ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

The aim of the present proposal is to establish a research team developing and exploiting innovative techniques to study conformal field theories (CFT) analytically. Our approach does not rely on a Lagrangian description but on symmetries and consistency conditions. As such it applies to any CFT, offering a unified framework to study generic CFTs analytically. The initial implementation of this program has already led to striking new results and insights for both Lagrangian and non-Lagrangian CFTs. The overarching aims of my team will be: To develop an analytic bootstrap program for CFTs in general dimensions; to complement these techniques with more traditional methods and develop a systematic machinery to obtain analytic results for generic CFTs; and to use these results to gain new insights into the mathematical structure of the space of quantum field theories. The proposal will bring together researchers from different areas. The objectives in brief are: 1) Develop an alternative to Feynman diagram computations for Lagrangian CFTs. 2) Develop a machinery to compute loops for QFT on AdS, with and without gravity. 3) Develop an analytic approach to non-perturbative N=4 SYM and other CFTs. 4) Determine the space of all CFTs. 5) Gain new insights into the mathematical structure of the space of quantum field theories. The outputs of this proposal will include a new way of doing perturbative computations based on symmetries; a constructive derivation of the AdS/CFT duality; new analytic techniques to attack strongly coupled systems and invaluable new lessons about the space of CFTs and QFTs. Success in this research will lead to a completely new, unified way to view and solve CFTs, with a huge impact on several branches of physics and mathematics.

2 171 483 €

Start date: 2018-12-01, End date: 2023-11-30

Recent technological advances in optical microscopy have vastly broadened the possibilities for applications in the biomedical sciences. Fluorescence microscopy is the central tool for investigation of molecular structures and dynamics that take place in the cellular and tissue environment. Coupled with progress in labeling methods, these microscopes permit observation of biological structures and processes with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution. This work has been enabled by the engineering development of diverse optical systems that provide different capabilities for the imaging toolkit. All such methods rely upon high fidelity optics to provide optimal resolution and efficiency, but they all suffer from aberrations caused by refractive index variations within the specimen. It is widely accepted that in many applications this fundamental problem prevents optimum operation and limits capability. Adaptive optics (AO) has been introduced to overcome these limitations by correcting aberrations and a range of demonstrations has shown clearly its potential. Indeed, it shows great promise to improve virtually all types of research or commercial microscopes, but significant challenges must still be met before AO can be widely implemented in routine imaging. Current advances are being made through development of bespoke AO solutions to individual imaging tasks. However, the diversity of microscopy methods means that individual solutions are often not translatable to other systems. This proposal is directed towards the creation of theoretical and practical frameworks that tie together AO concepts and provide a suite of scientific tools with broad application. This will be achieved through a systems approach that encompasses theoretical modelling, optical engineering and the requirements of biological applications. Additional outputs will include practical designs, operating protocols and software algorithms that will support next generation AO microscope systems.

3 234 789 €

Start date: 2016-09-01, End date: 2021-08-31

New neurons are continuously generated in certain regions of adult mammalian brain. One of those regions is the dentate gyrus, a subregion of hippocampus, which is essential for memory formation. Although these new neurons in the adult dentate gyrus are thought to have an important role in learning and memory, it is largely unclear how new neurons are involved in information processing and storage underlying memory. Because new neurons constitute a minor portion of intermingled local neuronal population, simple application of conventional techniques such as multi-unit extracellular recording and pharmacological lesion are not suitable for the functional analysis of new neurons. In this proposed research program, I will combine multi-unit recording and behavioral analysis with virus mediated, cell-type-specific genetic manipulation of neuronal activity, to investigate computational roles of new neurons in learning and memory. Specifically, I will determine: 1) specific memory processes that require new neurons, 2) dynamic patterns of activity that new neurons express during memory-related behavior, 3) influence of new neurons on their downstream structure. Further, based on the information obtained by these three lines of studies, we will establish causal relationship between specific memory-related behavior and specific pattern of activity in new neurons. Solving these issues will cooperatively provide important insight into the understanding of computational roles performed by adult neurogenesis. The information on the function of new neurons in normal brain could contribute to future development of efficient therapeutic strategy for a variety of brain disorders.

1 991 743 €

Start date: 2009-01-01, End date: 2013-12-31

"This proposal addresses major questions in particle physics that are at the forefront of experimental and theoretical physics research today. The results offered would have far-reaching implications in other fields such as cosmology and could help answer some of the big questions such as why the universe contains so much more matter than antimatter. The research objectives of this proposal are to (i) make world-leading tests of CPT symmetry and (ii) discover the neutrino mass hierarchy and search for indications of leptonic CP violation. The NOvA long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment will use a novel ""totally active scintillator design"" for the detector technology and will be exposed to the world's highest power neutrino beam. Building on the first direct observation of muon antineutrino disappearance (that was made by a group founded and led by the PI at the MINOS experiment), tests of CPT symmetry will be performed by looking for differences in the mass squared splittings and mixing angles between neutrinos and antineutrinos. The potential to discover the mass hierarchy is unique to NOvA on the timescale of this proposal due to the long 810 km baseline and the well measured beam of neutrinos and antineutrinos. This proposal addresses several key challenges in a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment with the following tasks: (i) development of a new approach to event energy reconstruction that is expected to have widespread applicability for future neutrino experiments; (ii) undertaking a comprehensive calibration project, exploiting a novel technique developed by the PI, that will be essential to achieving the physics goals; (iii) development of a sophisticated statistical analyses. The results promised in this proposal surpass the sensitivity to antineutrino oscillation parameters of current 1st generation experiments by at least an order of magnitude, offering wide scope for profound discoveries with implications across disciplines."

1 415 848 €

Start date: 2012-10-01, End date: 2018-09-30