Project acronym ACOPS
Project Advanced Coherent Ultrafast Laser Pulse Stacking
Researcher (PI) Jens Limpert
Host Institution (HI) FRIEDRICH-SCHILLER-UNIVERSITAT JENA
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "An important driver of scientific progress has always been the envisioning of applications far beyond existing technological capabilities. Such thinking creates new challenges for physicists, driven by the groundbreaking nature of the anticipated application. In the case of laser physics, one of these applications is laser wake-field particle acceleration and possible future uses thereof, such as in collider experiments, or for medical applications such as cancer treatment. To accelerate electrons and positrons to TeV-energies, a laser architecture is required that allows for the combination of high efficiency, Petawatt peak powers, and Megawatt average powers. Developing such a laser system would be a challenging task that might take decades of aggressive research, development, and, most important, revolutionary approaches and innovative ideas.
The goal of the ACOPS project is to develop a compact, efficient, scalable, and cost-effective high-average and high-peak power ultra-short pulse laser concept.
The proposed approach to this goal relies on the spatially and temporally separated amplification of ultrashort laser pulses in waveguide structures, followed by coherent combination into a single train of pulses with increased average power and pulse energy. This combination can be realized through the coherent addition of the output beams of spatially separated amplifiers, combined with the pulse stacking of temporally separated pulses in passive enhancement cavities, employing a fast-switching element as cavity dumper.
Therefore, the three main tasks are the development of kW-class high-repetition-rate driving lasers, the investigation of non-steady state pulse enhancement in passive cavities, and the development of a suitable dumping element.
If successful, the proposed concept would undoubtedly provide a tool that would allow researchers to surpass the current limits in high-field physics and accelerator science."
Summary
"An important driver of scientific progress has always been the envisioning of applications far beyond existing technological capabilities. Such thinking creates new challenges for physicists, driven by the groundbreaking nature of the anticipated application. In the case of laser physics, one of these applications is laser wake-field particle acceleration and possible future uses thereof, such as in collider experiments, or for medical applications such as cancer treatment. To accelerate electrons and positrons to TeV-energies, a laser architecture is required that allows for the combination of high efficiency, Petawatt peak powers, and Megawatt average powers. Developing such a laser system would be a challenging task that might take decades of aggressive research, development, and, most important, revolutionary approaches and innovative ideas.
The goal of the ACOPS project is to develop a compact, efficient, scalable, and cost-effective high-average and high-peak power ultra-short pulse laser concept.
The proposed approach to this goal relies on the spatially and temporally separated amplification of ultrashort laser pulses in waveguide structures, followed by coherent combination into a single train of pulses with increased average power and pulse energy. This combination can be realized through the coherent addition of the output beams of spatially separated amplifiers, combined with the pulse stacking of temporally separated pulses in passive enhancement cavities, employing a fast-switching element as cavity dumper.
Therefore, the three main tasks are the development of kW-class high-repetition-rate driving lasers, the investigation of non-steady state pulse enhancement in passive cavities, and the development of a suitable dumping element.
If successful, the proposed concept would undoubtedly provide a tool that would allow researchers to surpass the current limits in high-field physics and accelerator science."
Max ERC Funding
1 881 040 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-01-31
Project acronym EARTHSEQUENCING
Project A new approach to sequence Earth history at high resolution over the past 66 million years
Researcher (PI) Heiko Paelike
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAET BREMEN
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "One major challenge to be addressed by this proposal is to overcome fundamental obstacles to generate a first high-resolution and continuous fully integrated record of geological events, ages and durations
(a ‘sequence of Earth history’) for the past 66 million years, anchored to the present, to extract properties of Earth’s and solar system orbital motion, and then to apply this time scale to solve first order questions about Earth’s climate system and Earth System sensitivity. The project will bridge the long-standing ‘Eocene tuning gap’, primarily using spectacular new data recovered during Integrated Ocean Drilling Expedition 342 and integrated with a new consistent and integrated approach with existing data that currently only provide time sequences floating in time, not anchored to the present. The proposal will extract astronomical parameters (tidal dissipation, dynamical ellipticity) and verify astronomical models to provide long term amplitude modulation patterns of Earth’s orbital variations (obliquity and short eccentricity) beyond 40 million years before present. It will also search for the fingerprint of chaotic transitions in the solar system that will allow astronomical models to be tested. The improved geologic time scale will then be applied, exploited, and combined with modern Earth System Models of Intermediate Complexity to quantify Earth System sensitivity to orbital forcing during a world of elevated carbon-dioxide concentrations during the ‘greenhouse’ Paleogene. Using novel new pattern matching and recognition algorithms as well as time series analysis methods, the full record of Earth history will be fully integrated and analysed with a consistent and documented workflow. This development will have the ground-breaking potential to take ‘Earth sequencing’ to the next level."
Summary
"One major challenge to be addressed by this proposal is to overcome fundamental obstacles to generate a first high-resolution and continuous fully integrated record of geological events, ages and durations
(a ‘sequence of Earth history’) for the past 66 million years, anchored to the present, to extract properties of Earth’s and solar system orbital motion, and then to apply this time scale to solve first order questions about Earth’s climate system and Earth System sensitivity. The project will bridge the long-standing ‘Eocene tuning gap’, primarily using spectacular new data recovered during Integrated Ocean Drilling Expedition 342 and integrated with a new consistent and integrated approach with existing data that currently only provide time sequences floating in time, not anchored to the present. The proposal will extract astronomical parameters (tidal dissipation, dynamical ellipticity) and verify astronomical models to provide long term amplitude modulation patterns of Earth’s orbital variations (obliquity and short eccentricity) beyond 40 million years before present. It will also search for the fingerprint of chaotic transitions in the solar system that will allow astronomical models to be tested. The improved geologic time scale will then be applied, exploited, and combined with modern Earth System Models of Intermediate Complexity to quantify Earth System sensitivity to orbital forcing during a world of elevated carbon-dioxide concentrations during the ‘greenhouse’ Paleogene. Using novel new pattern matching and recognition algorithms as well as time series analysis methods, the full record of Earth history will be fully integrated and analysed with a consistent and documented workflow. This development will have the ground-breaking potential to take ‘Earth sequencing’ to the next level."
Max ERC Funding
1 998 343 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31
Project acronym EXTREME
Project EXtreme Tectonics and Rapid Erosion in Mountain Environments
Researcher (PI) Todd Alan Ehlers
Host Institution (HI) EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "Tectonic plate corners are hotspots for high rates of continental deformation and erosion, and associated with human-relevant hazards including poorly understood earthquakes, destructive landslides, and extreme climate. A better understanding of continental deformation can mitigate these hazards. However, the coupling between climate and tectonic interactions at plate corners is a key unknown and the focus of this study. My recent work, published in international journals including Science and Nature, quantifies mountain building and climate change and provides a baseline for an innovative study of plate corner dynamics.
This proposal challenges the geoscience ‘tectonic aneurysm’ paradigm that rapid deformation and erosion at plate corners is initiated from the “top down” by localized precipitation, and erosion. Rather, I hypothesize that these processes are: 1) initiated from the “bottom up” by the 3D geometry of the subducting plate; and 2) require a threshold rate of both “bottom up” deformation and surface erosion to initiate a feedback between climate and tectonics.
I propose, for the first time, a holistic modeling and data collection approach that quantifies the temporal and spatial evolution of all aspects of plate corner evolution, including: 3D thermomechanical modeling of plate corner deformation and uplift for different plate geometries; Atmospheric modeling to quantify the climate response to evolving topography, a topic spearheaded by my research group; And surface process modeling to close the loop and couple the atmospheric and mechanical models. Model predictions will be vetted against observed deformation and erosion histories from existing and new cosmogenic isotope and thermochronometer data from end-member locations including the Himalaya, Alaskan, Olympic, and Andean plate corners. EXTREME will produce a globally integrated atmospheric and solid Earth understanding of continental deformation, a task only possible at the scale of an ERC grant."
Summary
"Tectonic plate corners are hotspots for high rates of continental deformation and erosion, and associated with human-relevant hazards including poorly understood earthquakes, destructive landslides, and extreme climate. A better understanding of continental deformation can mitigate these hazards. However, the coupling between climate and tectonic interactions at plate corners is a key unknown and the focus of this study. My recent work, published in international journals including Science and Nature, quantifies mountain building and climate change and provides a baseline for an innovative study of plate corner dynamics.
This proposal challenges the geoscience ‘tectonic aneurysm’ paradigm that rapid deformation and erosion at plate corners is initiated from the “top down” by localized precipitation, and erosion. Rather, I hypothesize that these processes are: 1) initiated from the “bottom up” by the 3D geometry of the subducting plate; and 2) require a threshold rate of both “bottom up” deformation and surface erosion to initiate a feedback between climate and tectonics.
I propose, for the first time, a holistic modeling and data collection approach that quantifies the temporal and spatial evolution of all aspects of plate corner evolution, including: 3D thermomechanical modeling of plate corner deformation and uplift for different plate geometries; Atmospheric modeling to quantify the climate response to evolving topography, a topic spearheaded by my research group; And surface process modeling to close the loop and couple the atmospheric and mechanical models. Model predictions will be vetted against observed deformation and erosion histories from existing and new cosmogenic isotope and thermochronometer data from end-member locations including the Himalaya, Alaskan, Olympic, and Andean plate corners. EXTREME will produce a globally integrated atmospheric and solid Earth understanding of continental deformation, a task only possible at the scale of an ERC grant."
Max ERC Funding
1 999 956 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31
Project acronym ISOCORE
Project New isotope tracers for core formation in terrestrial planets
Researcher (PI) Thorsten Kleine
Host Institution (HI) Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary This proposal aims to develop new isotopic tools designed to constrain the core formation process in the Earth. We will use isotopic fractionations imparted by metal-silicate equilibration during core formation to obtain new and firm constraints on (i) the physical and chemical processes during formation of the Earth's core; and (ii) on the origin of volatile elements and the volatile accretion history of the Earth. The underlying concept of our approach is to compare observed mantle-core isotopic fractionations (determined on natural samples) to the experimentally-determined isotope fractionation between liquid metal (core analogue) and liquid silicate (mantle analogue). Since the magnitude of isotope fractionation is strongly temperature-dependent, this comparison will enable us to evaluate core formation temperatures. I propose to use the stable isotope systematics of W, Mo and Cr to assess as to whether core formation temperatures for the Earth, Moon, Mars and asteroids are different, as would be expected if metal segregation in the Earth involved metal-silicate equilibration in a deep magma ocean. If instead all bodies have similar core formation temperatures, then formation of the Earth's core most probably involved some disequilibrium induced by direct core mergers during accretion from differentiated bodies. The second major theme of the proposed research uses Ge and Sb stable isotopes to trace the origins of Earth's volatiles. The combined investigation of Ge and Sb isotope fractionations in natural samples and metal-silicate equilibration experiments will enable us to determine as to whether Ge and Sb, and with them other volatile elements, show an isotope signature resulting from core formation. Identifying such a signature would provide the unequivocal evidence that volatile elements were delivered to the Earth during core formation and not subsequently, after the core had formed.
Summary
This proposal aims to develop new isotopic tools designed to constrain the core formation process in the Earth. We will use isotopic fractionations imparted by metal-silicate equilibration during core formation to obtain new and firm constraints on (i) the physical and chemical processes during formation of the Earth's core; and (ii) on the origin of volatile elements and the volatile accretion history of the Earth. The underlying concept of our approach is to compare observed mantle-core isotopic fractionations (determined on natural samples) to the experimentally-determined isotope fractionation between liquid metal (core analogue) and liquid silicate (mantle analogue). Since the magnitude of isotope fractionation is strongly temperature-dependent, this comparison will enable us to evaluate core formation temperatures. I propose to use the stable isotope systematics of W, Mo and Cr to assess as to whether core formation temperatures for the Earth, Moon, Mars and asteroids are different, as would be expected if metal segregation in the Earth involved metal-silicate equilibration in a deep magma ocean. If instead all bodies have similar core formation temperatures, then formation of the Earth's core most probably involved some disequilibrium induced by direct core mergers during accretion from differentiated bodies. The second major theme of the proposed research uses Ge and Sb stable isotopes to trace the origins of Earth's volatiles. The combined investigation of Ge and Sb isotope fractionations in natural samples and metal-silicate equilibration experiments will enable us to determine as to whether Ge and Sb, and with them other volatile elements, show an isotope signature resulting from core formation. Identifying such a signature would provide the unequivocal evidence that volatile elements were delivered to the Earth during core formation and not subsequently, after the core had formed.
Max ERC Funding
1 940 040 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-10-31
Project acronym LHCtoLISA
Project Precision Gravity: From the LHC to LISA
Researcher (PI) Rafael Alejandro PORTO PEREIRA
Host Institution (HI) STIFTUNG DEUTSCHES ELEKTRONEN-SYNCHROTRON DESY
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2018-COG
Summary The nascent field of gravitational wave (GW) science will be an interdisciplinary subject, enriching different branches of physics, yet the associated computational challenges are enormous. Faithful theoretical templates are a compulsory ingredient for successful data analysis and reliable physical interpretation of the signals. This is critical, for instance, to study the equation of state of neutron stars, the nature of black holes, and binary formation channels. However, while current templates for compact binary sources may be sufficient for detection and crude parameter estimation, they are too coarse for precision physics with GW data. We then find ourselves in a situation in which, for key processes within empirical reach, theoretical uncertainties may dominate. To move forward, profiting the most from GW observations, more accurate waveforms will be needed.
I have played a pioneering role in the development and implementation of a new formalism, known as the ‘effective field theory approach’, which has been instrumental for the construction of the state-of-the-art GW template bank. The goal of my proposal is thus to redefine the frontiers of analytic understanding in gravity through the effective field theory framework. Even more ambitiously, to go beyond the current computational paradigm with powerful tools which have been crucial for `new-physics' searches at the Large Hadron Collider.
The impact of the high-accuracy calculations I propose to undertake will be immense: from probes of dynamical spacetime and strongly interacting matter, to the potential to discover exotic compact objects and ultra-light particles in nature. Furthermore, GW observations scan gravity in a regime which is otherwise unexplored. Consequently, the coming decade will tell whether Einstein's theory withstands precision scrutiny. In summary, my program will provide novel techniques and key results that will enable foundational investigations in physics through GW precision data.
Summary
The nascent field of gravitational wave (GW) science will be an interdisciplinary subject, enriching different branches of physics, yet the associated computational challenges are enormous. Faithful theoretical templates are a compulsory ingredient for successful data analysis and reliable physical interpretation of the signals. This is critical, for instance, to study the equation of state of neutron stars, the nature of black holes, and binary formation channels. However, while current templates for compact binary sources may be sufficient for detection and crude parameter estimation, they are too coarse for precision physics with GW data. We then find ourselves in a situation in which, for key processes within empirical reach, theoretical uncertainties may dominate. To move forward, profiting the most from GW observations, more accurate waveforms will be needed.
I have played a pioneering role in the development and implementation of a new formalism, known as the ‘effective field theory approach’, which has been instrumental for the construction of the state-of-the-art GW template bank. The goal of my proposal is thus to redefine the frontiers of analytic understanding in gravity through the effective field theory framework. Even more ambitiously, to go beyond the current computational paradigm with powerful tools which have been crucial for `new-physics' searches at the Large Hadron Collider.
The impact of the high-accuracy calculations I propose to undertake will be immense: from probes of dynamical spacetime and strongly interacting matter, to the potential to discover exotic compact objects and ultra-light particles in nature. Furthermore, GW observations scan gravity in a regime which is otherwise unexplored. Consequently, the coming decade will tell whether Einstein's theory withstands precision scrutiny. In summary, my program will provide novel techniques and key results that will enable foundational investigations in physics through GW precision data.
Max ERC Funding
1 975 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-06-01, End date: 2024-05-31
Project acronym LRC
Project Laser Resonance Chromatography of Superheavy Metals
Researcher (PI) Mustapha Laatiaoui
Host Institution (HI) JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITAT MAINZ
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2018-COG
Summary This project aims at developing a novel method of optical spectroscopy to study the wholly unexplored atomic structure of the superheavy transition metals, starting with element 103, lawrencium (Lr). My team will experimentally identify optical spectral lines that will serve as fingerprints in the search for superheavy elements in the universe. The spectral lines are strongly influenced by relativistic and quantum electrodynamic effects and thus will constitute powerful benchmarks for atomic modeling incorporated within this project. Furthermore, since the nuclear charge distribution influences the atomic structure, our experimental data will advance our understanding of the effects of nuclear shells and deformations on the stability of radionuclides at the top of the Segré chart.
While I recently opened up the atomic structure of element 102, nobelium, the new challenges faced are the refractory nature of the elements, which lay ahead, coupled with shorter half-lives and decreasing production yields. I propose to overcome these by developing an ultra-sensitive and fast Laser Resonance Chromatography (LRC) to set the new standard in optical spectroscopy. The LRC method combines the element selectivity and spectral precision of laser spectroscopy with cutting-edge technology of ion-mobility mass spectrometry. Based on high-accuracy atomic calculations, my team will optically probe the 1S0-3P1 ground-state transition in singly-charged 255Lr ions and record the distinct arrival times of the ions after passing a drift tube to identify the laser resonance signal. We will perform the experiments at leading in-flight facilities such as the GSI velocity filter SHIP and the new GANIL separator S3.
Crucially, the LRC method will be insensitive to physicochemical properties and tolerant of the decreasing yields with increasing atomic number. This paves the way for atomic structure studies of the superheavy elements, in particular, those of refractory nature beyond lawrencium.
Summary
This project aims at developing a novel method of optical spectroscopy to study the wholly unexplored atomic structure of the superheavy transition metals, starting with element 103, lawrencium (Lr). My team will experimentally identify optical spectral lines that will serve as fingerprints in the search for superheavy elements in the universe. The spectral lines are strongly influenced by relativistic and quantum electrodynamic effects and thus will constitute powerful benchmarks for atomic modeling incorporated within this project. Furthermore, since the nuclear charge distribution influences the atomic structure, our experimental data will advance our understanding of the effects of nuclear shells and deformations on the stability of radionuclides at the top of the Segré chart.
While I recently opened up the atomic structure of element 102, nobelium, the new challenges faced are the refractory nature of the elements, which lay ahead, coupled with shorter half-lives and decreasing production yields. I propose to overcome these by developing an ultra-sensitive and fast Laser Resonance Chromatography (LRC) to set the new standard in optical spectroscopy. The LRC method combines the element selectivity and spectral precision of laser spectroscopy with cutting-edge technology of ion-mobility mass spectrometry. Based on high-accuracy atomic calculations, my team will optically probe the 1S0-3P1 ground-state transition in singly-charged 255Lr ions and record the distinct arrival times of the ions after passing a drift tube to identify the laser resonance signal. We will perform the experiments at leading in-flight facilities such as the GSI velocity filter SHIP and the new GANIL separator S3.
Crucially, the LRC method will be insensitive to physicochemical properties and tolerant of the decreasing yields with increasing atomic number. This paves the way for atomic structure studies of the superheavy elements, in particular, those of refractory nature beyond lawrencium.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 750 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-06-01, End date: 2024-05-31
Project acronym MicroDegrade
Project Identifying and Overcoming Bottlenecks of Micropollutant Degradation at Low Concentrations
Researcher (PI) Martin Elsner
Host Institution (HI) HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM MUENCHEN DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER GESUNDHEIT UND UMWELT GMBH
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "MicroDegrade aims to reveal bottlenecks of degradation, and to identify superior bioremediation strategies for a most notorious environmental pollution of our time: chemical micropollutants at low (sub-ug/L) concentrations. Finding out why micropollutants occur in ground and surface water despite the presence of bacterial degraders has become an elusive goal for microbiologists, environmental scientists and geochemists. Competing paradigms claim that either (i) mass transfer limitations (bioavailability, cell uptake) or (ii) physiological limitations (enzyme down-regulation) prevent complete biodegradation at contaminant threshold concentrations. To design strategies for remediation, insight is warranted which bottlenecks of degradation prevail. ""Do molecules - once inside an organism - get out into solution again? Or is mass transfer so limiting that organisms are desperate for supply?"" Pillaring on our recent advances with compound-specific isotope analysis at sub-ug/L concentrations, MicroDegrade will be able to provide a revolutionary angle on this dilemma. Isotope fractionation will give the first direct answers to these questions for degradation of two prominent pollutants at low bacterial growth and low concentrations - 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM), a highly recalcitrant, ubiquitous pesticide metabolite with Aminbacter MSH1; and toluene, an abundant groundwater pollutant with Geobacter metallireducens. The approach pillars on three consecutive aims: (1) investigate if, and at what concentrations mass transfer becomes limiting in chemostat cultures; (2) understand analogous limitations in concentrations gradients of an aquifer model; (3) derive superior bioremediation strategies. The objectives of MicroDegrade have the potential to change our view on drivers behind thresholds values and bottlenecks of degradation, to offer a new angle on competitive strategies of microorganisms at low concentrations, and to identify superior future bioremediation strategies."
Summary
"MicroDegrade aims to reveal bottlenecks of degradation, and to identify superior bioremediation strategies for a most notorious environmental pollution of our time: chemical micropollutants at low (sub-ug/L) concentrations. Finding out why micropollutants occur in ground and surface water despite the presence of bacterial degraders has become an elusive goal for microbiologists, environmental scientists and geochemists. Competing paradigms claim that either (i) mass transfer limitations (bioavailability, cell uptake) or (ii) physiological limitations (enzyme down-regulation) prevent complete biodegradation at contaminant threshold concentrations. To design strategies for remediation, insight is warranted which bottlenecks of degradation prevail. ""Do molecules - once inside an organism - get out into solution again? Or is mass transfer so limiting that organisms are desperate for supply?"" Pillaring on our recent advances with compound-specific isotope analysis at sub-ug/L concentrations, MicroDegrade will be able to provide a revolutionary angle on this dilemma. Isotope fractionation will give the first direct answers to these questions for degradation of two prominent pollutants at low bacterial growth and low concentrations - 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM), a highly recalcitrant, ubiquitous pesticide metabolite with Aminbacter MSH1; and toluene, an abundant groundwater pollutant with Geobacter metallireducens. The approach pillars on three consecutive aims: (1) investigate if, and at what concentrations mass transfer becomes limiting in chemostat cultures; (2) understand analogous limitations in concentrations gradients of an aquifer model; (3) derive superior bioremediation strategies. The objectives of MicroDegrade have the potential to change our view on drivers behind thresholds values and bottlenecks of degradation, to offer a new angle on competitive strategies of microorganisms at low concentrations, and to identify superior future bioremediation strategies."
Max ERC Funding
1 962 630 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-05-01, End date: 2020-04-30
Project acronym NAUTILUS
Project Neutron cAptUres consTraIning steLlar nUcleosynthesiS
Researcher (PI) Rene Reifarth
Host Institution (HI) JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE-UNIVERSITATFRANKFURT AM MAIN
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "NAUTILUS will investigate the nucleosynthesis of the chemical elements during the evolution of stars, which is the basis for understanding the chemical history of the Universe. The vast majority of the elements heavier than iron are produced by neutron capture reactions. The precise knowledge of the involved neutron capture cross sections for certain isotopes sets tight limits for stellar parameters and puts strong constraints on the age of the Universe.
Accurate measurements of the key nuclear reactions in the mass region around the radioactive 85Kr will lead to the improvements needed to characterize the production processes of the elements in stars. The respective high-accuracy abundance patterns in single stars can then be interpreted as diagnostic tools for the deep stellar interior and the isobaric 87Sr/87Rb chronometer constraints the history of the Universe.
The neutron capture cross section of radioactive isotopes for neutron energies in the keV region will be measured by a time-of-flight (TOF) experiment. NAUTILUS will provide a unique facility realizing the TOF technique with an ultra-short flight path at the FRANZ setup at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Germany. A highly optimized spherical photon calorimeter will be built and installed at an ultra-short flight path.
NAUTILUS opens new horizons in the area of neutron-induced reaction research, as smallest samples like of 85Kr - which will be produced as an isotopically pure radioactive sample - will become measureable in reasonable times.
Future applications include the study of neutron capture cross sections important for next generation nuclear reactors: For the first time the high neutron fluxes needed to study the mass region of interest in the keV energy range will be available."
Summary
"NAUTILUS will investigate the nucleosynthesis of the chemical elements during the evolution of stars, which is the basis for understanding the chemical history of the Universe. The vast majority of the elements heavier than iron are produced by neutron capture reactions. The precise knowledge of the involved neutron capture cross sections for certain isotopes sets tight limits for stellar parameters and puts strong constraints on the age of the Universe.
Accurate measurements of the key nuclear reactions in the mass region around the radioactive 85Kr will lead to the improvements needed to characterize the production processes of the elements in stars. The respective high-accuracy abundance patterns in single stars can then be interpreted as diagnostic tools for the deep stellar interior and the isobaric 87Sr/87Rb chronometer constraints the history of the Universe.
The neutron capture cross section of radioactive isotopes for neutron energies in the keV region will be measured by a time-of-flight (TOF) experiment. NAUTILUS will provide a unique facility realizing the TOF technique with an ultra-short flight path at the FRANZ setup at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Germany. A highly optimized spherical photon calorimeter will be built and installed at an ultra-short flight path.
NAUTILUS opens new horizons in the area of neutron-induced reaction research, as smallest samples like of 85Kr - which will be produced as an isotopically pure radioactive sample - will become measureable in reasonable times.
Future applications include the study of neutron capture cross sections important for next generation nuclear reactors: For the first time the high neutron fluxes needed to study the mass region of interest in the keV energy range will be available."
Max ERC Funding
1 871 596 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31
Project acronym NEARFIELDATTO
Project Attosecond physics at nanoscale metal tips - strong field physics in the near-field optics regime
Researcher (PI) Jens Peter Hommelhoff
Host Institution (HI) FRIEDRICH-ALEXANDER-UNIVERSITAET ERLANGEN-NUERNBERG
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary Electron dynamics in metals and nanostructures take place on attosecond timescales. Until today, these extremely fast processes are little understood let alone utilized. With NearFieldAtto, strong-field driven phenomena at nanoscale metal structures will be explored to elucidate collective electron dynamics and to induce optical-field-driven currents -- on attosecond timescales. We will investigate the near-field of a nanotip, resulting from the collective dynamics, both in amplitude and phase. Conversely, we will use the tip as a nanometric sensor to map out the electric field inside the focus of a pulsed laser beam and will directly measure the local phase. In two-tip and molecular junctions, we will explore the ultrafast steering of electronic currents by optical fields, both over a nanometric gap and inside a molecule, taking advantage of the large near-field enhancement the systems offer.
My group has recently shown that attosecond physics phenomena can be observed at solids, namely at nanoscale tips [Krüger et al., Nature 2011]. Hence, in NearFieldAtto we will employ techniques well known from attosecond physics with isolated objects, like gas-phase atoms and molecules, to steer laser-emitted electrons with the electric field of few-cycle laser pulses. We will use these electrons as nanometric probes to investigate optical properties of the solid state system and compare the results with those of isolated objects in gas-phase measurements. With two tips facing each other, we will realize a nanometric junction over which we will steer electrons with the optical field. A molecule placed between two tips will enable the investigation of a novel, ultrafast switching mechanism.
NearFieldAtto will bring attosecond physics a leap forward as compared to the state-of-the-art, will introduce strong-field physics into (quantum-)plasmonics, and will open the door towards lightwave or petahertz nano-electronics in metallic and molecular nano-systems.
Summary
Electron dynamics in metals and nanostructures take place on attosecond timescales. Until today, these extremely fast processes are little understood let alone utilized. With NearFieldAtto, strong-field driven phenomena at nanoscale metal structures will be explored to elucidate collective electron dynamics and to induce optical-field-driven currents -- on attosecond timescales. We will investigate the near-field of a nanotip, resulting from the collective dynamics, both in amplitude and phase. Conversely, we will use the tip as a nanometric sensor to map out the electric field inside the focus of a pulsed laser beam and will directly measure the local phase. In two-tip and molecular junctions, we will explore the ultrafast steering of electronic currents by optical fields, both over a nanometric gap and inside a molecule, taking advantage of the large near-field enhancement the systems offer.
My group has recently shown that attosecond physics phenomena can be observed at solids, namely at nanoscale tips [Krüger et al., Nature 2011]. Hence, in NearFieldAtto we will employ techniques well known from attosecond physics with isolated objects, like gas-phase atoms and molecules, to steer laser-emitted electrons with the electric field of few-cycle laser pulses. We will use these electrons as nanometric probes to investigate optical properties of the solid state system and compare the results with those of isolated objects in gas-phase measurements. With two tips facing each other, we will realize a nanometric junction over which we will steer electrons with the optical field. A molecule placed between two tips will enable the investigation of a novel, ultrafast switching mechanism.
NearFieldAtto will bring attosecond physics a leap forward as compared to the state-of-the-art, will introduce strong-field physics into (quantum-)plasmonics, and will open the door towards lightwave or petahertz nano-electronics in metallic and molecular nano-systems.
Max ERC Funding
2 012 733 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31
Project acronym RUSINFORM
Project The Consequences of the Internet for Russia's Informational Influence Abroad
Researcher (PI) Florian TOEPFL
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT PASSAU
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), SH3, ERC-2018-COG
Summary Over the past decade, Russia’s ruling elites have massively stepped up their efforts to influ-ence media audiences abroad. Amongst others, Russia has been alleged to have sought to sway votes in Austria, France, Germany, Ukraine, and the US. This project’s overarching research ques-tion is: How, and with what consequences, have new Internet-based technologies contributed to the emergence of novel resources, techniques, and processes by which political elites in Moscow can influence media audiences abroad?
In order to address this question, a theoretical work package (WP4) will undertake the first major systematic effort to interrogate how much, or how little, we can leverage extant in-depth knowledge of former-Soviet foreign propaganda, conducted in the broadcast era, in order to make sense of Russia’s recent digitally-enabled efforts.
WP4 will be informed by three empirical WPs. They will scrutinize three heavily digitally-enabled elements of Russia’s recent efforts:
• WP1 will conduct the first in-depth study of the foreign online audiences who co-create and disseminate Russia-related content.
• WP2 will produce pioneering research about how social media platforms function as key transmission channels that connect Russia’s domestic media with Russian-speaking audiences abroad.
• WP3 will be the first study to scrutinize the role of the Kremlin-controlled search engine Yan-dex as a resource of foreign influence.
Methodologically, WP1-3 are highly innovative because they combine new computational methods (data mining, automated text analysis) with traditional methods (surveys, in-depth inter-views, grounded theory).
In response to Russia’s recent efforts, countermeasures have been ushered in by a plurality of actors, including the EU, NATO, and NGOs. These actors will benefit immensely from the knowledge generated, which will enable them to enhance their initiatives to secure democratic elec-toral processes against undue informational interference.
Summary
Over the past decade, Russia’s ruling elites have massively stepped up their efforts to influ-ence media audiences abroad. Amongst others, Russia has been alleged to have sought to sway votes in Austria, France, Germany, Ukraine, and the US. This project’s overarching research ques-tion is: How, and with what consequences, have new Internet-based technologies contributed to the emergence of novel resources, techniques, and processes by which political elites in Moscow can influence media audiences abroad?
In order to address this question, a theoretical work package (WP4) will undertake the first major systematic effort to interrogate how much, or how little, we can leverage extant in-depth knowledge of former-Soviet foreign propaganda, conducted in the broadcast era, in order to make sense of Russia’s recent digitally-enabled efforts.
WP4 will be informed by three empirical WPs. They will scrutinize three heavily digitally-enabled elements of Russia’s recent efforts:
• WP1 will conduct the first in-depth study of the foreign online audiences who co-create and disseminate Russia-related content.
• WP2 will produce pioneering research about how social media platforms function as key transmission channels that connect Russia’s domestic media with Russian-speaking audiences abroad.
• WP3 will be the first study to scrutinize the role of the Kremlin-controlled search engine Yan-dex as a resource of foreign influence.
Methodologically, WP1-3 are highly innovative because they combine new computational methods (data mining, automated text analysis) with traditional methods (surveys, in-depth inter-views, grounded theory).
In response to Russia’s recent efforts, countermeasures have been ushered in by a plurality of actors, including the EU, NATO, and NGOs. These actors will benefit immensely from the knowledge generated, which will enable them to enhance their initiatives to secure democratic elec-toral processes against undue informational interference.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 535 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-11-01, End date: 2024-10-31
