Project acronym 4TH-NU-AVENUE
Project Search for a fourth neutrino with a PBq anti-neutrino source
Researcher (PI) Thierry Michel René Lasserre
Host Institution (HI) COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary Several observed anomalies in neutrino oscillation data can be explained by a hypothetical fourth neutrino separated from the three standard neutrinos by a squared mass difference of a few eV2. This hypothesis can be tested with a PBq (ten kilocurie scale) 144Ce antineutrino beta-source deployed at the center of a large low background liquid scintillator detector, such like Borexino, KamLAND, and SNO+. In particular, the compact size of such a source could yield an energy-dependent oscillating pattern in event spatial distribution that would unambiguously determine neutrino mass differences and mixing angles.
The proposed program aims to perform the necessary research and developments to produce and deploy an intense antineutrino source in a large liquid scintillator detector. Our program will address the definition of the production process of the neutrino source as well as its experimental characterization, the detailed physics simulation of both signal and backgrounds, the complete design and the realization of the thick shielding, the preparation of the interfaces with the antineutrino detector, including the safety and security aspects.
Summary
Several observed anomalies in neutrino oscillation data can be explained by a hypothetical fourth neutrino separated from the three standard neutrinos by a squared mass difference of a few eV2. This hypothesis can be tested with a PBq (ten kilocurie scale) 144Ce antineutrino beta-source deployed at the center of a large low background liquid scintillator detector, such like Borexino, KamLAND, and SNO+. In particular, the compact size of such a source could yield an energy-dependent oscillating pattern in event spatial distribution that would unambiguously determine neutrino mass differences and mixing angles.
The proposed program aims to perform the necessary research and developments to produce and deploy an intense antineutrino source in a large liquid scintillator detector. Our program will address the definition of the production process of the neutrino source as well as its experimental characterization, the detailed physics simulation of both signal and backgrounds, the complete design and the realization of the thick shielding, the preparation of the interfaces with the antineutrino detector, including the safety and security aspects.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-10-01, End date: 2018-09-30
Project acronym ACTIVIA
Project Visual Recognition of Function and Intention
Researcher (PI) Ivan Laptev
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE ENINFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE6, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary "Computer vision is concerned with the automated interpretation of images and video streams. Today's research is (mostly) aimed at answering queries such as ""Is this a picture of a dog?"", (classification) or sometimes ""Find the dog in this photo"" (detection). While categorisation and detection are useful for many tasks, inferring correct class labels is not the final answer to visual recognition. The categories and locations of objects do not provide direct understanding of their function i.e., how things work, what they can be used for, or how they can act and react. Such an understanding, however, would be highly desirable to answer currently unsolvable queries such as ""Am I in danger?"" or ""What can happen in this scene?"". Solving such queries is the aim of this proposal.
My goal is to uncover the functional properties of objects and the purpose of actions by addressing visual recognition from a different and yet unexplored perspective. The main novelty of this proposal is to leverage observations of people, i.e., their actions and interactions to automatically learn the use, the purpose and the function of objects and scenes from visual data. The project is timely as it builds upon the two key recent technological advances: (a) the immense progress in visual recognition of objects, scenes and human actions achieved in the last ten years, as well as (b) the emergence of a massive amount of public image and video data now available to train visual models.
ACTIVIA addresses fundamental research issues in automated interpretation of dynamic visual scenes, but its results are expected to serve as a basis for ground-breaking technological advances in practical applications. The recognition of functional properties and intentions as explored in this project will directly support high-impact applications such as detection of abnormal events, which are likely to revolutionise today's approaches to crime protection, hazard prevention, elderly care, and many others."
Summary
"Computer vision is concerned with the automated interpretation of images and video streams. Today's research is (mostly) aimed at answering queries such as ""Is this a picture of a dog?"", (classification) or sometimes ""Find the dog in this photo"" (detection). While categorisation and detection are useful for many tasks, inferring correct class labels is not the final answer to visual recognition. The categories and locations of objects do not provide direct understanding of their function i.e., how things work, what they can be used for, or how they can act and react. Such an understanding, however, would be highly desirable to answer currently unsolvable queries such as ""Am I in danger?"" or ""What can happen in this scene?"". Solving such queries is the aim of this proposal.
My goal is to uncover the functional properties of objects and the purpose of actions by addressing visual recognition from a different and yet unexplored perspective. The main novelty of this proposal is to leverage observations of people, i.e., their actions and interactions to automatically learn the use, the purpose and the function of objects and scenes from visual data. The project is timely as it builds upon the two key recent technological advances: (a) the immense progress in visual recognition of objects, scenes and human actions achieved in the last ten years, as well as (b) the emergence of a massive amount of public image and video data now available to train visual models.
ACTIVIA addresses fundamental research issues in automated interpretation of dynamic visual scenes, but its results are expected to serve as a basis for ground-breaking technological advances in practical applications. The recognition of functional properties and intentions as explored in this project will directly support high-impact applications such as detection of abnormal events, which are likely to revolutionise today's approaches to crime protection, hazard prevention, elderly care, and many others."
Max ERC Funding
1 497 420 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-01-01, End date: 2018-12-31
Project acronym ADAPT
Project Theory and Algorithms for Adaptive Particle Simulation
Researcher (PI) Stephane Redon
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE ENINFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE6, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary "During the twentieth century, the development of macroscopic engineering has been largely stimulated by progress in digital prototyping: cars, planes, boats, etc. are nowadays designed and tested on computers. Digital prototypes have progressively replaced actual ones, and effective computer-aided engineering tools have helped cut costs and reduce production cycles of these macroscopic systems.
The twenty-first century is most likely to see a similar development at the atomic scale. Indeed, the recent years have seen tremendous progress in nanotechnology - in particular in the ability to control matter at the atomic scale. Similar to what has happened with macroscopic engineering, powerful and generic computational tools will be needed to engineer complex nanosystems, through modeling and simulation. As a result, a major challenge is to develop efficient simulation methods and algorithms.
NANO-D, the INRIA research group I started in January 2008 in Grenoble, France, aims at developing
efficient computational methods for modeling and simulating complex nanosystems, both natural and artificial. In particular, NANO-D develops SAMSON, a software application which gathers all algorithms designed by the group and its collaborators (SAMSON: Software for Adaptive Modeling and Simulation Of Nanosystems).
In this project, I propose to develop a unified theory, and associated algorithms, for adaptive particle simulation. The proposed theory will avoid problems that plague current popular multi-scale or hybrid simulation approaches by simulating a single potential throughout the system, while allowing users to finely trade precision for computational speed.
I believe the full development of the adaptive particle simulation theory will have an important impact on current modeling and simulation practices, and will enable practical design of complex nanosystems on desktop computers, which should significantly boost the emergence of generic nano-engineering."
Summary
"During the twentieth century, the development of macroscopic engineering has been largely stimulated by progress in digital prototyping: cars, planes, boats, etc. are nowadays designed and tested on computers. Digital prototypes have progressively replaced actual ones, and effective computer-aided engineering tools have helped cut costs and reduce production cycles of these macroscopic systems.
The twenty-first century is most likely to see a similar development at the atomic scale. Indeed, the recent years have seen tremendous progress in nanotechnology - in particular in the ability to control matter at the atomic scale. Similar to what has happened with macroscopic engineering, powerful and generic computational tools will be needed to engineer complex nanosystems, through modeling and simulation. As a result, a major challenge is to develop efficient simulation methods and algorithms.
NANO-D, the INRIA research group I started in January 2008 in Grenoble, France, aims at developing
efficient computational methods for modeling and simulating complex nanosystems, both natural and artificial. In particular, NANO-D develops SAMSON, a software application which gathers all algorithms designed by the group and its collaborators (SAMSON: Software for Adaptive Modeling and Simulation Of Nanosystems).
In this project, I propose to develop a unified theory, and associated algorithms, for adaptive particle simulation. The proposed theory will avoid problems that plague current popular multi-scale or hybrid simulation approaches by simulating a single potential throughout the system, while allowing users to finely trade precision for computational speed.
I believe the full development of the adaptive particle simulation theory will have an important impact on current modeling and simulation practices, and will enable practical design of complex nanosystems on desktop computers, which should significantly boost the emergence of generic nano-engineering."
Max ERC Funding
1 476 882 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-09-01, End date: 2017-08-31
Project acronym AdS-CFT-solvable
Project Origins of integrability in AdS/CFT correspondence
Researcher (PI) Vladimir Kazakov
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2012-ADG_20120216
Summary Fundamental interactions in nature are well described by quantum gauge fields in 4 space-time dimensions (4d). When the strength of gauge interaction is weak the Feynman perturbation techniques are very efficient for the description of most of the experimentally observable consequences of the Standard model and for the study of high energy processes in QCD.
But in the intermediate and strong coupling regime, such as the relatively small energies in QCD, the perturbation theory fails leaving us with no reliable analytic methods (except the Monte-Carlo simulation). The project aims at working out new analytic and computational methods for strongly coupled gauge theories in 4d. We will employ for that two important discoveries: 1) the gauge-string duality (AdS/CFT correspondence) relating certain strongly coupled gauge Conformal Field
Theories to the weakly coupled string theories on Anty-deSitter space; 2) the solvability, or integrability of maximally supersymmetric (N=4) 4d super Yang-Mills (SYM) theory in multicolor limit. Integrability made possible pioneering exact numerical and analytic results in the N=4 multicolor SYM at any coupling, effectively summing up all 4d Feynman diagrams. Recently, we conjectured a system of functional equations - the AdS/CFT Y-system – for the exact spectrum of anomalous dimensions of all local operators in N=4 SYM. The conjecture has passed all available checks. My project is aimed at the understanding of origins of this, still mysterious integrability. Deriving the AdS/CFT Y-system from the first principles on both sides of gauge-string duality should provide a long-awaited proof of the AdS/CFT correspondence itself. I plan to use the Y-system to study the systematic weak and strong coupling expansions and the so called BFKL limit, as well as for calculation of multi-point correlation functions of N=4 SYM. We hope on new insights into the strong coupling dynamics of less supersymmetric gauge theories and of QCD.
Summary
Fundamental interactions in nature are well described by quantum gauge fields in 4 space-time dimensions (4d). When the strength of gauge interaction is weak the Feynman perturbation techniques are very efficient for the description of most of the experimentally observable consequences of the Standard model and for the study of high energy processes in QCD.
But in the intermediate and strong coupling regime, such as the relatively small energies in QCD, the perturbation theory fails leaving us with no reliable analytic methods (except the Monte-Carlo simulation). The project aims at working out new analytic and computational methods for strongly coupled gauge theories in 4d. We will employ for that two important discoveries: 1) the gauge-string duality (AdS/CFT correspondence) relating certain strongly coupled gauge Conformal Field
Theories to the weakly coupled string theories on Anty-deSitter space; 2) the solvability, or integrability of maximally supersymmetric (N=4) 4d super Yang-Mills (SYM) theory in multicolor limit. Integrability made possible pioneering exact numerical and analytic results in the N=4 multicolor SYM at any coupling, effectively summing up all 4d Feynman diagrams. Recently, we conjectured a system of functional equations - the AdS/CFT Y-system – for the exact spectrum of anomalous dimensions of all local operators in N=4 SYM. The conjecture has passed all available checks. My project is aimed at the understanding of origins of this, still mysterious integrability. Deriving the AdS/CFT Y-system from the first principles on both sides of gauge-string duality should provide a long-awaited proof of the AdS/CFT correspondence itself. I plan to use the Y-system to study the systematic weak and strong coupling expansions and the so called BFKL limit, as well as for calculation of multi-point correlation functions of N=4 SYM. We hope on new insights into the strong coupling dynamics of less supersymmetric gauge theories and of QCD.
Max ERC Funding
1 456 140 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-11-01, End date: 2018-10-31
Project acronym ALLEGRO
Project Active large-scale learning for visual recognition
Researcher (PI) Cordelia Schmid
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE ENINFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE6, ERC-2012-ADG_20120216
Summary A massive and ever growing amount of digital image and video content
is available today, on sites such as
Flickr and YouTube, in audiovisual archives such as those of BBC and
INA, and in personal collections. In most cases, it comes with
additional information, such as text, audio or other metadata, that forms a
rather sparse and noisy, yet rich and diverse source of annotation,
ideally suited to emerging weakly supervised and active machine
learning technology. The ALLEGRO project will take visual recognition
to the next level by using this largely untapped source of data to
automatically learn visual models. The main research objective of
our project is the development of new algorithms and computer software
capable of autonomously exploring evolving data collections, selecting
the relevant information, and determining the visual models most
appropriate for different object, scene, and activity categories. An
emphasis will be put on learning visual models from video, a
particularly rich source of information, and on the representation of
human activities, one of today's most challenging problems in computer
vision. Although this project addresses fundamental research
issues, it is expected to result in significant advances in
high-impact applications that range from visual mining of the Web and
automated annotation and organization of family photo and video albums
to large-scale information retrieval in television archives.
Summary
A massive and ever growing amount of digital image and video content
is available today, on sites such as
Flickr and YouTube, in audiovisual archives such as those of BBC and
INA, and in personal collections. In most cases, it comes with
additional information, such as text, audio or other metadata, that forms a
rather sparse and noisy, yet rich and diverse source of annotation,
ideally suited to emerging weakly supervised and active machine
learning technology. The ALLEGRO project will take visual recognition
to the next level by using this largely untapped source of data to
automatically learn visual models. The main research objective of
our project is the development of new algorithms and computer software
capable of autonomously exploring evolving data collections, selecting
the relevant information, and determining the visual models most
appropriate for different object, scene, and activity categories. An
emphasis will be put on learning visual models from video, a
particularly rich source of information, and on the representation of
human activities, one of today's most challenging problems in computer
vision. Although this project addresses fundamental research
issues, it is expected to result in significant advances in
high-impact applications that range from visual mining of the Web and
automated annotation and organization of family photo and video albums
to large-scale information retrieval in television archives.
Max ERC Funding
2 493 322 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31
Project acronym BIOTORQUE
Project Probing the angular dynamics of biological systems with the optical torque wrench
Researcher (PI) Francesco Pedaci
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary "The ability to apply forces to single molecules and bio-polymers has fundamentally changed the way we can interact with and understand biological systems. Yet, for many cellular mechanisms, it is rather the torque that is the relevant physical parameter. Excitingly, novel single-molecule techniques that utilize this parameter are now poised to contribute to novel discoveries. Here, I will study the angular dynamical behavior and response to external torque of biological systems at the molecular and cellular levels using the new optical torque wrench that I recently developed.
In a first research line, I will unravel the angular dynamics of the e.coli flagellar motor, a complex and powerful rotary nano-motor that rotates the flagellum in order to propel the bacterium forwards. I will quantitatively study different aspects of torque generation of the motor, aiming to connect evolutionary, dynamical, and structural principles. In a second research line, I will develop an in-vivo manipulation technique based on the transfer of optical torque and force onto novel nano-fabricated particles. This new scanning method will allow me to map physical properties such as the local viscosity inside living cells and the spatial organization and topography of internal membranes, thereby expanding the capabilities of existing techniques towards in-vivo and ultra-low force scanning imaging.
This project is founded on a multidisciplinary approach in which fundamental optics, novel nanoparticle fabrication, and molecular and cellular biology are integrated. It has the potential to answer biophysical questions that have challenged the field for over two decades and to impact fields ranging from single-molecule biophysics to scanning-probe microscopy and nanorheology, provided ERC funding is granted."
Summary
"The ability to apply forces to single molecules and bio-polymers has fundamentally changed the way we can interact with and understand biological systems. Yet, for many cellular mechanisms, it is rather the torque that is the relevant physical parameter. Excitingly, novel single-molecule techniques that utilize this parameter are now poised to contribute to novel discoveries. Here, I will study the angular dynamical behavior and response to external torque of biological systems at the molecular and cellular levels using the new optical torque wrench that I recently developed.
In a first research line, I will unravel the angular dynamics of the e.coli flagellar motor, a complex and powerful rotary nano-motor that rotates the flagellum in order to propel the bacterium forwards. I will quantitatively study different aspects of torque generation of the motor, aiming to connect evolutionary, dynamical, and structural principles. In a second research line, I will develop an in-vivo manipulation technique based on the transfer of optical torque and force onto novel nano-fabricated particles. This new scanning method will allow me to map physical properties such as the local viscosity inside living cells and the spatial organization and topography of internal membranes, thereby expanding the capabilities of existing techniques towards in-vivo and ultra-low force scanning imaging.
This project is founded on a multidisciplinary approach in which fundamental optics, novel nanoparticle fabrication, and molecular and cellular biology are integrated. It has the potential to answer biophysical questions that have challenged the field for over two decades and to impact fields ranging from single-molecule biophysics to scanning-probe microscopy and nanorheology, provided ERC funding is granted."
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-01-01, End date: 2017-12-31
Project acronym Calcyan
Project A living carbonate factory: how do cyanobacteria make rocks? (Calcification in Cyanobacteria)
Researcher (PI) Karim Benzerara
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE10, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary This interdisciplinary proposal stems from our recent discovery of deep-branching cyanobacteria that form intracellular Ca-Mg-Sr-Ba carbonates. So far, calcification by cyanobacteria was considered as exclusively extracellular, hence dependent on external conditions. The existence of intracellularly calcifying cyanobacteria may thus deeply modify our view on the role of cyanobacteria in the formation of modern and past carbonate deposits and the degree of control they achieve on this geochemically significant process. Moreover, since these cyanobacteria concentrate selectively Sr and Ba over Ca, it suggests the existence of processes that can alter the message conveyed by proxies such as Sr/Ca ratios in carbonates, classically used for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Finally, such a biomineralization process, if globally significant may impact our view of how an ecosystem responds to external CO2 changes in particular by affecting most likely a key parameter such as the balance between organic carbon fixed by photosynthesis and inorganic carbon fixed by CaCO3 precipitation.
Here, I aim to bring a qualitative jump in the understanding of this process. The core of this project is to provide a detailed picture of intracellular calcification by cyanobacteria. This will be achieved by studying laboratory cultures of cyanobacteria, field samples of modern calcifying biofilms and ancient microbialites. Diverse tools from molecular biology, biochemistry, mineralogy and geochemistry will be used. Altogether these techniques will help unveiling the molecular and mineralogical mechanisms involved in cyanobacterial intracellular calcification, assessing the phylogenetic diversity of these cyanobacteria and the preservability of their traces in ancient rocks. My goal is to establish a unique expertise in the study of calcification by cyanobacteria, the scope of which can be developed and broadened in the future for the study of interactions between life and minerals.
Summary
This interdisciplinary proposal stems from our recent discovery of deep-branching cyanobacteria that form intracellular Ca-Mg-Sr-Ba carbonates. So far, calcification by cyanobacteria was considered as exclusively extracellular, hence dependent on external conditions. The existence of intracellularly calcifying cyanobacteria may thus deeply modify our view on the role of cyanobacteria in the formation of modern and past carbonate deposits and the degree of control they achieve on this geochemically significant process. Moreover, since these cyanobacteria concentrate selectively Sr and Ba over Ca, it suggests the existence of processes that can alter the message conveyed by proxies such as Sr/Ca ratios in carbonates, classically used for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Finally, such a biomineralization process, if globally significant may impact our view of how an ecosystem responds to external CO2 changes in particular by affecting most likely a key parameter such as the balance between organic carbon fixed by photosynthesis and inorganic carbon fixed by CaCO3 precipitation.
Here, I aim to bring a qualitative jump in the understanding of this process. The core of this project is to provide a detailed picture of intracellular calcification by cyanobacteria. This will be achieved by studying laboratory cultures of cyanobacteria, field samples of modern calcifying biofilms and ancient microbialites. Diverse tools from molecular biology, biochemistry, mineralogy and geochemistry will be used. Altogether these techniques will help unveiling the molecular and mineralogical mechanisms involved in cyanobacterial intracellular calcification, assessing the phylogenetic diversity of these cyanobacteria and the preservability of their traces in ancient rocks. My goal is to establish a unique expertise in the study of calcification by cyanobacteria, the scope of which can be developed and broadened in the future for the study of interactions between life and minerals.
Max ERC Funding
1 659 478 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-02-01, End date: 2018-01-31
Project acronym CELLO
Project From Cells to Organs on Chips: Development of an Integrative Microfluidic Platform
Researcher (PI) Jean-Louis Viovy
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT CURIE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE3, ERC-2012-ADG_20120216
Summary We shall develop a microfluidic and microsystems toolbox allowing the construction and study of complex cellular assemblies (“tissue or organ mimics on chip”), in a highly controlled and parallelized way. This platform will allow the selection of specific cells from one or several populations, their deterministic positioning and/or connection relative to each other, yielding functional assemblies with a degree of complexity, determinism and physiological realism unavailable to current in vitro systems We shall in particular develop “semi-3D” architectures, reproducing the local 3D arrangement of tissues, but presenting at mesoscale a planar and periodic arrangement facilitating high resolution stimulation and recording. This will provide biologists and clinicians with new experimental models able to bridge the gap between current in vitro systems, in which cells can be observed in parallel at high resolution, but lack the highly ordered architecture present in living systems, and in vivo models, in which observation and stimulation means are more limited. This development will follow a functional approach, and gather competences and concepts from micr-nano-systems, surface science, hydrodynamics, soft matter and biology. We shall validate it on three specific applications, the sorting and study of circulating tumour cells for understanding metastases, the creation of “miniguts”, artificial intestinal tissue, for applications in developmental biology and cancerogenesis, and the in vitro construction of active and connected neuron arrays, for studying the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer, and signal processing by neuron networks. This platform will also open new routes for drug testing, replacing animal models and reducing the health and economic risk of clinical tests, developmental biology , stem cells research. and regenerative medicine.
Summary
We shall develop a microfluidic and microsystems toolbox allowing the construction and study of complex cellular assemblies (“tissue or organ mimics on chip”), in a highly controlled and parallelized way. This platform will allow the selection of specific cells from one or several populations, their deterministic positioning and/or connection relative to each other, yielding functional assemblies with a degree of complexity, determinism and physiological realism unavailable to current in vitro systems We shall in particular develop “semi-3D” architectures, reproducing the local 3D arrangement of tissues, but presenting at mesoscale a planar and periodic arrangement facilitating high resolution stimulation and recording. This will provide biologists and clinicians with new experimental models able to bridge the gap between current in vitro systems, in which cells can be observed in parallel at high resolution, but lack the highly ordered architecture present in living systems, and in vivo models, in which observation and stimulation means are more limited. This development will follow a functional approach, and gather competences and concepts from micr-nano-systems, surface science, hydrodynamics, soft matter and biology. We shall validate it on three specific applications, the sorting and study of circulating tumour cells for understanding metastases, the creation of “miniguts”, artificial intestinal tissue, for applications in developmental biology and cancerogenesis, and the in vitro construction of active and connected neuron arrays, for studying the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer, and signal processing by neuron networks. This platform will also open new routes for drug testing, replacing animal models and reducing the health and economic risk of clinical tests, developmental biology , stem cells research. and regenerative medicine.
Max ERC Funding
2 260 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-07-01, End date: 2018-06-30
Project acronym CHESS
Project Challenges in Extraction and Separation of Sources
Researcher (PI) Christian Patrice Jutten
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPES
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE7, ERC-2012-ADG_20120216
Summary Separation/extraction of sources are wide concepts in information sciences, since sensors provide information mixing and an essential step consists in separating or extracting useful information from unuseful one, called noise. In this project, we consider three challenges.
The first one is the multimodality. Indeed, with the multiplication of kinds of sensors, in many areas like biomedical signal processing, hyperspectral imaging, etc. there are many ways for recording the same physical phenomenon leading thus to multimodal data. Multimodality has been studied in the framework of human-computer interface or in data fusion, but never at the signal level. The objective is to provide a general framework for modeling classical multimodal properties, like complementarity, redundancy, equivalence, etc. as of function of source signals.
The second challenge is nonlinearity. Indeed, there exist a few cases where the mixtures are essentially nonlinear, e.g. with chemical sensors. The main objective is to enlarge results on identifiability conditions for new classes of nonlinearities and priors on sources.
The third challenge is the data size. For high-dimension data (e.g. EEG or MRI in brain imaging), separating all the sources is neither tractable nor relevant, since one would like to only extract the useful sources. Conversely, for a small number of sensors, especially smaller than the number of sources, it is again necessary to only focus on the useful signals. The main objective is to develop generic approaches able to only extract useful signals, based on simple reference signal, modeling weak properties of the useful signal.
Finally, validation and relevant modeling must be based on actual signals and problems. In this project, theoretical results and algorithms will be developed in interaction with applications in biomedical engineering (brain-computer interface, EEG, fMRI), chemical engineering, audio-visual scene analysis and hyperspectral imaging.
Summary
Separation/extraction of sources are wide concepts in information sciences, since sensors provide information mixing and an essential step consists in separating or extracting useful information from unuseful one, called noise. In this project, we consider three challenges.
The first one is the multimodality. Indeed, with the multiplication of kinds of sensors, in many areas like biomedical signal processing, hyperspectral imaging, etc. there are many ways for recording the same physical phenomenon leading thus to multimodal data. Multimodality has been studied in the framework of human-computer interface or in data fusion, but never at the signal level. The objective is to provide a general framework for modeling classical multimodal properties, like complementarity, redundancy, equivalence, etc. as of function of source signals.
The second challenge is nonlinearity. Indeed, there exist a few cases where the mixtures are essentially nonlinear, e.g. with chemical sensors. The main objective is to enlarge results on identifiability conditions for new classes of nonlinearities and priors on sources.
The third challenge is the data size. For high-dimension data (e.g. EEG or MRI in brain imaging), separating all the sources is neither tractable nor relevant, since one would like to only extract the useful sources. Conversely, for a small number of sensors, especially smaller than the number of sources, it is again necessary to only focus on the useful signals. The main objective is to develop generic approaches able to only extract useful signals, based on simple reference signal, modeling weak properties of the useful signal.
Finally, validation and relevant modeling must be based on actual signals and problems. In this project, theoretical results and algorithms will be developed in interaction with applications in biomedical engineering (brain-computer interface, EEG, fMRI), chemical engineering, audio-visual scene analysis and hyperspectral imaging.
Max ERC Funding
2 499 390 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-03-01, End date: 2018-02-28
Project acronym CirQys
Project Circuit QED with hybrid electronic states
Researcher (PI) Takis Kontos
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary We propose to develop a new scheme for detecting and manipulating exotic states formed by combinations of conductors with different dimensionalities and/or electronic orders. For that purpose, we will use tools of cavity quantum electrodynamics to study in a very controlled way the interaction of light and this exotic matter.
Our experiments will be implemented with nanowires connected to normal, ferromagnetic or superconducting electrodes embedded in high finesse on-chip superconducting photonic cavities. The experimental technique proposed here will inaugurate a novel method for investigating the spectroscopy and the dynamics of tailored nano-systems.
During the project, we will focus on three key experiments. We will demonstrate the strong coupling between a single spin and cavity photons, bringing spin quantum bits a step closer to scalability. We will probe coherence in Cooper pair splitters using lasing and sub-radiance. Finally, we will probe the non-local nature of Majorana bound states predicted to appear at the edges of topological superconductors via their interaction with cavity photons.
Summary
We propose to develop a new scheme for detecting and manipulating exotic states formed by combinations of conductors with different dimensionalities and/or electronic orders. For that purpose, we will use tools of cavity quantum electrodynamics to study in a very controlled way the interaction of light and this exotic matter.
Our experiments will be implemented with nanowires connected to normal, ferromagnetic or superconducting electrodes embedded in high finesse on-chip superconducting photonic cavities. The experimental technique proposed here will inaugurate a novel method for investigating the spectroscopy and the dynamics of tailored nano-systems.
During the project, we will focus on three key experiments. We will demonstrate the strong coupling between a single spin and cavity photons, bringing spin quantum bits a step closer to scalability. We will probe coherence in Cooper pair splitters using lasing and sub-radiance. Finally, we will probe the non-local nature of Majorana bound states predicted to appear at the edges of topological superconductors via their interaction with cavity photons.
Max ERC Funding
1 456 608 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-02-01, End date: 2018-01-31