Project acronym 4-TOPS
Project Four experiments in Topological Superconductivity.
Researcher (PI) Laurens Molenkamp
Host Institution (HI) JULIUS-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAT WURZBURG
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE3, ERC-2016-ADG
Summary Topological materials have developed rapidly in recent years, with my previous ERC-AG project 3-TOP playing a major role in this development. While so far no bulk topological superconductor has been unambiguously demonstrated, their properties can be studied in a very flexible manner by inducing superconductivity through the proximity effect into the surface or edge states of a topological insulator. In 4-TOPS we will explore the possibilities of this approach in full, and conduct a thorough study of induced superconductivity in both two and three dimensional HgTe based topological insulators. The 4 avenues we will follow are:
-SQUID based devices to investigate full phase dependent spectroscopy of the gapless Andreev bound state by studying their Josephson radiation and current-phase relationships.
-Experiments aimed at providing unambiguous proof of localized Majorana states in TI junctions by studying tunnelling transport into such states.
-Attempts to induce superconductivity in Quantum Hall states with the aim of creating a chiral topological superconductor. These chiral superconductors host Majorana fermions at their edges, which, at least in the case of a single QH edge mode, follow non-Abelian statistics and are therefore promising for explorations in topological quantum computing.
-Studies of induced superconductivity in Weyl semimetals, a completely unexplored state of matter.
Taken together, these four sets of experiments will greatly enhance our understanding of topological superconductivity, which is not only a subject of great academic interest as it constitutes the study of new phases of matter, but also has potential application in the field of quantum information processing.
Summary
Topological materials have developed rapidly in recent years, with my previous ERC-AG project 3-TOP playing a major role in this development. While so far no bulk topological superconductor has been unambiguously demonstrated, their properties can be studied in a very flexible manner by inducing superconductivity through the proximity effect into the surface or edge states of a topological insulator. In 4-TOPS we will explore the possibilities of this approach in full, and conduct a thorough study of induced superconductivity in both two and three dimensional HgTe based topological insulators. The 4 avenues we will follow are:
-SQUID based devices to investigate full phase dependent spectroscopy of the gapless Andreev bound state by studying their Josephson radiation and current-phase relationships.
-Experiments aimed at providing unambiguous proof of localized Majorana states in TI junctions by studying tunnelling transport into such states.
-Attempts to induce superconductivity in Quantum Hall states with the aim of creating a chiral topological superconductor. These chiral superconductors host Majorana fermions at their edges, which, at least in the case of a single QH edge mode, follow non-Abelian statistics and are therefore promising for explorations in topological quantum computing.
-Studies of induced superconductivity in Weyl semimetals, a completely unexplored state of matter.
Taken together, these four sets of experiments will greatly enhance our understanding of topological superconductivity, which is not only a subject of great academic interest as it constitutes the study of new phases of matter, but also has potential application in the field of quantum information processing.
Max ERC Funding
2 497 567 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-06-01, End date: 2022-05-31
Project acronym AMPLITUDES
Project Novel structures in scattering amplitudes
Researcher (PI) Johannes Martin HENN
Host Institution (HI) JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITAT MAINZ
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2016-COG
Summary This project focuses on developing quantum field theory methods and applying them to the phenomenology of elementary particles. At the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) our current best theoretical understanding of particle physics is being tested against experiment by measuring e.g. properties of the recently discovered Higgs boson. With run two of the LHC, currently underway, the experimental accuracy will further increase. Theoretical predictions matching the latter are urgently needed. Obtaining these requires extremely difficult calculations of scattering amplitudes and cross sections in quantum field theory, including calculations to correctly describe large contributions due to long-distance physics in the latter. Major obstacles in such computations are the large number of Feynman diagrams that are difficult to handle, even with the help of modern computers, and the computation of Feynman loop integrals. To address these issues, we will develop innovative methods that are inspired by new structures found in supersymmetric field theories. We will extend the scope of the differential equations method for computing Feynman integrals, and apply it to scattering processes that are needed for phenomenology, but too complicated to analyze using current methods. Our results will help measure fundamental parameters of Nature, such as, for example, couplings of the Higgs boson, with unprecedented precision. Moreover, by accurately predicting backgrounds from known physics, our results will also be invaluable for searches of new particles.
Summary
This project focuses on developing quantum field theory methods and applying them to the phenomenology of elementary particles. At the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) our current best theoretical understanding of particle physics is being tested against experiment by measuring e.g. properties of the recently discovered Higgs boson. With run two of the LHC, currently underway, the experimental accuracy will further increase. Theoretical predictions matching the latter are urgently needed. Obtaining these requires extremely difficult calculations of scattering amplitudes and cross sections in quantum field theory, including calculations to correctly describe large contributions due to long-distance physics in the latter. Major obstacles in such computations are the large number of Feynman diagrams that are difficult to handle, even with the help of modern computers, and the computation of Feynman loop integrals. To address these issues, we will develop innovative methods that are inspired by new structures found in supersymmetric field theories. We will extend the scope of the differential equations method for computing Feynman integrals, and apply it to scattering processes that are needed for phenomenology, but too complicated to analyze using current methods. Our results will help measure fundamental parameters of Nature, such as, for example, couplings of the Higgs boson, with unprecedented precision. Moreover, by accurately predicting backgrounds from known physics, our results will also be invaluable for searches of new particles.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-10-01, End date: 2022-09-30
Project acronym ATOM
Project Advanced Holographic Tomographies for Nanoscale Materials: Revealing Electromagnetic and Deformation Fields, Chemical Composition and Quantum States at Atomic Resolution.
Researcher (PI) Axel LUBK
Host Institution (HI) LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUER FESTKOERPER- UND WERKSTOFFFORSCHUNG DRESDEN E.V.
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2016-STG
Summary The ongoing miniaturization in nanotechnology and functional materials puts an ever increasing focus on the development of three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures, such as quantum dot arrays, structured nanowires, or non-trivial topological magnetic textures such as skyrmions, which permit a better performance of logical or memory devices in terms of speed and energy efficiency. To develop and advance such technologies and to improve the understanding of the underlying fundamental solid state physics effects, the nondestructive and quantitative 3D characterization of physical, e.g., electric or magnetic, fields down to atomic resolution is indispensable. Current nanoscale metrology methods only inadequately convey this information, e.g., because they probe surfaces, record projections, or lack resolution. AToM will provide a ground-breaking tomographic methodology for current nanotechnology by mapping electric and magnetic fields as well as crucial properties of the underlying atomic structure in solids, such as the chemical composition, mechanical strain or spin configuration in 3D down to atomic resolution. To achieve that goal, advanced holographic and tomographic setups in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) are combined with novel computational methods, e.g., taking into account the ramifications of electron diffraction. Moreover, fundamental application limits are overcome (A) by extending the holographic principle, requiring coherent electron beams, to quantum state reconstructions applicable to electrons of any (in)coherence; and (B) by adapting a unique in-situ TEM with a very large sample chamber to facilitate holographic field sensing down to very low temperatures (6 K) under application of external, e.g., electric, stimuli. The joint development of AToM in response to current problems of nanotechnology, including the previously mentioned ones, is anticipated to immediately and sustainably advance nanotechnology in its various aspects.
Summary
The ongoing miniaturization in nanotechnology and functional materials puts an ever increasing focus on the development of three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures, such as quantum dot arrays, structured nanowires, or non-trivial topological magnetic textures such as skyrmions, which permit a better performance of logical or memory devices in terms of speed and energy efficiency. To develop and advance such technologies and to improve the understanding of the underlying fundamental solid state physics effects, the nondestructive and quantitative 3D characterization of physical, e.g., electric or magnetic, fields down to atomic resolution is indispensable. Current nanoscale metrology methods only inadequately convey this information, e.g., because they probe surfaces, record projections, or lack resolution. AToM will provide a ground-breaking tomographic methodology for current nanotechnology by mapping electric and magnetic fields as well as crucial properties of the underlying atomic structure in solids, such as the chemical composition, mechanical strain or spin configuration in 3D down to atomic resolution. To achieve that goal, advanced holographic and tomographic setups in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) are combined with novel computational methods, e.g., taking into account the ramifications of electron diffraction. Moreover, fundamental application limits are overcome (A) by extending the holographic principle, requiring coherent electron beams, to quantum state reconstructions applicable to electrons of any (in)coherence; and (B) by adapting a unique in-situ TEM with a very large sample chamber to facilitate holographic field sensing down to very low temperatures (6 K) under application of external, e.g., electric, stimuli. The joint development of AToM in response to current problems of nanotechnology, including the previously mentioned ones, is anticipated to immediately and sustainably advance nanotechnology in its various aspects.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 602 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-01-01, End date: 2021-12-31
Project acronym BinGraSp
Project Modeling the Gravitational Spectrum of Neutron Star Binaries
Researcher (PI) Sebastiano Bernuzzi
Host Institution (HI) FRIEDRICH-SCHILLER-UNIVERSITAT JENA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2016-STG
Summary The most energetic electromagnetic phenomena in the Universe are believed to be powered by the collision of two neutron stars, the smallest and densest stars on which surface gravity is about 2 billion times stronger than gravity on Earth. However, a definitive identification of neutron star mergers as central engines for short-gamma-ray bursts and kilonovae transients is possible only by direct gravitational-wave observations. The latter provide us with unique information on neutron stars' masses, radii, and spins, including the possibility to set the strongest observational constraints on the unknown equation-of-state of matter at supranuclear densities.
Neutron stars binary mergers are among the main targets for ground-based gravitational-wave interferometers like Advanced LIGO and Virgo, which start operations this year. The astrophysical data analysis of the signals emitted by these sources requires the availability of accurate waveform models, which are missing to date. Hence, the theoretical understanding of the gravitational spectrum is a necessary and urgent step for the development of a gravitational-based astrophysics in the next years.
This project aims at developing, for the first time, a precise theoretical model for the complete gravitational spectrum of neutron star binaries, including the merger and postmerger stages of the coalescence process. Building on the PI's unique expertise and track record, the proposed research exploits synergy between analytical and numerical methods in General Relativity. Results from state of the art nonlinear 3D numerical relativity simulations will be combined with the most advanced analytical framework for the relativistic two-body problem. The model developed here will be used in the first gravitational-wave observations and will dramatically impact multimessenger astrophysics.
Summary
The most energetic electromagnetic phenomena in the Universe are believed to be powered by the collision of two neutron stars, the smallest and densest stars on which surface gravity is about 2 billion times stronger than gravity on Earth. However, a definitive identification of neutron star mergers as central engines for short-gamma-ray bursts and kilonovae transients is possible only by direct gravitational-wave observations. The latter provide us with unique information on neutron stars' masses, radii, and spins, including the possibility to set the strongest observational constraints on the unknown equation-of-state of matter at supranuclear densities.
Neutron stars binary mergers are among the main targets for ground-based gravitational-wave interferometers like Advanced LIGO and Virgo, which start operations this year. The astrophysical data analysis of the signals emitted by these sources requires the availability of accurate waveform models, which are missing to date. Hence, the theoretical understanding of the gravitational spectrum is a necessary and urgent step for the development of a gravitational-based astrophysics in the next years.
This project aims at developing, for the first time, a precise theoretical model for the complete gravitational spectrum of neutron star binaries, including the merger and postmerger stages of the coalescence process. Building on the PI's unique expertise and track record, the proposed research exploits synergy between analytical and numerical methods in General Relativity. Results from state of the art nonlinear 3D numerical relativity simulations will be combined with the most advanced analytical framework for the relativistic two-body problem. The model developed here will be used in the first gravitational-wave observations and will dramatically impact multimessenger astrophysics.
Max ERC Funding
1 432 301 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-10-01, End date: 2022-09-30
Project acronym C18Signaling
Project Regulation of Cellular Growth and Metabolism by C18:0
Researcher (PI) Aurelio TELEMAN
Host Institution (HI) DEUTSCHES KREBSFORSCHUNGSZENTRUM HEIDELBERG
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), LS3, ERC-2016-COG
Summary My lab studies how cells regulate their growth and metabolism during normal development and in disease. Recent work in my lab, published last year in Nature, identified the metabolite stearic acid (C18:0) as a novel regulator of mitochondrial function. We showed that dietary C18:0 acts via a novel signaling route whereby it covalently modifies the cell-surface Transferrin Receptor (TfR1) to regulate mitochondrial morphology. We found that modification of TfR1 by C18:0 ('stearoylation') is analogous to protein palmitoylation by C16:0 - it is a covalent thio-ester link and requires a transferase enzyme. This work made two conceptual contributions. 1) It uncovered a novel signaling route regulating mitochondrial function. 2) Relevant to this grant application, we found by mass spectrometry multiple other proteins that are stearoylated in mammalian cells. This thereby opens a new avenue of research, suggesting that C18:0 signals via several target proteins to regulate cellular growth and metabolism. I propose here to study this C18:0 signaling.
To study C18:0 signaling we will exploit tools recently developed in my lab to 1) identify as complete a set as possible of proteins that are stearoylated in human and Drosophila cells, thereby characterizing the cellular 'stearylome', 2) study how stearoylation affects the molecular function of these target proteins, and thereby cellular growth and metabolism, and 3) study how stearoylation is added, and possibly removed, from target proteins.
This work will change the way we view C18:0 from simply being a metabolite to being an important dietary signaling molecule that links nutritional uptake to cellular physiology. Via unknown mechanisms, dietary C18:0 is clinically known to have special properties for cardiovascular risk. Hence this proposal, discovering how C18:0 signals to regulate cells, will have implications for both normal development and for disease.
Summary
My lab studies how cells regulate their growth and metabolism during normal development and in disease. Recent work in my lab, published last year in Nature, identified the metabolite stearic acid (C18:0) as a novel regulator of mitochondrial function. We showed that dietary C18:0 acts via a novel signaling route whereby it covalently modifies the cell-surface Transferrin Receptor (TfR1) to regulate mitochondrial morphology. We found that modification of TfR1 by C18:0 ('stearoylation') is analogous to protein palmitoylation by C16:0 - it is a covalent thio-ester link and requires a transferase enzyme. This work made two conceptual contributions. 1) It uncovered a novel signaling route regulating mitochondrial function. 2) Relevant to this grant application, we found by mass spectrometry multiple other proteins that are stearoylated in mammalian cells. This thereby opens a new avenue of research, suggesting that C18:0 signals via several target proteins to regulate cellular growth and metabolism. I propose here to study this C18:0 signaling.
To study C18:0 signaling we will exploit tools recently developed in my lab to 1) identify as complete a set as possible of proteins that are stearoylated in human and Drosophila cells, thereby characterizing the cellular 'stearylome', 2) study how stearoylation affects the molecular function of these target proteins, and thereby cellular growth and metabolism, and 3) study how stearoylation is added, and possibly removed, from target proteins.
This work will change the way we view C18:0 from simply being a metabolite to being an important dietary signaling molecule that links nutritional uptake to cellular physiology. Via unknown mechanisms, dietary C18:0 is clinically known to have special properties for cardiovascular risk. Hence this proposal, discovering how C18:0 signals to regulate cells, will have implications for both normal development and for disease.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-03-01, End date: 2022-02-28
Project acronym CellStructure
Project Structural cell biology in situ using superresolution microscopy
Researcher (PI) Jonas RIES
Host Institution (HI) EUROPEAN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORY
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2016-COG
Summary Supra-molecular protein machineries control diverse cellular processes. Knowing their structural organization is crucial for understanding their function. As classical structural biology techniques are limited in studying such assemblies in their natural cellular environment, there is a critical methodological gap inhibiting a direct link between structure and function. Consequently, the structural intermediates underlying a full activity cycle of a large multi-protein complex have been impossible to visualize. Recent advances in fluorescence microscopy, in particular the development of groundbreaking superresolution microscopy (SRM) methods, can now help bridge this gap. With this interdisciplinary proposal, my group will develop unique and innovative optical, biological and computational imaging technologies to determine the structural organization of multi-protein assemblies in their functional cellular context.
We will reach this goal by developing a method to robustly measure the precise 3D arrangements of proteins in supra-molecular assemblies in situ with nanometer isotropic resolution based on supercritical-angle detection and by measuring their absolute stoichiometries with engineered counting standards. We will also develop new data analysis tools to statistically analyze such data, taking into account the functional cellular context measured with correlative superresolution and electron microscopy, multi-color SRM and molecular biology tools. We will apply these new methods to address key questions on endocytosis, a fundamental membrane trafficking process. Our aim is to determine a time-resolved 3D superresolution localization map of the yeast endocytic proteins during the major functional transitions and to integrate these data into a mechanistic model of endocytosis. Importantly, the methods we develop here can be applied to many other large protein-based machines, and thus have the potential to have high impact in other key areas of cell biology.
Summary
Supra-molecular protein machineries control diverse cellular processes. Knowing their structural organization is crucial for understanding their function. As classical structural biology techniques are limited in studying such assemblies in their natural cellular environment, there is a critical methodological gap inhibiting a direct link between structure and function. Consequently, the structural intermediates underlying a full activity cycle of a large multi-protein complex have been impossible to visualize. Recent advances in fluorescence microscopy, in particular the development of groundbreaking superresolution microscopy (SRM) methods, can now help bridge this gap. With this interdisciplinary proposal, my group will develop unique and innovative optical, biological and computational imaging technologies to determine the structural organization of multi-protein assemblies in their functional cellular context.
We will reach this goal by developing a method to robustly measure the precise 3D arrangements of proteins in supra-molecular assemblies in situ with nanometer isotropic resolution based on supercritical-angle detection and by measuring their absolute stoichiometries with engineered counting standards. We will also develop new data analysis tools to statistically analyze such data, taking into account the functional cellular context measured with correlative superresolution and electron microscopy, multi-color SRM and molecular biology tools. We will apply these new methods to address key questions on endocytosis, a fundamental membrane trafficking process. Our aim is to determine a time-resolved 3D superresolution localization map of the yeast endocytic proteins during the major functional transitions and to integrate these data into a mechanistic model of endocytosis. Importantly, the methods we develop here can be applied to many other large protein-based machines, and thus have the potential to have high impact in other key areas of cell biology.
Max ERC Funding
1 686 469 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-06-01, End date: 2022-05-31
Project acronym CHIMO
Project Chiral Morphogenesis - Physical Mechanisms of Actomyosin-Based Left/Right Symmetry Breaking in Biological Systems
Researcher (PI) Stephan Grill
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET DRESDEN
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE3, ERC-2016-ADG
Summary The aim of this grant is to understand how cellular, tissue-scale and organismal left-right asymmetry arises
from the chirality of molecular constituents. In many instances the actomyosin cortex, a thin and
mechanically active layer of dynamically cross-linked filaments and molecular motors at the surface of cells,
drives the emergence of chiral morphogenetic events. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, mesoscale
chiral active torques generated by this active layer establish the embryo’s left-right body axis. Here we want
to understand how mesoscale actomyosin active torques are generated at the molecular level, and how active
torque generation in the actomyosin surface drives chiral morphogenesis of cells, tissues and organisms.
Cells and tissues represent a new class of active chiral materials where both the force and the torque balance
need to be considered, and we will perform a systematic and cross-scale characterization of active chiral
biological matter. We will pursue an interdisciplinary approach at the interface of physics and biology. At the
molecular-scale, we will use optical tweezers to measure active torques generated by single molecules of the
molecular myosin and the actin polymerizing protein formin. At the cell-scale, we will reconstitute chiral
actomyosin flows in vitro and characterize chiral dynamics of single molecules in vivo. At the tissue-scale,
we will investigate chiral cell movements in a multicellular environment and unravel the physical basis of
chiral tissue flow in vertebrates. Theory is essential at all stages, and we will build a molecular-scale model
of actomyosin torque generation that will be coarse-grained to a generalized hydrodynamic description of
active chiral matter. This interdisciplinary and cross-scale approach will provide fundamentally new insights
into active chiral materials and the mechanisms by which left-right asymmetries arise in development.
Summary
The aim of this grant is to understand how cellular, tissue-scale and organismal left-right asymmetry arises
from the chirality of molecular constituents. In many instances the actomyosin cortex, a thin and
mechanically active layer of dynamically cross-linked filaments and molecular motors at the surface of cells,
drives the emergence of chiral morphogenetic events. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, mesoscale
chiral active torques generated by this active layer establish the embryo’s left-right body axis. Here we want
to understand how mesoscale actomyosin active torques are generated at the molecular level, and how active
torque generation in the actomyosin surface drives chiral morphogenesis of cells, tissues and organisms.
Cells and tissues represent a new class of active chiral materials where both the force and the torque balance
need to be considered, and we will perform a systematic and cross-scale characterization of active chiral
biological matter. We will pursue an interdisciplinary approach at the interface of physics and biology. At the
molecular-scale, we will use optical tweezers to measure active torques generated by single molecules of the
molecular myosin and the actin polymerizing protein formin. At the cell-scale, we will reconstitute chiral
actomyosin flows in vitro and characterize chiral dynamics of single molecules in vivo. At the tissue-scale,
we will investigate chiral cell movements in a multicellular environment and unravel the physical basis of
chiral tissue flow in vertebrates. Theory is essential at all stages, and we will build a molecular-scale model
of actomyosin torque generation that will be coarse-grained to a generalized hydrodynamic description of
active chiral matter. This interdisciplinary and cross-scale approach will provide fundamentally new insights
into active chiral materials and the mechanisms by which left-right asymmetries arise in development.
Max ERC Funding
2 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-01-01, End date: 2022-12-31
Project acronym DenseMatter
Project High-density QCD matter from first principles
Researcher (PI) Aleksi VUORINEN
Host Institution (HI) HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2016-COG
Summary Predicting the collective properties of strongly interacting matter at the highest densities reached within the present-day Universe is one of the most prominent challenges in modern nuclear theory. It is motivated by the desire to map out the complicated phase diagram of the theory, and perhaps even more importantly by the mystery surrounding the inner structure of neutron stars. The task is, however, severely complicated by the notorious Sign Problem of lattice QCD, due to which no nonperturbative first principles methods are available for tackling it.
The proposal at hand approaches the strong interaction challenge using a first principles toolbox containing most importantly the machinery of modern resummed perturbation theory and effective field theory. Our main technical goal is to determine three new orders in the weak coupling expansion of the Equation of State (EoS) of unpaired zero-temperature quark matter. Alongside this effort, we will investigate the derivation of a new type of effective description for cold and dense QCD, allowing us to include to the EoS contributions from quark pairing more accurately than what is possible at present.
The highlight result of our work will be the derivation of the most accurate neutron star matter EoS to date, which will be obtained by combining insights from our work with those originating from the Chiral Effective Theory of nuclear interactions. We anticipate being able to reduce the current uncertainty in the EoS by nearly a factor of two, which will convert into a precise prediction for the Mass-Radius relation of the stars. This will be a milestone result in nuclear astrophysics, and in combination with emerging observational data on stellar masses and radii will contribute to solving one of the most intriguing puzzles in the field – the nature of the most compact stars in the Universe.
Summary
Predicting the collective properties of strongly interacting matter at the highest densities reached within the present-day Universe is one of the most prominent challenges in modern nuclear theory. It is motivated by the desire to map out the complicated phase diagram of the theory, and perhaps even more importantly by the mystery surrounding the inner structure of neutron stars. The task is, however, severely complicated by the notorious Sign Problem of lattice QCD, due to which no nonperturbative first principles methods are available for tackling it.
The proposal at hand approaches the strong interaction challenge using a first principles toolbox containing most importantly the machinery of modern resummed perturbation theory and effective field theory. Our main technical goal is to determine three new orders in the weak coupling expansion of the Equation of State (EoS) of unpaired zero-temperature quark matter. Alongside this effort, we will investigate the derivation of a new type of effective description for cold and dense QCD, allowing us to include to the EoS contributions from quark pairing more accurately than what is possible at present.
The highlight result of our work will be the derivation of the most accurate neutron star matter EoS to date, which will be obtained by combining insights from our work with those originating from the Chiral Effective Theory of nuclear interactions. We anticipate being able to reduce the current uncertainty in the EoS by nearly a factor of two, which will convert into a precise prediction for the Mass-Radius relation of the stars. This will be a milestone result in nuclear astrophysics, and in combination with emerging observational data on stellar masses and radii will contribute to solving one of the most intriguing puzzles in the field – the nature of the most compact stars in the Universe.
Max ERC Funding
1 342 133 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-07-01, End date: 2022-06-30
Project acronym DNA ORIGAMI MOTORS
Project Constructing and powering nanoscale DNA origami motors
Researcher (PI) Hendrik DIETZ
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2016-COG
Summary Our goal is to advance the field of DNA nanotechnology by achieving directed transport on the nanoscale using robustly functioning synthetic motor units. To do so, we propose to construct spatially periodic, diffusive mechanisms that have broken inversion symmetry and to subject these mechanisms to conditions away from thermal equilibrium. We will build on recent progress in creating complex DNA-based structures and construct various nanoscale rotary and translational Brownian ratchet mechanisms that have well- defined degrees of freedom for motion within periodic and asymmetric energy landscapes. The mechanisms will be self-assembled from DNA origami components. We will use cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to evaluate and iteratively refine our structures. Conventional video-rate fluorescence microscopy, in addition to super-resolution microscopy, will be employed to study in solution and in real time the diffusive motion of the mechanisms on the single particle level. We will introduce various deterministic or stochastic thermal, mechanical, or chemical perturbations to drive the systems away from thermal equilibrium. We will use laser heating and cooling to experimentally test thermal and flashing ratcheting mechanisms; we will employ dissipative asymmetric fluxes arising in active matter as realized in high-density ATP-hydrolysing motility assays; and we will couple out-of-equilibrium chemical reactions to the motion of our mechanisms. The ultimate goal of our work is to take insights from these experiments and create robustly functioning nanoscale motor units that can drive directed motion against external load and perform at levels comparable to those of natural macromolecular motor proteins. Achieving this goal will create unprecedented technological opportunities, for example, to drive chemical synthesis, actively propel nanoscale drug- delivery vehicles, pump and separate molecules across barriers or package molecules into cargo components.
Summary
Our goal is to advance the field of DNA nanotechnology by achieving directed transport on the nanoscale using robustly functioning synthetic motor units. To do so, we propose to construct spatially periodic, diffusive mechanisms that have broken inversion symmetry and to subject these mechanisms to conditions away from thermal equilibrium. We will build on recent progress in creating complex DNA-based structures and construct various nanoscale rotary and translational Brownian ratchet mechanisms that have well- defined degrees of freedom for motion within periodic and asymmetric energy landscapes. The mechanisms will be self-assembled from DNA origami components. We will use cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to evaluate and iteratively refine our structures. Conventional video-rate fluorescence microscopy, in addition to super-resolution microscopy, will be employed to study in solution and in real time the diffusive motion of the mechanisms on the single particle level. We will introduce various deterministic or stochastic thermal, mechanical, or chemical perturbations to drive the systems away from thermal equilibrium. We will use laser heating and cooling to experimentally test thermal and flashing ratcheting mechanisms; we will employ dissipative asymmetric fluxes arising in active matter as realized in high-density ATP-hydrolysing motility assays; and we will couple out-of-equilibrium chemical reactions to the motion of our mechanisms. The ultimate goal of our work is to take insights from these experiments and create robustly functioning nanoscale motor units that can drive directed motion against external load and perform at levels comparable to those of natural macromolecular motor proteins. Achieving this goal will create unprecedented technological opportunities, for example, to drive chemical synthesis, actively propel nanoscale drug- delivery vehicles, pump and separate molecules across barriers or package molecules into cargo components.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-05-01, End date: 2022-04-30
Project acronym ENERGYMAPS
Project Revealing the electronic energy landscape of multi-layered (opto)electronic devices
Researcher (PI) Yana VAYNZOF
Host Institution (HI) RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERG
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2016-STG
Summary Modern optoelectronic (OE) devices such as light-emitting or photovoltaic diodes offer exciting opportunities for the future. A wide range of materials has been utilized in these devices, including among others: organic materials, inorganic quantum dots and hybrid perovskites. While the functionality, performance and device physics vary strongly from material to material and device to device, all OE devices depend on the energy levels of their individual components and the interaction of the electronic states at the various heterointerfaces. Lacking a method to map the energy levels in a device, energy level diagrams reported for most devices consist of a combination of individual energy levels for each material, which neglect interactions between the materials (that may cause interfacial dipoles and/or band bending) and do not represent the true energetic landscape. Despite this, they are routinely used for interpretation of device performance and physics.
This project aims to map the energy levels in real functional devices: revealing the true nature of buried interfaces, multilayers and contacts, and to answer fundamental long-standing questions in the field of OE, such as the origin of photovoltage losses and energetics of injection/extraction contacts of devices. We will develop and utilize a “Ultra-violet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) depth profiling” technique based on the combination of UPS with Ar gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) etching that induces minimal surface damage, on a wide range of organic, inorganic and hybrid materials and devices. We will reveal the true energy level landscapes of devices and monitor their evolution throughout the device lifetime. Furthermore, we will explore the possibility to expand the use of GCIB etching beyond UPS as a new nanofabrication technique. These studies will open new frontiers in OE research and would allow the development of novel interface engineering approaches, device architectures and material design rules.
Summary
Modern optoelectronic (OE) devices such as light-emitting or photovoltaic diodes offer exciting opportunities for the future. A wide range of materials has been utilized in these devices, including among others: organic materials, inorganic quantum dots and hybrid perovskites. While the functionality, performance and device physics vary strongly from material to material and device to device, all OE devices depend on the energy levels of their individual components and the interaction of the electronic states at the various heterointerfaces. Lacking a method to map the energy levels in a device, energy level diagrams reported for most devices consist of a combination of individual energy levels for each material, which neglect interactions between the materials (that may cause interfacial dipoles and/or band bending) and do not represent the true energetic landscape. Despite this, they are routinely used for interpretation of device performance and physics.
This project aims to map the energy levels in real functional devices: revealing the true nature of buried interfaces, multilayers and contacts, and to answer fundamental long-standing questions in the field of OE, such as the origin of photovoltage losses and energetics of injection/extraction contacts of devices. We will develop and utilize a “Ultra-violet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) depth profiling” technique based on the combination of UPS with Ar gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) etching that induces minimal surface damage, on a wide range of organic, inorganic and hybrid materials and devices. We will reveal the true energy level landscapes of devices and monitor their evolution throughout the device lifetime. Furthermore, we will explore the possibility to expand the use of GCIB etching beyond UPS as a new nanofabrication technique. These studies will open new frontiers in OE research and would allow the development of novel interface engineering approaches, device architectures and material design rules.
Max ERC Funding
1 497 931 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-09-01, End date: 2022-08-31
