Project acronym NURE
Project Nuclear Reactions for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay
Researcher (PI) Manuela CAVALLARO
Host Institution (HI) ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI FISICA NUCLEARE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2016-STG
Summary Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is considered the best potential resource to determine the absolute neutrino mass scale. Moreover, if observed, it will signal that the total lepton number is not conserved and neutrinos are Majorana particles. Presently, this physics case is one of the most important research “beyond the Standard Model” and might guide the way towards a Grand Unified Theory of fundamental interactions.
Since the ββ decay process involves nuclei, its analysis necessarily implies nuclear structure issues. The 0νββ decay rate can be expressed as a product of independent factors: the phase-space factors, the nuclear matrix elements (NME) and a function of the masses of the neutrino species.Thus the knowledge of the NME can give information on the neutrino mass, if the 0νββ decay rate is measured.
The novel idea of NURE is to use nuclear reactions of double charge-exchange (DCE) as a tool to determine the ββ NME. In DCE reactions and ββ decay, the initial and final nuclear states are the same and the transition operators have the same spin-isospin structure. Thus, even if the two processes are mediated by different interactions, the NME are connected and the determination of the DCE cross-sections can give crucial information on ββ matrix elements.
NURE plans to carry out a campaign of experiments using accelerated beams on different targets candidates for 0νββ decay. The DCE channel will be populated using (18O,18Ne) and (20Ne,20O) reactions by the innovative MAGNEX large acceptance spectrometer, which is unique in the world to measure very suppressed reaction channels at high resolution. The complete net involving the single charge-exchange and multi-step transfers characterized by the same initial and final nuclei will be also measured to study the reaction mechanism. The absolute cross-sections will be extracted. The comparison with microscopic state-of-the-art calculations will give access to the NMEs.
Summary
Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is considered the best potential resource to determine the absolute neutrino mass scale. Moreover, if observed, it will signal that the total lepton number is not conserved and neutrinos are Majorana particles. Presently, this physics case is one of the most important research “beyond the Standard Model” and might guide the way towards a Grand Unified Theory of fundamental interactions.
Since the ββ decay process involves nuclei, its analysis necessarily implies nuclear structure issues. The 0νββ decay rate can be expressed as a product of independent factors: the phase-space factors, the nuclear matrix elements (NME) and a function of the masses of the neutrino species.Thus the knowledge of the NME can give information on the neutrino mass, if the 0νββ decay rate is measured.
The novel idea of NURE is to use nuclear reactions of double charge-exchange (DCE) as a tool to determine the ββ NME. In DCE reactions and ββ decay, the initial and final nuclear states are the same and the transition operators have the same spin-isospin structure. Thus, even if the two processes are mediated by different interactions, the NME are connected and the determination of the DCE cross-sections can give crucial information on ββ matrix elements.
NURE plans to carry out a campaign of experiments using accelerated beams on different targets candidates for 0νββ decay. The DCE channel will be populated using (18O,18Ne) and (20Ne,20O) reactions by the innovative MAGNEX large acceptance spectrometer, which is unique in the world to measure very suppressed reaction channels at high resolution. The complete net involving the single charge-exchange and multi-step transfers characterized by the same initial and final nuclei will be also measured to study the reaction mechanism. The absolute cross-sections will be extracted. The comparison with microscopic state-of-the-art calculations will give access to the NMEs.
Max ERC Funding
1 272 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-04-01, End date: 2022-03-31
Project acronym OPTINF
Project Optimization and inference algorithms from the theory of disordered systems: theoretical challenges and applications to large-scale inverse problems in systems biology
Researcher (PI) Riccardo Zecchina
Host Institution (HI) POLITECNICO DI TORINO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
Summary The project is focused on two objectives: the study of optimization and inference algorithms based on advanced statistical physics methods for disordered systems, and their application to large-scale inverse problems in computational systems biology.
In last years, fundamentally new approaches to large-scale optimization and inference problems have emerged at the interface between Statistical Mechanics and Computer Science. Partly this was made possible by extending ideas from the statistical physics of disordered systems to applications in computer science. Indeed, the application of methods originally developed for the analysis of spin glasses to hard optimization problems led to the definition of message passing algorithms (MPAs), a new class of algorithms that on many difficult problems showed performance definitely superior to Monte Carlo schemes. The field presents many conceptual open problems and applications of great potential impact.
MPAs are intrinsically parallel and can be used to tackle optimization problems over large networks of constraints. Their probabilistic foundations are still largely unexplored and thus their study can contribute greatly to computational statistical physics.
At the same time, these new techniques are becoming key tools in fields such as computational systems biology, where the exponential increase of molecular data is posing new computational challenges in the study of biological systems composed by many interacting molecular components. It is a fact that the advances in sequencing and other high throughput technologies deeply transformed the world of biological research over the last 10-15 years. This project aims at bringing the MPAs techniques to the full benefit of biological research.
Summary
The project is focused on two objectives: the study of optimization and inference algorithms based on advanced statistical physics methods for disordered systems, and their application to large-scale inverse problems in computational systems biology.
In last years, fundamentally new approaches to large-scale optimization and inference problems have emerged at the interface between Statistical Mechanics and Computer Science. Partly this was made possible by extending ideas from the statistical physics of disordered systems to applications in computer science. Indeed, the application of methods originally developed for the analysis of spin glasses to hard optimization problems led to the definition of message passing algorithms (MPAs), a new class of algorithms that on many difficult problems showed performance definitely superior to Monte Carlo schemes. The field presents many conceptual open problems and applications of great potential impact.
MPAs are intrinsically parallel and can be used to tackle optimization problems over large networks of constraints. Their probabilistic foundations are still largely unexplored and thus their study can contribute greatly to computational statistical physics.
At the same time, these new techniques are becoming key tools in fields such as computational systems biology, where the exponential increase of molecular data is posing new computational challenges in the study of biological systems composed by many interacting molecular components. It is a fact that the advances in sequencing and other high throughput technologies deeply transformed the world of biological research over the last 10-15 years. This project aims at bringing the MPAs techniques to the full benefit of biological research.
Max ERC Funding
1 260 105 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-07-01, End date: 2016-06-30
Project acronym PHOSPhOR
Project Photonics of Spin–Orbit Optical Phenomena
Researcher (PI) Lorenzo MARRUCCI
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2015-AdG
Summary Spin-orbit optical phenomena can be broadly defined as those phenomena in which the polarization (“spin”) and the spatial structure (“orbit”) of an optical wave interact with each other and become spatially and/or temporally correlated, leading to novel effects or photonic applications.
The project vision is a full-fledged spin-orbit photonic science and technology, and its achievement will be pursued by moving in three main directions:
1) We will develop innovative systems based on spin-orbit optical media for generating light fields exhibiting a complex spatial vector structure, both in two dimensions (transverse plane and transverse fields) and in three (i.e. involving time- and space-dependent polarization fields and longitudinal field components). We will extend these ideas to other spectral domains (terahertz waves) and explore the possible applications of these fields in areas such as optical manipulation, plasmonics, space-division multiplexing in optical fibers, time-domain terahertz spectroscopy, ultrafast optics.
2) We will exploit spin-orbit quantum correlations generated within single photons and/or among few correlated photons to demonstrate novel quantum-information protocols using both the polarization and the transverse modes to encode and manipulate multiple qubits in each photon and for the implementation of quantum simulations of material systems based on photonic quantum walks in the Hilbert space of the light transverse modes.
3) We will investigate novel or unexplained physical processes occurring in structured optical media and light-sensitive material systems which respond both to the optical polarization and to its spatial inhomogeneity. Such materials will then be used to manipulate and characterize spin-orbit vector states of light.
Summary
Spin-orbit optical phenomena can be broadly defined as those phenomena in which the polarization (“spin”) and the spatial structure (“orbit”) of an optical wave interact with each other and become spatially and/or temporally correlated, leading to novel effects or photonic applications.
The project vision is a full-fledged spin-orbit photonic science and technology, and its achievement will be pursued by moving in three main directions:
1) We will develop innovative systems based on spin-orbit optical media for generating light fields exhibiting a complex spatial vector structure, both in two dimensions (transverse plane and transverse fields) and in three (i.e. involving time- and space-dependent polarization fields and longitudinal field components). We will extend these ideas to other spectral domains (terahertz waves) and explore the possible applications of these fields in areas such as optical manipulation, plasmonics, space-division multiplexing in optical fibers, time-domain terahertz spectroscopy, ultrafast optics.
2) We will exploit spin-orbit quantum correlations generated within single photons and/or among few correlated photons to demonstrate novel quantum-information protocols using both the polarization and the transverse modes to encode and manipulate multiple qubits in each photon and for the implementation of quantum simulations of material systems based on photonic quantum walks in the Hilbert space of the light transverse modes.
3) We will investigate novel or unexplained physical processes occurring in structured optical media and light-sensitive material systems which respond both to the optical polarization and to its spatial inhomogeneity. Such materials will then be used to manipulate and characterize spin-orbit vector states of light.
Max ERC Funding
1 680 833 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-06-01, End date: 2021-05-31
Project acronym PHOTBOTS
Project Nano Photonics-Based Micro Robotics
Researcher (PI) Diederik Sybolt Wiersma
Host Institution (HI) LABORATORIO EUROPEO DI SPETTROSCOPIE NON LINEARI
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2011-ADG_20110209
Summary The general goal is to bring together different fields of research in order to create a new research area of photonic micro robotics. That is to create, study, and implement truly microscopic structures with nano scale accuracy that can perform robotic tasks and that are entirely powered and controlled by light. This idea brings immense challenges both from the point of view of the physics involved as well as the chemistry needed to create the appropriate materials, but if successful can also have a huge impact.
To achieve this, we will combine our expertise on complex photonic materials and direct laser writing, to create micro structured patterns in liquid crystal elastomers, which are rubber-like polymers with liquid crystalline properties that can be triggered with light. In our view, this opens up a new strategy to create robots of various kinds, on a truly micrometer length scale. That is, micro robots that can swim, walk, or crawl, and when at destination perform specific tasks, controlled and driven by light.
This proposal, in the first instance, deals with fundamental, curiosity-driven research and wishes to address the wealth of physics and chemistry that arises when combining nano photonics with micro robotics. Having said that, the range of potential applications is very broad. Our photonic micro robots would be able to penetrate otherwise difficult to access environments and perform tasks such as sensing or sampling. They could be made in large quantities which means they could also be put into action collectively in swarms (using mechanical and/or optical interaction between the individual robots).
The project is truly interdisciplinary, which makes it very challenging but also exciting. The photonic micro robotic structures will be created by bringing together concepts from physics and chemistry, while the inspiration for designs comes partly from biology and potential applications can be foreseen in medicine.
Summary
The general goal is to bring together different fields of research in order to create a new research area of photonic micro robotics. That is to create, study, and implement truly microscopic structures with nano scale accuracy that can perform robotic tasks and that are entirely powered and controlled by light. This idea brings immense challenges both from the point of view of the physics involved as well as the chemistry needed to create the appropriate materials, but if successful can also have a huge impact.
To achieve this, we will combine our expertise on complex photonic materials and direct laser writing, to create micro structured patterns in liquid crystal elastomers, which are rubber-like polymers with liquid crystalline properties that can be triggered with light. In our view, this opens up a new strategy to create robots of various kinds, on a truly micrometer length scale. That is, micro robots that can swim, walk, or crawl, and when at destination perform specific tasks, controlled and driven by light.
This proposal, in the first instance, deals with fundamental, curiosity-driven research and wishes to address the wealth of physics and chemistry that arises when combining nano photonics with micro robotics. Having said that, the range of potential applications is very broad. Our photonic micro robots would be able to penetrate otherwise difficult to access environments and perform tasks such as sensing or sampling. They could be made in large quantities which means they could also be put into action collectively in swarms (using mechanical and/or optical interaction between the individual robots).
The project is truly interdisciplinary, which makes it very challenging but also exciting. The photonic micro robotic structures will be created by bringing together concepts from physics and chemistry, while the inspiration for designs comes partly from biology and potential applications can be foreseen in medicine.
Max ERC Funding
2 200 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2017-12-31
Project acronym PlusOne
Project An ultracold gas plus one ion: advancing Quantum Simulations of in- and out-of-equilibrium many-body physics
Researcher (PI) Carlo Sias
Host Institution (HI) ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI RICERCA METROLOGICA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2014-STG
Summary The concept of a localized single impurity in a many-body system is at the base of some of the most celebrated problems in condensed matter. The aim of the PlusOne project is to realize the physical paradigm of a single localized impurity in a many-body system to advance quantum simulation of in- and out-of equilibrium many-body physics. Our quantum simulator will consist of a degenerate gas of fermions as a many-body system, with a single trapped ion playing the role of the impurity. The novel design of our atom-ion hybrid system surpasses all the limitations that prevent current systems from reaching full control of atom-ion interactions because it is energetically closed. Using this system, we will characterize atom-ion collisions in the so-far unexplored ultracold regime.
We will use the single trapped ion to induce non-equilibrium dynamics in the many-body system by quenching the atom-ion interactions. This process will cause an entanglement between the many-body dynamics and the ion’s internal state, enabling us to detect the many-body evolution by performing quantum tomography on the ion.
By these means, we will observe the emergence of the Anderson Orthogonality Catastrophe for the first time in the time domain, and investigate the universality of this phenomenon.
Additionally, we will explore the thermodynamics of a system out of equilibrium by measuring the work distribution of a non-equilibrium transformation, and testing the seminal Tasaki-Crooks fluctuation relation for the first time in a many-body system in the quantum regime.
Finally, we will use the single trapped ion as a single atom probe and as a density- and time- correlation detector in a system of atoms loaded in an optical lattice. This achievement will significantly improve current methods for probing many-body physics with ultracold atoms.
Our groundbreaking system will hence inaugurate concrete and decisive advances in the quantum simulation of many-body physics with quantum gases.
Summary
The concept of a localized single impurity in a many-body system is at the base of some of the most celebrated problems in condensed matter. The aim of the PlusOne project is to realize the physical paradigm of a single localized impurity in a many-body system to advance quantum simulation of in- and out-of equilibrium many-body physics. Our quantum simulator will consist of a degenerate gas of fermions as a many-body system, with a single trapped ion playing the role of the impurity. The novel design of our atom-ion hybrid system surpasses all the limitations that prevent current systems from reaching full control of atom-ion interactions because it is energetically closed. Using this system, we will characterize atom-ion collisions in the so-far unexplored ultracold regime.
We will use the single trapped ion to induce non-equilibrium dynamics in the many-body system by quenching the atom-ion interactions. This process will cause an entanglement between the many-body dynamics and the ion’s internal state, enabling us to detect the many-body evolution by performing quantum tomography on the ion.
By these means, we will observe the emergence of the Anderson Orthogonality Catastrophe for the first time in the time domain, and investigate the universality of this phenomenon.
Additionally, we will explore the thermodynamics of a system out of equilibrium by measuring the work distribution of a non-equilibrium transformation, and testing the seminal Tasaki-Crooks fluctuation relation for the first time in a many-body system in the quantum regime.
Finally, we will use the single trapped ion as a single atom probe and as a density- and time- correlation detector in a system of atoms loaded in an optical lattice. This achievement will significantly improve current methods for probing many-body physics with ultracold atoms.
Our groundbreaking system will hence inaugurate concrete and decisive advances in the quantum simulation of many-body physics with quantum gases.
Max ERC Funding
1 496 250 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-05-01, End date: 2020-04-30
Project acronym POLAFLOW
Project Polariton condensates: from fundamental physics to quantum based devices
Researcher (PI) Daniele Sanvitto
Host Institution (HI) CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary Polaritons are quantum superpositions of light and matter which combine appealing properties of both: the high coherence of photons and the strong interaction (non-linearities) of electrons. With the report of their Bose-Einstein condensation in 2006, they stand as one of the most exciting semiconductor-optical system of today. Given their peculiar character, they encompass different interdisciplinary areas of research which spans from the physics of phase transitions, critical phenomena and strongly-correlated systems (superfuidity, superconductivity, etc.) to various branches of quantum physics (quantum optics, quantum information, etc.), till the possibility of building polariton-based optical logics for implementation of optical circuits; all exciting realms yet to be explored.
The majority of the outstanding findings reported have been realised in structureless samples with no, or random, potential barriers for polariton states. This proposal aims at developing the polariton physics in the presence of designed and controllable potential landscapes which will allow the observation and study of a new series of phenomena related to the system's reduced dimensionality and out-of-equilibrium character.
Strong of several and complementary techniques to realize such potentials in microcavities, both in my institute and in partnership with leading growers worldwide, I will explore three phases of prospective physics in the framework where the polariton flow can be controlled, driven, localised and guided. First, I will study transport and interferometry. Then, these straightforward upgrades on the polariton state-of-the-art will be used to design elementary devices, such as polariton transistors (classical logic) or entangling devices (quantum logic). In a final phase, polariton lattices with controllable attributes will be used to study fundamental quantum phases from the superfluid to the Mott insulator, with prospects of realizing a polariton quantum simulator.
Summary
Polaritons are quantum superpositions of light and matter which combine appealing properties of both: the high coherence of photons and the strong interaction (non-linearities) of electrons. With the report of their Bose-Einstein condensation in 2006, they stand as one of the most exciting semiconductor-optical system of today. Given their peculiar character, they encompass different interdisciplinary areas of research which spans from the physics of phase transitions, critical phenomena and strongly-correlated systems (superfuidity, superconductivity, etc.) to various branches of quantum physics (quantum optics, quantum information, etc.), till the possibility of building polariton-based optical logics for implementation of optical circuits; all exciting realms yet to be explored.
The majority of the outstanding findings reported have been realised in structureless samples with no, or random, potential barriers for polariton states. This proposal aims at developing the polariton physics in the presence of designed and controllable potential landscapes which will allow the observation and study of a new series of phenomena related to the system's reduced dimensionality and out-of-equilibrium character.
Strong of several and complementary techniques to realize such potentials in microcavities, both in my institute and in partnership with leading growers worldwide, I will explore three phases of prospective physics in the framework where the polariton flow can be controlled, driven, localised and guided. First, I will study transport and interferometry. Then, these straightforward upgrades on the polariton state-of-the-art will be used to design elementary devices, such as polariton transistors (classical logic) or entangling devices (quantum logic). In a final phase, polariton lattices with controllable attributes will be used to study fundamental quantum phases from the superfluid to the Mott insulator, with prospects of realizing a polariton quantum simulator.
Max ERC Funding
1 482 600 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-11-01, End date: 2017-10-31
Project acronym PoLiChroM
Project Superfluidity and ferromagnetism of unequal mass fermions with two- and three-body resonant interactions
Researcher (PI) Matteo Zaccanti
Host Institution (HI) CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2014-STG
Summary Superfluidity and magnetism characterize a wealth of interacting fermion systems encompassing solid-state, nuclear and quark matter environments. From the interplay of these phenomena, the two following issues have been raised: Can superfluid pairing bear a mismatch in the two Fermi surfaces? Can a homogeneous fermion system become ferromagnetic via a zero-ranged interparticle repulsion?
Despite decades of interdisciplinary investigations, such questions have not gotten undisputed answers so far.
Here, I will experimentally address these problems with a new model system composed of ultracold fermionic Chromium and Lithium atoms with resonant interactions. The two species will mimic electrons of different spins, or quarks of different colours, but exhibiting the high degree of control of an atomic quantum simulator.
In particular, two features make this system stand far beyond any other available one: the peculiar Chromium-Lithium mass ratio enables a resonant control of three-body elastic interactions on top of the usual two-body ones, together with an extraordinary suppression of atom recombination into paired states in the regime of strong interspecies repulsion.
The first property greatly enhances the observability of elusive polarized superfluid regimes, such as the Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov phase, where pairs condense in nonzero momentum states, and the Sarma or “breached pair” phase, where a homogeneous gapless superfluid coexists with unbound particles.
The second makes such mixture a prime platform for the quantum simulation of Stoner’s model for itinerant ferromagnetism, whose study has been denied in nowadays experiments, where pairing instability plagues the formation of sizeable magnetic domains.
I will use high-resolution imaging of the system and state-of-the-art spectroscopy schemes for disclosing such exotic phases via a thorough investigation of the phase diagrams of Fermi-Fermi mixtures with attractive or repulsive interactions.
Summary
Superfluidity and magnetism characterize a wealth of interacting fermion systems encompassing solid-state, nuclear and quark matter environments. From the interplay of these phenomena, the two following issues have been raised: Can superfluid pairing bear a mismatch in the two Fermi surfaces? Can a homogeneous fermion system become ferromagnetic via a zero-ranged interparticle repulsion?
Despite decades of interdisciplinary investigations, such questions have not gotten undisputed answers so far.
Here, I will experimentally address these problems with a new model system composed of ultracold fermionic Chromium and Lithium atoms with resonant interactions. The two species will mimic electrons of different spins, or quarks of different colours, but exhibiting the high degree of control of an atomic quantum simulator.
In particular, two features make this system stand far beyond any other available one: the peculiar Chromium-Lithium mass ratio enables a resonant control of three-body elastic interactions on top of the usual two-body ones, together with an extraordinary suppression of atom recombination into paired states in the regime of strong interspecies repulsion.
The first property greatly enhances the observability of elusive polarized superfluid regimes, such as the Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov phase, where pairs condense in nonzero momentum states, and the Sarma or “breached pair” phase, where a homogeneous gapless superfluid coexists with unbound particles.
The second makes such mixture a prime platform for the quantum simulation of Stoner’s model for itinerant ferromagnetism, whose study has been denied in nowadays experiments, where pairing instability plagues the formation of sizeable magnetic domains.
I will use high-resolution imaging of the system and state-of-the-art spectroscopy schemes for disclosing such exotic phases via a thorough investigation of the phase diagrams of Fermi-Fermi mixtures with attractive or repulsive interactions.
Max ERC Funding
1 495 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-04-01, End date: 2020-03-31
Project acronym Q-SENS2
Project Quantum-Enhanced Sensors with Single Spins
Researcher (PI) Paola Cappellaro
Host Institution (HI) LABORATORIO EUROPEO DI SPETTROSCOPIE NON LINEARI
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2013-StG
Summary Precision measurements are among the most important applications of quantum physics. Concepts derived from quantum information science have been explored to enhance precision measurements, as entangled states have been recognized to potentially provide sensitivity beyond the classical limit. Recent advances have also enabled the development of new types of controlled quantum systems for the realizations of solid-state qubits. Their use as quantum sensors will enable new capabilities, such as an unprecedented combination of sensitivity and spatial resolution.
Unfortunately, progress towards real-world applications of quantum sensors is currently limited by the fragile nature of quantum superposition states and difficulties in preparation, control and readout of useful quantum states. Q-SEnS2 aims at overcoming these fundamental challenges by developing novel paradigms for quantum enhanced metrology and sensing in three key areas:
1. Entanglement: We will explore novel classes of entangled states that promise to be more easily created and robust against decoherence.
2. Control: We will develop quantum control to enhance device sensitivity to the signal, attain spectral signal resolution, and achieve increased noise immunity of the sensor.
3. Readout: We will investigate quantum enhanced readout techniques to increase measurement efficiency and to reach sensor performance near the Heisenberg limit.
These concepts will be implemented in an experimental platform centered on the Nitrogen- Vacancy (NV) center. The NV center electronic spin can be individually addressed, exploiting optical techniques for polarization and readout and magnetic resonance for its precise manipulation. Thanks to its excellent coherence properties, the NV center has emerged as a remarkable qubit candidate and as a versatile sensor. In Q-SEnS2 we will study NV-based magnetometry, which has the potential to be a transformative technology in fields ranging from medical imaging to materials science
Summary
Precision measurements are among the most important applications of quantum physics. Concepts derived from quantum information science have been explored to enhance precision measurements, as entangled states have been recognized to potentially provide sensitivity beyond the classical limit. Recent advances have also enabled the development of new types of controlled quantum systems for the realizations of solid-state qubits. Their use as quantum sensors will enable new capabilities, such as an unprecedented combination of sensitivity and spatial resolution.
Unfortunately, progress towards real-world applications of quantum sensors is currently limited by the fragile nature of quantum superposition states and difficulties in preparation, control and readout of useful quantum states. Q-SEnS2 aims at overcoming these fundamental challenges by developing novel paradigms for quantum enhanced metrology and sensing in three key areas:
1. Entanglement: We will explore novel classes of entangled states that promise to be more easily created and robust against decoherence.
2. Control: We will develop quantum control to enhance device sensitivity to the signal, attain spectral signal resolution, and achieve increased noise immunity of the sensor.
3. Readout: We will investigate quantum enhanced readout techniques to increase measurement efficiency and to reach sensor performance near the Heisenberg limit.
These concepts will be implemented in an experimental platform centered on the Nitrogen- Vacancy (NV) center. The NV center electronic spin can be individually addressed, exploiting optical techniques for polarization and readout and magnetic resonance for its precise manipulation. Thanks to its excellent coherence properties, the NV center has emerged as a remarkable qubit candidate and as a versatile sensor. In Q-SEnS2 we will study NV-based magnetometry, which has the potential to be a transformative technology in fields ranging from medical imaging to materials science
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2019-02-28
Project acronym QGBE
Project Quantum Gases Beyond Equilibrium
Researcher (PI) Sandro Stringari
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
Summary The physics of systems out of equilibrium represents a fascinating chapter of science, with many unsolved problems and unexplored issues. Quantum gases are particularly well suited to investigate non-equilibrium phenomena, because the key parameters of the problem (scattering length, trapping conditions, etc.) can be varied in a well controlled manner. They also offer unique opportunities to perform experimental measurements with high precision. This project aims to theoretically explore novel dynamic and transport properties of quantum gases at both finite and zero temperature, with special emphasis on the effects of quantum statistics, superfluidity and the role of interactions. The major goal is to achieve a deeper understanding of several fundamental issues: the universal properties exhibited by dilute quantum gases; the role of viscosity in non-uniform configurations; the applicability of quantum Monte Carlo techniques to explore the dynamics and transport properties of Bose and Fermi gases; the concept of superfluidity in systems far from equilibrium; the motion of impurities embedded in quantum baths, their interaction and the consequences on the dynamic behaviour; the collective excitations exhibited by novel quantum phases like binary mixtures of quantum gases and dipolar atomic and molecular gases; the effects of disorder; the condensed matter analogues of gravitational physics; the study of self-trapping and Josephson oscillations in superfluid Bose and Fermi gases. An important motivation of the project is to identify questions of broad interest which might be relevant also beyond the realm of quantum gases, as well as to develop advanced theoretical approaches to challenging problems of statistical mechanics and many-body physics.
Summary
The physics of systems out of equilibrium represents a fascinating chapter of science, with many unsolved problems and unexplored issues. Quantum gases are particularly well suited to investigate non-equilibrium phenomena, because the key parameters of the problem (scattering length, trapping conditions, etc.) can be varied in a well controlled manner. They also offer unique opportunities to perform experimental measurements with high precision. This project aims to theoretically explore novel dynamic and transport properties of quantum gases at both finite and zero temperature, with special emphasis on the effects of quantum statistics, superfluidity and the role of interactions. The major goal is to achieve a deeper understanding of several fundamental issues: the universal properties exhibited by dilute quantum gases; the role of viscosity in non-uniform configurations; the applicability of quantum Monte Carlo techniques to explore the dynamics and transport properties of Bose and Fermi gases; the concept of superfluidity in systems far from equilibrium; the motion of impurities embedded in quantum baths, their interaction and the consequences on the dynamic behaviour; the collective excitations exhibited by novel quantum phases like binary mixtures of quantum gases and dipolar atomic and molecular gases; the effects of disorder; the condensed matter analogues of gravitational physics; the study of self-trapping and Josephson oscillations in superfluid Bose and Fermi gases. An important motivation of the project is to identify questions of broad interest which might be relevant also beyond the realm of quantum gases, as well as to develop advanced theoretical approaches to challenging problems of statistical mechanics and many-body physics.
Max ERC Funding
1 638 560 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-02-01, End date: 2016-01-31
Project acronym QGPDYN
Project Dynamics of the Quark-Gluon Plasma: A Journey into new phases of the Strong Interaction
Researcher (PI) Vincenzo Greco
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI CATANIA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2010-StG_20091028
Summary The study of the fundamental theory of the strong interaction, Quantum Chromo Dynamics (QCD), under extreme conditions of temperature and density has captured an increasing interest due to its very rich dynamical content and its relation to the Early Universe physics. Heavy-Ion Collisions (HIC) at ultra-relativistic energy (above ~10 AGeV) provide the possibility to scrutiny the QCD phase diagram reaching energy densities high enough to cause a phase transition of the hadronic matter into a quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The experiments conducted at the Brookhaven National Laboratory have shown that such a state of matter behaves like a nearly perfect fluid with a very small shear viscosity, a very high opacity at high transverse momentum pT (>6 GeV) and manifesting evidences for a modification of the hadronization process at intermediate pT (2-6 GeV) . Interestingly and surprisingly enough, also in the heavy quark sector there are hints that viscosity is similarly small. Furthermore some evidence of a new phase of QCD, the color glass condensate (CGC), has been found while its relevance should increase in the upcoming LHC program at CERN. These are the main physics subjects that we deal with in our project.
The main objective of the project is to determine the value of the shear viscosity to entropy ratio h/s of the perfect fluid and the implications of a possible primordial CGC phase on the dynamical evolution of the system. The research gains strength from a comprehensive study of the rich phenomenology including both inclusive and more exclusive observables (like the two-three particles correlations triggered by hadronic jets) and from the inclusion of hadronization effects. In addition the study will be conducted considering also the heavy flavor sector where a fluid behaviour similar to the light one is observed. The microscopic origin of such a similarity will be investigated together with its relation to the suppression/regeneration of quarkonia.
Summary
The study of the fundamental theory of the strong interaction, Quantum Chromo Dynamics (QCD), under extreme conditions of temperature and density has captured an increasing interest due to its very rich dynamical content and its relation to the Early Universe physics. Heavy-Ion Collisions (HIC) at ultra-relativistic energy (above ~10 AGeV) provide the possibility to scrutiny the QCD phase diagram reaching energy densities high enough to cause a phase transition of the hadronic matter into a quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The experiments conducted at the Brookhaven National Laboratory have shown that such a state of matter behaves like a nearly perfect fluid with a very small shear viscosity, a very high opacity at high transverse momentum pT (>6 GeV) and manifesting evidences for a modification of the hadronization process at intermediate pT (2-6 GeV) . Interestingly and surprisingly enough, also in the heavy quark sector there are hints that viscosity is similarly small. Furthermore some evidence of a new phase of QCD, the color glass condensate (CGC), has been found while its relevance should increase in the upcoming LHC program at CERN. These are the main physics subjects that we deal with in our project.
The main objective of the project is to determine the value of the shear viscosity to entropy ratio h/s of the perfect fluid and the implications of a possible primordial CGC phase on the dynamical evolution of the system. The research gains strength from a comprehensive study of the rich phenomenology including both inclusive and more exclusive observables (like the two-three particles correlations triggered by hadronic jets) and from the inclusion of hadronization effects. In addition the study will be conducted considering also the heavy flavor sector where a fluid behaviour similar to the light one is observed. The microscopic origin of such a similarity will be investigated together with its relation to the suppression/regeneration of quarkonia.
Max ERC Funding
655 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-05-01, End date: 2017-01-31
