite journal |first1=J. |last1=Bercoff |first2=M. |last2=Tanter |first3=M. |last3=Fink |title=Supersonic Shear Imaging: a new technique for soft tissues elasticity mapping |journal=IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=374–409 |date=2004 |doi=10.1109/TUFFC.2004.1295425|pmid=15139541 |s2cid=99105 }} * {{cite journal |first1=Mickael |last1=Tanter |first2=Mathias |last2=Fink |title=Ultrafast imaging in biomedical ultrasound |journal=IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control |volume=61 |issue=1 |date=2014 |pages=102–119 |doi=10.1109/TUFFC.2014.2882|pmid=24402899 |doi-access=free }} * {{cite book |author=M. Fink |title=Renversement du temps, ondes et innovation |publisher=Ed. Fayard |date=2009 |lang=fr |isbn=978-2213644134}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{commonscat}} * {{cite web |url=https://www.institut-langevin.espci.fr/mathias_fink?lang=en |title=CV at the Institute Langevin |access-date=2020-02-07}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Fink, Mathias}}
Category:1945 births Category:20th-century French physicists Category:21st-century French physicists Category:Members of the French Academy of Sciences <!--Category:Members of the French Academy of Engineering--> Category:Commanders of the Legion of Honour Category:Living people Category:Academic staff of ESPCI Paris Category:University of Paris alumni Category:French acoustical engineers Category:Metamaterials scientists