M1 Internship – Classification of Acoustic Signals CreAted during the DEformation of microsamples (CASCADE project)

The aim of the internship is to highlight differences in physical properties at the microscopic scale thanks to the sonification (transposition of the high frequencies produced in the audible domain) of the elastic waves created during the compression of materials.

During the compression of small samples (typically in the scale of some tens of microns), the collective motion of line-like defects (called dislocations) create elastic waves. These very faint acoustic signals can be recorded using a nano-deformation setup, which is installed at Eötvös University (Budapest). By using various signal processing algorithms (change in time scales, filtering, compression), these electronic signals can be converted to audible sounds. The sounds differ with the experimental conditions. These differences in the acoustic signals can be revealed by listening experiments, dedicated to identify relevant features for discrimination and characterization of these material compression.

Different tasks will be taken in charge by the intern. He or she will:

– Generate the sounds from electronic signals (sonification),

– Participate to the choice of the sound stimuli with the project team,

– Organize a perception test (likely a free sorting task) with at least 30 participants.  This will be carried out in a quiet room with headphones. Participants may be contrasted on expertise, e.g. naive listeners versus experts in material characterization,

– Analyze the perceptual results, and cross with material properties.

The tests will be carried out at ETIS laboratory in Cergy-Pontoise under the supervision of Catherine Lavandier. The Cascade project is a collaborative project with Szilvia Kalacska from LGF laboratory in Saint Etienne, in collaboration with Peter Ispanovity from Eötvös University Budapest and Arthur Paté from IEMN laboratory (Junia/ISEN) in Lille.

Skills: Basic skills in signal processing, skills in materials and statistics would be appreciated. The English language should not be a difficulty for the intern.

Gratification: On the basis of National Regulation (about 580 euros by month)

Contact: Catherine Lavandier, Catherine.lavandier@cyu.fr before end of March. Send e-mail with academic results.