Thermal management challenges for microelectronics are a major issue for future integrated circuits, thanks to the continued exponential growth in component density described by Moore¡¯s Law. Current projections from the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors predict that local heat fluxes will exceed 1 kW/cm2 within a decade. There is thus an urgent need to develop new compact, high heat flux forced-liquid and evaporative cooling technologies. Thermometry techniques that can measure temperature fields with micron-scale resolution without disturbing the flow of coolant would be valuable in developing and evaluating new thermal management technologies. Specifically, the ability to estimate local convective heat transfer coefficients, which are proportional to the difference between the bulk coolant and wall surface temperatures, would be useful in developing computationally efficient reduced-order models of thermal transport in microscale heat exchangers. The objective of this doctoral thesis is therefore to develop and evaluate non-intrusive optical thermometry techniques to measure wall surface and bulk liquid temperatures with O(1-10 micronmeter) spatial resolution. Intensity-based fluorescence thermometry (FT), where the temperature distribution of an aqueous fluorescent dye solution is estimated from variations in the fluorescent emission intensity, was used to measure temperatures in steady Poiseuille flow at Reynolds numbers less than 10. The flow was driven through 1 mm square channels heated on one side to create temperature gradients exceeding 8 ¡ÆC/mm along both dimensions of the channel cross-section. In the evanescent-wave fluorescence thermometry (EFT) experiments, a solution of fluorescein was illuminated by evanescent waves to estimate the solution temperature within about 300 nm of the wall. In the dual-tracer FT (DFT) studies, a solution of two fluorophores with opposite temperature sensitivities was volumetrically illuminated over most of the `cross-section of the channel to determine solution temperatures in the bulk flow. The accuracy of both types of FT is determined by comparing the temperature data with numerical predictions obtained with commercial computational fluid dynamics software. The results indicate that EFT can measure wall surface temperatures with an average accuracy of about 0.3 ¡ÆC at a spatial resolution of 10 micronmeter, and that DFT can measure bulk water temperature fields with an average accuracy of about 0.3 ¡ÆC at a spatial resolution of 50 micronmeter in the image plane. The results also suggest that the spatial resolution of the DFT data along the optical axis (i.e., normal to the image plane) is at least an order of magnitude greater than the depth of focus of the imaging system.

Quantifying the velocity field near the wall in microfluidic devices is important because surface effects become significant at micro- to nanometer scales. Recent studies have suggested that the "no-slip" boundary condition breaks down in microscale flows of Newtonian liquids, where the amount of slip is usually extrapolated from velocity components measured far from the wall. This doctoral thesis presents a new technique, multilayer nano-particle image velocimetry (MnPIV), for measuring the tangential velocity components at different distances from and within about 500 nm of the wall and its application to measuring slip. The feasibility of MnPIV was demonstrated using synthetic images of plane Couette flow incorporating Brownian diffusion and imaging noise. The errors in MnPIV data were then quantified with Brownian dynamics simulations. Calibration experiments were used to correlate the image intensity of the tracer to its distance from the wall z. Multilayer nPIV was then used to determine the z-positions and distribution of the particles for z < 500 nm in experimental studies of microscale Poiseuille flow. The tracers were divided into three distinct layers based on their image intensities, and the average velocity of each layer was placed at the average z-position sampled by the particles in that layer. The resultant velocity gradients were within 6% on average of analytical predictions for 2D Poiseuille flow. Finally, the results of MnPIV studies of aqueous solutions flowing through microchannels with hydrophilic and hydrophobically-coated fused silica surfaces suggest that if the slip lengths are nonzero for both of these surfaces, they are less than the uncertainty in these results, or 27 nm and 31 nm for the hydrophilic and hydrophobic channels, respectively.

To effectively design systems of microchannels it is necessary for scientists and engineers to understand thermal transport characteristics of microchannels. To experimentally determine the convective heat transfer coefficient of microchannels it is necessary to measure both the bulk and surface temperature fields. This investigation aims to develop a technique, named Total Internal Reflection Fluorescent Micro-Thermometry (TIR-FMT), to measure the temperature of water within several hundred nanometers of a wall--effectively, the surface temperature of the wall. In TIR-FMT, an evanescent-wave is generated in the water near the wall. The intensity of this evanescent-wave decays exponentially with distance from the wall. A fluorophore if illuminated by the evanescent-wave can absorb a photon. Excited fluorophores subsequently emit red-shifted photons, which are called fluorescence. The probability of a fluorescent emission is temperature-dependent. Therefore, by monitoring the intensity of the fluorescence a correlation can be made to the temperature of the region of illumination. Using the TIR-FMT technique the temperature dependence of the fluorescence intensity from buffered fluorescein (pH=9.2) was determined to be 1.35%/C. TIR-FMT can be used to measure the temperature of a fluorophore solution within 600 nm of a wall across a temperature range of 12.5-55C. The average uncertainties (95% confidence) of the temperature measured was determined to be 2.3C and 1.5C for a single 1.5x1.5 and #956;m pixel and the entire 715x950 and #956;m viewfield. By spatial averaging, average uncertainties of 2.0C and 1.8C were attained with spatial resolutions of 16x16 and 100x100 and #956;m, respectively.

Le cytosquelette de microtubule (MT) est essentiel dans de nombreux processus cellulaire. Il est notamment impliqué dans le trafic intracellulaire, la division cellulaire, la modification et le maintien de la forme de la cellule. En fonction du type cellulaire ou de son état de différenciation, les réseaux de MTs vont adopter des architectures différentes. Ces organisations sont définies par des contraintes géométriques intracellulaires et l'activité moléculaire de nombreuses protéines associées aux MTs (MAPs). Parmi ces protéines, des membres de la famille des MAP65s ont été identifiés. In vitro, elles forment des ponts entre les MTs pour les organiser en faisceaux. Le but de mon travail de thèse a été d'étudier in vitro le rôle de MAP65s dans l'auto-organisation d'un réseau de faisceaux de MTs. Dans un premier temps, j'ai mis au point un système biomimétique utilisant la technique de « micro-patterning » qui imposent une géométrie d'assemblage pour les MTs dans des limites qui se rapprochent de celles observées dans les cellules. Cette méthode permet de contrôler précisément l'assemblage des MTs à partir de zones dont les formes, la taille et la distribution des unes par rapport aux autres sont définies. Pour valider cette technique, j'ai reconstitué des réseaux qui miment des architectures cellulaires (i.e modules du fuseau mitotique). Dans un deuxième temps j'ai étudié le rôle de MAP65s dans l'auto-organisation de réseaux de faisceaux de MTs, et plus particulièrement l'étape de co-alignement entre MTs dynamiques et dispersés. J'ai montré que MAP65-1 de plante et son orthologue chez la levure, Ase1, diminuent fortement la longueur de persistance de MTs isolés ou organisés en faisceaux. Cet assouplissement leur permet de se déformer et donc de se co-aligner pour former des faisceaux lorsqu'ils se rencontrent à des angles de rencontre élevés. L'augmentation de flexibilité est du à l'interaction du domaine de liaison de MAP65-1/Ase1 avec la lattice des MTs. Ces résultats suggèrent que la diminution de la rigidité des MTs contrôle dans les cellules l'issue des évènements des rencontres entre MTs. De façon plus générale, la modulation des propriétés mécaniques des MTs par des MAPs représente un nouveau mécanisme pour réguler la plasticité des réseaux de MTs dans les cellules eucaryotes. / The microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton is essential for many cell processes, such as the intracellular trafficking, the cell division, and the cell morphogenesis. Depending on the cell type or on its differentiation state, the MT networks will adopt different architectures. These organizations are defined by intracellular geometric constraints and the regulation of the acticity of many MT associated proteins (MAPs). Among these proteins, we get a particular interest in MAP65s family that crosslink MTs to organize them into bundles. The aim of my thesis was to study in vitro the role of MAP65s in the self-organization of MT bundles in particular networks. As a first step, I developed a biomimetic system using the micro-patterning procedure which imposes a MT assembly geometry within limits close to those observed in cells. This method allows to precisely control the MT assembly from micro-patterns with define shape, size and spatial distribution. In order to validate this technic, I reconstituted MT networks which mimic cellular architecture (i.e mitotic spindle modules). In a second time, I studied the role of major MT cross-linkers that are members of the MAP65 family in the formation of MT bundles, particularly the step of MT co-aligment after encountering of dynamic growing MTs. I found that plant MAP65-1 and its yeast ortholog, Ase1, lower the global rigidity of single MTs and MT bundles. This increase in MT flexibility is directly caused by interactions between the MAP65 MT-binding domain and the MT lattice. These data suggest that MT softening by MAP65 controls the issue of MT encounters, so that self-organized ordered MT bundles are formed in living cells. In a more general way, the modulation of MT mechanical propreties by MAPs represent a new mecanism to regulate MT networks plasticity in eukaryote cells.

Cette thèse porte sur l’élaboration d’un outil de capture d’ADN permettant d’identifier une mutation génétique (SNP) grâce à la formation de sandwichs avec des particules de carboxylatex biofonctionnalisées avec des oligonucléotides couplée à une détection de la fluorescence. Le modèle biologique choisi pour ce projet est le génotypage plaquettaire et plus particulièrement la recherche du gène biallélique HPA-1. Le principal objectif de ce travail a été d’optimiser un outil de capture préalablement développé dans l’équipe (Trévisan, 2011) afin de réduire le nombre d’étapes et de simplifier la mise en oeuvre globale du test en modifiant les interactions moléculaires utilisée pour capturer l’ADN cible et en utilisant des particules fluorescentes comme élément de détection. En présence d’ADN cible, des sandwichs sont formés entre les particules fluorescentes et les particules magnétiques biofonctionnalisées. Ces sandwichs sont purifiés par séparation magnétique et la fluorescence est détectée par trois méthodes : la cytométrie en flux, l’imagerie de fluorescence et l’Evareader (détection par ondes évanescentes). Dans un premier temps, les paramètres de fonctionnalisation chimique et biologique des différentes particules (magnétiques et fluorescentes) ont été déterminés et optimisés ainsi que les conditions d’hybridation pour la capture de l’ADN cible. Ensuite, la formation des sandwichs et leur détection ont été suivies par des mesures de fluorescence en utilisant trois méthodes différentes : la cytométrie en flux, l’imagerie de fluorescence et l’Evareader (capteur à ondes évanescentes). Les résultats obtenus avec les différentes méthodes de détection sont concordants et montrent que l’outil de capture d’ADN développé permet de capturer la cible synthétique (oligonucléotide) HPA-1 en réduisant le temps d’analyse de 45 min. Dans nos conditions, le test permet de discriminer l’allèle a de l’allèle b du gène HPA-1 qui ne diffère que d’un nucléotide. Le rapport des signaux de fluorescence issus du sandwich spécifique et du sandwich non spécifique est d’environ 2,5 à 3. Ce rapport devra être amélioré par la suite, en optimisant les conditions de formation des sandwichs. La prochaine étape consistera à optimiser le système de capture d’ADN développé pour gagner en spécificité et déterminer la limite de détection du test. Ce test devra également être validé avec des échantillons biologiques. A plus long terme, la fluorescence pourra être détectée par un photodétecteur miniaturisé actuellement développé à l’Université de Sherbrooke. Des études préliminaires présentées dans ce manuscrit montrent les potentialités de ce nouveau transducteur. / This thesis is about the development of a new assay to capture DNA. This assay is based on the formation of sandwiches between biofunctionnalized with oligonucleotides carboxylatex microparticles combined with fluorescence detection. It should be able to discriminate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). This assay is designed to be applied to platelet genotyping for the research of the gene HPA-1. The main goal of this work was to improve an assay previously developed (Trévisan, 2011) by INL and EFS Rhône-Alpes. The objectives are to reduce the number of steps and to simplify the test. To do so, the molecular interactions used in order to capture target DNA are modified and fluorescent microparticles are used for the detection. In the presence of target DNA, sandwiches are formed between both biofunctionnalized fluorescent and magnetic particles. Those sandwiches are purified through magnetic separation. Then, fluorescence is detected by three methods: flow cytometry, fluorescence imaging and Evareader (detection with an evanescent wave). First, chemical and biological parameters for the functionalization of the different particles (magnetic and fluorescent) are determined. The conditions for the capture of target DNA were optimized. Then, the formation and the detection of the sandwiches were estimated by measuring the fluorescence using three different methods: flow cytometry, fluorescence imaging and Evareader. The results obtained with the three methods are consistent. They show that the new system enables to capture synthetic target (oligonucleotide) HPA-1 with a reduction of total time analysis of 45 min. In our conditions, SNP can be discriminated for HPA-1 gene. For this discrimination, the fluorescence signal ratio about 2.5 to 3. This ratio should be improved by optimizing the conditions of sandwiches formation. Next step will consist in the optimization of the system developed to capture DNA in order to gain specificity and to determine the limit of detection. This test should also be validated with biological samples. In the long term, fluorescence could be detected by a miniaturized photodetector developed in the University of Sherbrook. Preliminary studies presented in this manuscript show the potentialities of this new transducer.

Cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) and cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS) are two well-established absorption spectroscopic techniques originally developed for gas-phase samples. Condensed-phase applications of these techniques still remain rare, complicated as they are by additional background losses induced by condensed-phase samples as well as the intracavity components in which the sample is constrained. This thesis is concerned with the development and application of optical-cavity-based techniques in the condensed phase. Polarization-dependent evanescent wave CRDS (EW-CRDS) has been used to study the molecular orientation at the solid/air and solid/liquid interfaces. An increase in average orientation angle with respect to the surface normal has been observed for both methylene blue and coumarin molecules as a function of coverage at the fused silica/air interface. An orientation-angle-dependent photobleaching of pyridin molecules at the fused silica/methanol interface have also been observed. EW-CRDS has also been used to monitor slow in situ photobleaching of thin dye films deposited on the prism surface. The photobleaching dynamics is interpreted as a combination of first- and second-order processes. A significant fraction of this thesis has been devoted to studying magnetic field effects (MFEs) on the kinetics of the radical pair (RP) reactions in solution, in an effort to understand the ability of animals to sense the geomagnetic field. Two novel optical-cavity-based techniques – broadband CEAS (BBCEAS) and CRDS have been developed for this purpose. BBCEAS uses a supercontinuum (SC) source as the cavity light source and a CCD camera as photodetector, enabling simultaneous acquisition of absorption spectrum across the whole visible region (400 – 800 nm). In CRDS, a tunable optical parametric oscillator has been used as the cavity light source. Combined with the switching of external magnetic field (SEMF) method, this technique allows the decay kinetics of the geminate RPs to be monitored, with nanosecond resolution. Both BBCEAS and CRDS provide sensitivity superior to single-pass transient absorption (TA), a technique traditionally used in the MFE studies. A series of photochemical systems have been studied by BBCEAS and CRDS, respectively, among which, the MFEs of drosophila melanogaster cryptochrome has been observed. Importantly, this is the first time an MFE has been observed in an animal cryptochrome, and provides key supporting evidence for the cryptochrome hypothesis of magnetoreception in animals. Besides the optical-cavity-based techniques, a novel fluorescence detection method of MFEs has also been demonstrated. This technique proved ultrahigh sensitivity when applicable.

This thesis describes the development and application of condensed-phase cavity-based spectroscopic techniques - namely cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS); cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS); broadband cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (BBCEAS) and evanescent wave (EW) variants of all three. The recently-developed cavity technique of EW-broadband cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (EW-BBCEAS) has been used—in combination with a supercontinuum source (SC) and a sensitive, fast readout CCD detector—to record of the full visible spectrum (400–700 nm) of a silica-liquid interfacial layer (with an effective thickness ca. 1 µm), at rapid acquisition rates (> 600 Hz) that are sufficient to follow fast kinetics in the condensed phase, in real time. The sensitivity achieved (A_min= 3.9 x 10^-5) is comparable with previous EW-CRDS and EW-CEAS studies, but the spectral region accessed in this broadband variant is much larger. The study of liquid|air interfaces using EW cavity-based techniques is also illustrated for the first time. The first application of BBCEAS to the analysis of microfluidic samples, flowing through a microfluidic chip, is illustrated. Proof-of-principle experiments are presented, demonstrating the technique’s ability to provide full visible broadband spectral measurements of flowing microfluidic droplets, with both high detection sensitivity (α_min < 10^-2 cm^-1) and excellent spatial and temporal resolution: an SC light source and sensitive, fast readout CCD allowed measurement repetition rates of 273 Hz, whilst probing a very small sample volume (ca. 90 nL). A significant portion of this thesis is devoted to demonstrating the powerful capabilities of CEAS, CRDS and BBCEAS in monitoring radical recombination reactions and associated magnetic field effects (MFEs) in solution. The efficacy of CEAS as a high-sensitivity MFE detection method has been established in a proof-of-principle study, using narrow band CEAS in combination with phase-sensitive detection: MFE-induced absorbance changes of ca. 10^-6 could be detected using the modulated CEAS technique and the data are shown to be superior to those obtained using conventional transient absorption (TA) methods typically employed for MFE measurements. The powerful capabilities of CRDS in monitoring radical recombination reactions and associated MFEs are also demonstrated. In particular, a pump-probe CRDS variant allows not only high sensitivity (A_min on the order 10^-6), but also sub-microsecond time-resolution. Combined, these features represent significant advantages over TA. Finally, SC-BBCEAS is used to measure full visible spectra of photoinduced reactions and their MFEs. The applicability of this approach to in vitro MFE studies of Drosophila cryptochrome is demonstrated—the results mark the first in vitro observation of a magnetic field response in an animal cryptochrome, a key result supporting the hypothesis that cryptochromes are involved in the magnetic sense in animals.

AtMAP65-4 est une protéine associée aux microtubules appartenant à la famille des AtMAP65s qui compte 9 membres identifiés chez Arabidopsis thaliana. Ces protéines appartiennent à une famille conservée au cours de l'évolution, les MAP65s. Ainsi, des protéines homologues sont présentes chez de mammifères (PRC1), chez la levure (Ase1p) ou chez la drosophile (FEO). Jusqu'ici l'étude des propriétés moléculaires et fonctionnelles des AtMAP65s s'est portée essentiellement sur l'étude d'AtMAP65-1 et AtMAP65-5. La principale caractéristique de ces protéines est d'induire la formation de faisceaux de microtubules in vitro. La distribution des AtMAP65s in vivo est très régulée, celle-ci sont localisées avec des réseaux des microtubules bien définis. Ainsi, leur rôle supposé est de mettre en place ces réseaux puis de participer à leur maintient. La localisation d'AtMAP65-4 apparait comme très intéressante car elle est strictement associée avec les microtubules du fuseau mitotique. D'après les résultats obtenus au cours de ce travail, nous avons suggéré que la fonction in vivo d'AtMAP65-4 est de participer à la mise en place et au maintient des microtubules en faisceaux dans les fibres kinétochoriennes lors de la division cellulaire. Lors d'une étude in vitro nous avons montré qu'AtMAP65-4 modifie les paramètres dynamiques de polymérisation des microtubules. Outre sa capacité à former des faisceaux, AtMAP65-4 permet une croissance régulière des microtubules au sein des faisceaux qu'elle induit. Le mécanisme d'action de la MAP à l'échelle moléculaire a été analysé à travers une étude bioinformatique où nous avons modélisé l'activité d'AtMAP65-4. Les données obtenues montrent qu'AtMAP65-4 peut bloquer les évènements de dépolymérisation des microtubules. Par ailleurs, l'activité d'AtMAP65-4 pourrait être régulée in vivo par des modifications post traductionnelles. En effet, nous avons montré et étudié l'effet de la phosphorylation d'AtMAP65-4 par les kinases Auroras. Cette phosphorylation pourrait être impliquée dans la régulation de l'activité d'AtMAP65-4 au cours de la mitose. / AtMAP65-4 is a microtubule-associated protein belonging to the AtMAP65s family that comprises 9 members identified in Arabidopsis thaliana. These proteins belong to a family conserved during evolution, MAP65s. Thus, homologous proteins are present in mammals (PRC1), in yeast (Ase1p) or Drosophila (FEO). So far the study of molecular properties and functional AtMAP65s has focused mainly on AtMAP65-1 and AtMAP65-5. The main feature of these proteins is to induce the formation of microtubule bundles in vitro. In vivo, these AtMAP65s are localized with subsets of microtubule bundles as they are suggested to play a role in establishing and maintaining these networks. From the results we obtained on AtMAP65-4 properties during this work such as the in vivo localization, biochemical properties and functional effetc on the MT polymerization, we suggested that the in vivo function of AtMAP65-4 is involved in setting up and maintaining microtubule bundles within kinetochore fibers during cell division. In vitro studies allowed us to show that AtMAP65-4 changes the dynamic parameters of microtubule. In addition to its ability to form bundles, AtMAP65-4 allows steady growth of microtubules in bundles it induces. The mechanism of action of the MAP at the molecular level was analyzed through a bioinformatics study where we modeled the activity of AtMAP65-4 and concluded that it could block the depolymerization events. Moreover, the activity of AtMAP65-4 could be regulated in vivo by post-translational modifications. Indeed, we have shown that AtMAP65-4 is phosphorylated by Aurora kinases in vitro. The effect of this phosphorylation during mitosis is under investigation.

La manipulation de micro et nanoparticules magnétiques et leurs applications dans les domaines de la biologie, la biodétection et du diagnostic a continuellement gagné en intérêt ces dernières années. Ce travail de thèse explore l’utilisation des propriétés magnétiques des particules en suivant deux axes distincts.Dans un premier axe, nous avons utilisé des particules magnétiques dans une analyse par biocode barre pour la capture et la concentration de cibles biologiques. La détection a été effectuée à l’aide d’un nouveau biocapteur à onde évanescente. Le but était de pouvoir procéder à un génotypage plaquettaire sans utiliser la « Polymérase Chain Reaction » (PCR), en collaboration avec l’Etablissement Français du Sang Rhône-Alpes. Nous nous sommes servis du système biallélique HPA-1 comme preuve de concept, en utilisant des cibles de type oligonucléotide synthétique pour valider nos protocoles d’analyse. Nous avons réussi à détecter une concentration de 2 fmol/l de cibles non marquées. Notre test permet de discriminer les deux allèles du gène HPA-1, qui ne diffèrent que d’un nucléotide. Notre approche par biocode barre permet d’abaisser le seuil inférieur de détection de notre biocapteur d’un facteur 125 000. Nous avons pu détecter 6.105 copies de cible synthétique, sans passer par une amplification PCR. La prochaine étape consistera à adapter le test pour analyser des échantillons biologiques réels.Dans un deuxième axe, nous avons exploré l’assemblage de particules magnétiques sous champ magnétique, de manière à fabriquer des filaments permanents ancrés sur une surface et orientables. Les filaments ont pu être greffés sur des supports homogènes de verre, d’or et sur des supports mixte verre/or fonctionnalisés de manière orthogonale. Les filaments ont pu être localisés dans des zones précises du support, soit en employant des pointes concentrant le champ magnétique localement (spots de 500 µm), soit en jouant sur la fonctionnalisation sélective sur support mixte (carrés d’or de 1 mm de côté). Typiquement l’assemblage de particules de 200 nm de diamètre a permis d’obtenir des filaments de 5 µm de longueur pour 200 à 400 nm de largeur. Les conditions de formation des filaments restent toutefois à améliorer.Les filaments magnétiques permanents ont été employés pour deux applications. Tout d’abord nous avons employé les filaments magnétiques orientables pour valider un banc d’imagerie polarimétrique par résonance de plasmon de surface (P-SPRI) développé par le LCFIO (Palaiseau). Les premières mesures tendent à montrer que l’anisotropie des filaments peut être détectée par le banc de P-SPRI, il est toutefois nécessaire de poursuivre les travaux pour mieux valider ces résultats. Deuxièmement nous avons employé des filaments magnétiques biofonctionnalisés avec des oligonucléotides sondes, pour procéder à un génotypage plaquettaire. Dans des conditions de mesure non optimisées, l’hybridation d’oligonucléotides cibles fluorescents sur les filaments ancrés sur support permet de multiplier par trois le signal de fluorescence par rapport à une hybridation sur surface plane, grâce à une augmentation de la surface spécifique du support. / Manipulation and utilization of magnetic nano/microparticles have raised some interest in the field of biology, biodetection and diagnostics during the last few years. This work explores the uses of magnetic properties of particles in two different axes.In a first part, we used magnetic particles in a bio-barcode assay for the capture and biological target concentration steps. The detection was done using a new evanescent wave biosensor. The aim was to perform a platelet genotyping without polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the collaboration of the French national blood service (EFS). We used the biallelic system HPA-1 as proof-of-concept, using synthetic oligonucleotides as target in order to validate our protocols. The assay allows to specifically detect single nucleotide polymorphism for HPA-1 gene with a detection of 2 fmol/l of label-free target synthetic oligonucleotides. Our bio-barcode assay allows to lower the inferior limit of detection of our biosensor by a factor of 125 000. We can detect 6.105 copies of synthetic target without using a PCR amplification step. The next step will be to adapt our assay to analyze real biological samples.In a second part, we explored the assemblage of magnetic particles with a magnetic field to create permanent filaments anchored on a surface and that can be actuated. The filaments could be grafted on homogeneous glass or gold supports and also on mixed glass/gold supports with orthogonal functionalization. Filaments could be localized on precise support zones using either metallic tips concentrating locally the magnetic field (500 µm spots) or selective functionalization on mixed supports (1 mm gold squares). Assembling 200 nm diameter particles allowed to typically obtain filaments 5 µm long and 200 - 400 nm wide. The filament formation conditions could still be improved.Permanent magnetic filaments were used for two applications. Firstly, we used magnetic filaments which can be actuated to validate a polarimetric surface resonance imaging biosensor (P-SPRI) developed by the LCFIO (Palaiseau). First measurements tend to show that the anisotropy can be detected by the P-SPRI biosensor. It is necessary to continue this work to better validate the results already obtained. Secondly, we used magnetic filaments biofunctionalized by oligonucleotide probes to type platelets. In non-optimized measurement conditions, the hybridization of fluorescent target oligonucleotides on filaments anchored on a surface allows to multiply by 3 the fluorescence signal compared to hybridization on plane surface by increasing the support specific surface.

<p>Among computational electromagnetic methods, Integral Equation (IE) solvers have a great capability in solving open-region problems such as scattering and radiation, due to no truncation boundary condition required. Volume Integral Equation (VIE) solvers are especially capable of handling arbitrarily shaped geometries and inhomogeneous materials. However, the numerical system resulting from a VIE analysis is a dense system, having $N^2$ nonzero elements for a problem of $ N $ unknowns. The dense numerical system in conjunction with the large number of unknowns resulting from a volume discretization prevents a practical use of the VIE for solving large-scale problems.</p> <p>In this work, two fast algorithms of $ O(N \log N) $ complexity to generate an rank-minimized $ H^2 $-representation for electrically large VIEs are developed. The algorithms systematically compress the off-diagonal admissible blocks of full VIE matrix into low-rank forms of total storage of $O(N)$. Both algorithms are based on nested cross approximation, which are purely algebraic. The first one is a two-stage algorithm. The second one is optimized to only use one-stage, and has a significant speedup. Numerical experiments on electrically large examples with over 33 million unknowns demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed algorithms. </p> <p>Important applications of VIEs in thermal and quantum engineering have also been explored in this work. Creating spin(circularly)-polarized infrared thermal radiation source without an external magnetic field is important in science and engineering. Here we study two materials, magnetic Weyl semimetals and manganese-bismuth(MnBi), which both have permittivity tensors of large gyrotropy, and can emit circularly-polarized thermal radiations without an external magnetic field. We also design symmetry-broken metasurfaces, which show strong circularly-polarized radiations in simulations and experiments. In spin qubit quantum computing systems, metallic gates and antennas are necessary for quantum gate operations. But their existence greatly enhances evanescent wave Johnson noise (EWJN), which induces the decay of spin qubits and limits the quantum gate operation fidelity. Here we first use VIE to accurately simulate realistic quantum gate designs and quantify the influence on gate fidelity due to this noise.</p>