Project acronym AGEnTh
Project Atomic Gauge and Entanglement Theories
Researcher (PI) Marcello DALMONTE
Host Institution (HI) SCUOLA INTERNAZIONALE SUPERIORE DI STUDI AVANZATI DI TRIESTE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2017-STG
Summary AGEnTh is an interdisciplinary proposal which aims at theoretically investigating atomic many-body systems (cold atoms and trapped ions) in close connection to concepts from quantum information, condensed matter, and high energy physics. The main goals of this programme are to:
I) Find to scalable schemes for the measurements of entanglement properties, and in particular entanglement spectra, by proposing a shifting paradigm to access entanglement focused on entanglement Hamiltonians and field theories instead of probing density matrices;
II) Show how atomic gauge theories (including dynamical gauge fields) are ideal candidates for the realization of long-sought, highly-entangled states of matter, in particular topological superconductors supporting parafermion edge modes, and novel classes of quantum spin liquids emerging from clustering;
III) Develop new implementation strategies for the realization of gauge symmetries of paramount importance, such as discrete and SU(N)xSU(2)xU(1) groups, and establish a theoretical framework for the understanding of atomic physics experiments within the light-from-chaos scenario pioneered in particle physics.
These objectives are at the cutting-edge of fundamental science, and represent a coherent effort aimed at underpinning unprecedented regimes of strongly interacting quantum matter by addressing the basic aspects of probing, many-body physics, and implementations. The results are expected to (i) build up and establish qualitatively new synergies between the aforementioned communities, and (ii) stimulate an intense theoretical and experimental activity focused on both entanglement and atomic gauge theories.
In order to achieve those, AGEnTh builds: (1) on my background working at the interface between atomic physics and quantum optics from one side, and many-body theory on the other, and (2) on exploratory studies which I carried out to mitigate the conceptual risks associated with its high-risk/high-gain goals.
Summary
AGEnTh is an interdisciplinary proposal which aims at theoretically investigating atomic many-body systems (cold atoms and trapped ions) in close connection to concepts from quantum information, condensed matter, and high energy physics. The main goals of this programme are to:
I) Find to scalable schemes for the measurements of entanglement properties, and in particular entanglement spectra, by proposing a shifting paradigm to access entanglement focused on entanglement Hamiltonians and field theories instead of probing density matrices;
II) Show how atomic gauge theories (including dynamical gauge fields) are ideal candidates for the realization of long-sought, highly-entangled states of matter, in particular topological superconductors supporting parafermion edge modes, and novel classes of quantum spin liquids emerging from clustering;
III) Develop new implementation strategies for the realization of gauge symmetries of paramount importance, such as discrete and SU(N)xSU(2)xU(1) groups, and establish a theoretical framework for the understanding of atomic physics experiments within the light-from-chaos scenario pioneered in particle physics.
These objectives are at the cutting-edge of fundamental science, and represent a coherent effort aimed at underpinning unprecedented regimes of strongly interacting quantum matter by addressing the basic aspects of probing, many-body physics, and implementations. The results are expected to (i) build up and establish qualitatively new synergies between the aforementioned communities, and (ii) stimulate an intense theoretical and experimental activity focused on both entanglement and atomic gauge theories.
In order to achieve those, AGEnTh builds: (1) on my background working at the interface between atomic physics and quantum optics from one side, and many-body theory on the other, and (2) on exploratory studies which I carried out to mitigate the conceptual risks associated with its high-risk/high-gain goals.
Max ERC Funding
1 055 317 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-05-01, End date: 2023-04-30
Project acronym AUTISMS
Project Decomposing Heterogeneity in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Researcher (PI) Michael LOMBARDO
Host Institution (HI) FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH4, ERC-2017-STG
Summary Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect 1-2% of the population and are a major public health issue. Heterogeneity between affected ASD individuals is substantial both at clinical and etiological levels, thus warranting the idea that we should begin characterizing the ASD population as multiple kinds of ‘autisms’. Without an advanced understanding of how heterogeneity manifests in ASD, it is likely that we will not make pronounced progress towards translational research goals that can have real impact on patient’s lives. This research program is focused on decomposing heterogeneity in ASD at multiple levels of analysis. Using multiple ‘big data’ resources that are both ‘broad’ (large sample size) and ‘deep’ (multiple levels of analysis measured within each individual), I will examine how known variables such as sex, early language development, early social preferences, and early intervention treatment response may be important stratification variables that differentiate ASD subgroups at phenotypic, neural systems/circuits, and genomic levels of analysis. In addition to examining known stratification variables, this research program will engage in data-driven discovery via application of advanced unsupervised computational techniques that can highlight novel multivariate distinctions in the data that signal important ASD subgroups. These data-driven approaches may hold promise for discovering novel ASD subgroups at biological and phenotypic levels of analysis that may be valuable for prioritization in future work developing personalized assessment, monitoring, and treatment strategies for subsets of the ASD population. By enhancing the precision of our understanding about multiple subtypes of ASD this work will help accelerate progress towards the ideals of personalized medicine and help to reduce the burden of ASD on individuals, families, and society.
Summary
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect 1-2% of the population and are a major public health issue. Heterogeneity between affected ASD individuals is substantial both at clinical and etiological levels, thus warranting the idea that we should begin characterizing the ASD population as multiple kinds of ‘autisms’. Without an advanced understanding of how heterogeneity manifests in ASD, it is likely that we will not make pronounced progress towards translational research goals that can have real impact on patient’s lives. This research program is focused on decomposing heterogeneity in ASD at multiple levels of analysis. Using multiple ‘big data’ resources that are both ‘broad’ (large sample size) and ‘deep’ (multiple levels of analysis measured within each individual), I will examine how known variables such as sex, early language development, early social preferences, and early intervention treatment response may be important stratification variables that differentiate ASD subgroups at phenotypic, neural systems/circuits, and genomic levels of analysis. In addition to examining known stratification variables, this research program will engage in data-driven discovery via application of advanced unsupervised computational techniques that can highlight novel multivariate distinctions in the data that signal important ASD subgroups. These data-driven approaches may hold promise for discovering novel ASD subgroups at biological and phenotypic levels of analysis that may be valuable for prioritization in future work developing personalized assessment, monitoring, and treatment strategies for subsets of the ASD population. By enhancing the precision of our understanding about multiple subtypes of ASD this work will help accelerate progress towards the ideals of personalized medicine and help to reduce the burden of ASD on individuals, families, and society.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 444 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-01-01, End date: 2022-12-31
Project acronym COMPOSES
Project Compositional Operations in Semantic Space
Researcher (PI) Marco Baroni
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH4, ERC-2011-StG_20101124
Summary The ability to construct new meanings by combining words into larger constituents is one of the fundamental and peculiarly human characteristics of language. Systems that induce the meaning and combinatorial properties of linguistic symbols from data are highly desirable both from a theoretical perspective (modeling a core aspect of cognition) and for practical purposes (supporting human-computer interaction). COMPOSES tackles the meaning induction and composition problem from a new perspective that brings together corpus-based distributional semantics (that is very successful at inducing the meaning of single content words, but ignores functional elements and compositionality) and formal semantics (that focuses on functional elements and composition, but largely ignores lexical aspects of meaning and lacks methods to learn the proposed structures from data). As in distributional semantics, we represent some content words (such as nouns) by vectors recording their corpus contexts. Implementing instead ideas from formal semantics, functional elements (such as determiners) are represented by functions mapping from expressions of one type onto composite expressions of the same or other types. These composition functions are induced from corpus data by statistical learning of mappings from observed context vectors of input arguments to observed context vectors of composite structures. We model a number of compositional processes in this way, developing a coherent fragment of the semantics of English in a data-driven, large-scale fashion. Given the novelty of the approach, we also propose new evaluation frameworks: On the one hand, we take inspiration from cognitive science and experimental linguistics to design elicitation methods measuring the perceived similarity and plausibility of sentences. On the other, specialized entailment tests will assess the semantic inference properties of our corpus-induced system.
Summary
The ability to construct new meanings by combining words into larger constituents is one of the fundamental and peculiarly human characteristics of language. Systems that induce the meaning and combinatorial properties of linguistic symbols from data are highly desirable both from a theoretical perspective (modeling a core aspect of cognition) and for practical purposes (supporting human-computer interaction). COMPOSES tackles the meaning induction and composition problem from a new perspective that brings together corpus-based distributional semantics (that is very successful at inducing the meaning of single content words, but ignores functional elements and compositionality) and formal semantics (that focuses on functional elements and composition, but largely ignores lexical aspects of meaning and lacks methods to learn the proposed structures from data). As in distributional semantics, we represent some content words (such as nouns) by vectors recording their corpus contexts. Implementing instead ideas from formal semantics, functional elements (such as determiners) are represented by functions mapping from expressions of one type onto composite expressions of the same or other types. These composition functions are induced from corpus data by statistical learning of mappings from observed context vectors of input arguments to observed context vectors of composite structures. We model a number of compositional processes in this way, developing a coherent fragment of the semantics of English in a data-driven, large-scale fashion. Given the novelty of the approach, we also propose new evaluation frameworks: On the one hand, we take inspiration from cognitive science and experimental linguistics to design elicitation methods measuring the perceived similarity and plausibility of sentences. On the other, specialized entailment tests will assess the semantic inference properties of our corpus-induced system.
Max ERC Funding
1 117 636 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-11-01, End date: 2016-10-31
Project acronym DarkGRA
Project Unveiling the dark universe with gravitational waves: Black holes and compact stars as laboratories for fundamental physics
Researcher (PI) Paolo PANI
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2017-STG
Summary In recent years, our theoretical understanding of the strong-field regime of gravity has grown in parallel with the observational confirmations that culminated in the landmark detection of gravitational waves (GWs). This synergy of breakthroughs at the observational, technical, and conceptual level offers the unprecedented opportunity to merge traditionally disjoint areas, and to make strong gravity a precision tool to probe fundamental physics.
The aim of the DarkGRA project is to investigate novel effects related to strong gravitational sources -such as black holes (BHs) and compact stars- that can be used to turn these objects into cosmic labs, where matter in extreme conditions, particle physics, and the very foundations of Einstein's theory of gravity can be put to the test. In this context, we propose to explore some outstanding, cross-cutting problems in fundamental physics: the existence of extra light fields, the limits of classical gravity, the nature of BHs and of spacetime singularities, and the effects of dark matter near compact objects. Our ultimate goal is to probe fundamental physics in the most extreme gravitational settings and to devise new approaches for detection, complementary to laboratory searches. This groundbreaking research program -located at the interface between particle physics, astrophysics and gravitation- is now made possible by novel techniques to scrutinize astrophysical compact objects, by current and future GW and X-ray detectors, and by the astonishing precision of pulsar timing. If supported by a solid theoretical framework, these new observations can potentially lead to surprising discoveries and paradigm shifts in our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature at all scales.
Summary
In recent years, our theoretical understanding of the strong-field regime of gravity has grown in parallel with the observational confirmations that culminated in the landmark detection of gravitational waves (GWs). This synergy of breakthroughs at the observational, technical, and conceptual level offers the unprecedented opportunity to merge traditionally disjoint areas, and to make strong gravity a precision tool to probe fundamental physics.
The aim of the DarkGRA project is to investigate novel effects related to strong gravitational sources -such as black holes (BHs) and compact stars- that can be used to turn these objects into cosmic labs, where matter in extreme conditions, particle physics, and the very foundations of Einstein's theory of gravity can be put to the test. In this context, we propose to explore some outstanding, cross-cutting problems in fundamental physics: the existence of extra light fields, the limits of classical gravity, the nature of BHs and of spacetime singularities, and the effects of dark matter near compact objects. Our ultimate goal is to probe fundamental physics in the most extreme gravitational settings and to devise new approaches for detection, complementary to laboratory searches. This groundbreaking research program -located at the interface between particle physics, astrophysics and gravitation- is now made possible by novel techniques to scrutinize astrophysical compact objects, by current and future GW and X-ray detectors, and by the astonishing precision of pulsar timing. If supported by a solid theoretical framework, these new observations can potentially lead to surprising discoveries and paradigm shifts in our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature at all scales.
Max ERC Funding
1 337 481 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-10-01, End date: 2022-09-30
Project acronym DECIDE
Project The impact of DEmographic Changes on Infectious DisEases transmission and control in middle/low income countries
Researcher (PI) Alessia Melegaro
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA COMMERCIALE LUIGI BOCCONI
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH3, ERC-2011-StG_20101124
Summary Population structure and change and social contact patterns are major determinants of the observed epidemiology of infectious diseases, including the consequences on health. Demographic structure and the components of demographic dynamics are changing over time and substantially differ within countries and most critically between countries. However, some of the overall consequences of demographic changes remain unclear, though urbanisation and fertility decline will certainly have a profound impact on social structures, family composition and, as a consequence, on disease spread and on the identification of effective public health measures.
DECIDE will explore the following questions:
1. What are the major short- and medium-term impacts of demographic changes on the patterns of infectious disease (morbidity and mortality)?
2. How are these demographic changes affecting contact patterns that are of fundamental importance to the spread of infectious diseases? Are there new and different modes of transmission within and between populations?
3. What are the implications of demographic changes for infection control strategies? What is the interplay between demographic changes and public health policies in shaping future trajectories of infectious diseases?
In order to answer these questions, DECIDE will use the following strategy: analyse harmonised demographic and health survey data (DHS), and health and demographic surveillance system data (HDSS); develop new estimates of social contact patterns and other socio-demographic variables collecting data from representative samples of both urban and rural settings in selected countries; develop a theoretical framework to predict the likely chains through which demographic change influences the burden of infectious diseases; develop and parameterise mathematical population models for the transmission of infectious diseases to evaluate the impact of public health measures under changing demographic conditions.
Summary
Population structure and change and social contact patterns are major determinants of the observed epidemiology of infectious diseases, including the consequences on health. Demographic structure and the components of demographic dynamics are changing over time and substantially differ within countries and most critically between countries. However, some of the overall consequences of demographic changes remain unclear, though urbanisation and fertility decline will certainly have a profound impact on social structures, family composition and, as a consequence, on disease spread and on the identification of effective public health measures.
DECIDE will explore the following questions:
1. What are the major short- and medium-term impacts of demographic changes on the patterns of infectious disease (morbidity and mortality)?
2. How are these demographic changes affecting contact patterns that are of fundamental importance to the spread of infectious diseases? Are there new and different modes of transmission within and between populations?
3. What are the implications of demographic changes for infection control strategies? What is the interplay between demographic changes and public health policies in shaping future trajectories of infectious diseases?
In order to answer these questions, DECIDE will use the following strategy: analyse harmonised demographic and health survey data (DHS), and health and demographic surveillance system data (HDSS); develop new estimates of social contact patterns and other socio-demographic variables collecting data from representative samples of both urban and rural settings in selected countries; develop a theoretical framework to predict the likely chains through which demographic change influences the burden of infectious diseases; develop and parameterise mathematical population models for the transmission of infectious diseases to evaluate the impact of public health measures under changing demographic conditions.
Max ERC Funding
1 210 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-04-01, End date: 2017-12-31
Project acronym DISCOMPOSE
Project Disasters, Communication and Politics in South-Western Europe: the Making of Emergency Response Policies in the Early Modern Age
Researcher (PI) Domenico CECERE
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2017-STG
Summary The connections between the circulation of news of extreme events, the making of influential narratives of collective traumas and the development of emergency response policies lie at the heart of this research proposal, which focuses on four Southern European areas: Catalonia, Naples, Sicily and Valencia, from the 16th to the 18th century. How did accounts and individual memories of extreme events amount to authoritative interpretations? In which ways, and to what extent, did the latter orient collective behaviours and the recovery process, in both the short and the long term?
Starting from the assumption that human relations are enhanced by the increased levels of socialisation that commonly occur in the aftermath of shocking events, which trigger the sharing of information, opinions and memories; and that the emotional impact of such events is likely to create a public opinion that draws attention to government’s action; the research proposal aims to contribute new insights into these issues by adopting an original methodology, developed across a variety of disciplines, including Cultural and Social History, Textual Criticism, Philology and Anthropology. Moreover, it will adopt a transnational perspective: since the selected regions belonged to the Spanish Monarchy, the development of practices and polices aimed to respond to disruption depended not only on the specific social and cultural features of local societies, but also on the circulation of political and technical staff, as well as on the sharing of knowledge, experiences and policy models, among the various areas of the Empire and its colonies. Studying the information exchange in the aftermath of disasters and the formation of an imagery of extraordinary events, will allow a comprehensive perspective on the policies and practices adopted by early modern societies to manage uncertainty, and on the potential impact that such narratives could have on the renegotiation of political and social relations.
Summary
The connections between the circulation of news of extreme events, the making of influential narratives of collective traumas and the development of emergency response policies lie at the heart of this research proposal, which focuses on four Southern European areas: Catalonia, Naples, Sicily and Valencia, from the 16th to the 18th century. How did accounts and individual memories of extreme events amount to authoritative interpretations? In which ways, and to what extent, did the latter orient collective behaviours and the recovery process, in both the short and the long term?
Starting from the assumption that human relations are enhanced by the increased levels of socialisation that commonly occur in the aftermath of shocking events, which trigger the sharing of information, opinions and memories; and that the emotional impact of such events is likely to create a public opinion that draws attention to government’s action; the research proposal aims to contribute new insights into these issues by adopting an original methodology, developed across a variety of disciplines, including Cultural and Social History, Textual Criticism, Philology and Anthropology. Moreover, it will adopt a transnational perspective: since the selected regions belonged to the Spanish Monarchy, the development of practices and polices aimed to respond to disruption depended not only on the specific social and cultural features of local societies, but also on the circulation of political and technical staff, as well as on the sharing of knowledge, experiences and policy models, among the various areas of the Empire and its colonies. Studying the information exchange in the aftermath of disasters and the formation of an imagery of extraordinary events, will allow a comprehensive perspective on the policies and practices adopted by early modern societies to manage uncertainty, and on the potential impact that such narratives could have on the renegotiation of political and social relations.
Max ERC Funding
1 481 813 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-02-01, End date: 2023-01-31
Project acronym DROEMU
Project DROPLETS AND EMULSIONS: DYNAMICS AND RHEOLOGY
Researcher (PI) Mauro Sbragaglia
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA TOR VERGATA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2011-StG_20101014
Summary The applications of micro- and nanofluidics are now numerous, including lab-on-chip systems based upon micro-manipulation of discrete droplets, emulsions of interest in food and medical industries (drug delivery), analytical separation techniques of biomolecules, such as proteins and DNA, and facile handling of mass-limited samples. The problems involved contain diverse nano- and microstructures with a variety of lifetimes, touching atomistic scales (contact lines, thin films), mesoscopic collective behaviour (emulsions, glassy, soft-jammed systems) and hydrodynamical spatio-temporal evolutions (droplets and interface dynamics) with complex rheology and strong non-equilibrium properties. The interplay of the dynamics at the different scales involved still remains to be fully understood.
The fundamental research I address in this project aims to set up the unified framework for the characterization and modelling of interfaces in confined geometries by means of an innovative micro- and nanofluidic numerical platform.
The main challenging and ambitious questions I intend to address in my project are: How the stability of micro- and nanodroplets is affected by thermal gradients? Or by boundary corrugation and modulated wettability? Or by complex rheological properties of the dispersed and/or continuous phases? How these effects can be tuned to design new optimal devices for emulsions production? What are the rheological properties of these new soft materials? How confinement in small structures changes the bulk emulsion properties? What is the molecular-hydrodynamical mechanism at the origin of contact line slippage? How to realistically model the fluid-particle interactions on the molecular scale?
The strength of the project lies in an innovative and state-of-the-art numerical approach, based on mesoscopic Lattice Boltzmann Models, coupled to microscopic molecular physics, supported by theoretical modelling, lubrication theory and experimental validation.
Summary
The applications of micro- and nanofluidics are now numerous, including lab-on-chip systems based upon micro-manipulation of discrete droplets, emulsions of interest in food and medical industries (drug delivery), analytical separation techniques of biomolecules, such as proteins and DNA, and facile handling of mass-limited samples. The problems involved contain diverse nano- and microstructures with a variety of lifetimes, touching atomistic scales (contact lines, thin films), mesoscopic collective behaviour (emulsions, glassy, soft-jammed systems) and hydrodynamical spatio-temporal evolutions (droplets and interface dynamics) with complex rheology and strong non-equilibrium properties. The interplay of the dynamics at the different scales involved still remains to be fully understood.
The fundamental research I address in this project aims to set up the unified framework for the characterization and modelling of interfaces in confined geometries by means of an innovative micro- and nanofluidic numerical platform.
The main challenging and ambitious questions I intend to address in my project are: How the stability of micro- and nanodroplets is affected by thermal gradients? Or by boundary corrugation and modulated wettability? Or by complex rheological properties of the dispersed and/or continuous phases? How these effects can be tuned to design new optimal devices for emulsions production? What are the rheological properties of these new soft materials? How confinement in small structures changes the bulk emulsion properties? What is the molecular-hydrodynamical mechanism at the origin of contact line slippage? How to realistically model the fluid-particle interactions on the molecular scale?
The strength of the project lies in an innovative and state-of-the-art numerical approach, based on mesoscopic Lattice Boltzmann Models, coupled to microscopic molecular physics, supported by theoretical modelling, lubrication theory and experimental validation.
Max ERC Funding
1 170 924 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-12-01, End date: 2016-11-30
Project acronym EDEQS
Project ENTANGLING AND DISENTANGLING EXTENDED QUANTUM SYSTEMS IN AND OUT OF EQUILIBRIUM
Researcher (PI) Pasquale Calabrese
Host Institution (HI) SCUOLA INTERNAZIONALE SUPERIORE DI STUDI AVANZATI DI TRIESTE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2011-StG_20101014
Summary "It is nowadays well established that many-body quantum systems in one and two spatial dimensions exhibit unconventional collective behavior that gives rise to intriguing novel states of matter. Examples are topological states exhibiting nonabelian statistics in 2D and spin-charge separated metals and Mott insulators in 1D. An important focus of current research is to characterize both equilibrium and non-equilibrium dynamics of such systems. The latter has become experimentally accessible only during the last decade and constitutes one of the main frontiers of modern theoretical physics. In recent years it has become clear that entanglement is a useful concept for characterizing different states of matter as well as non-equilibrium time evolution.
One main aim of this proposal is to utilize entanglement measures to fully classify states of matter in low dimensional systems. This will be achieved by carrying out a systematic study of the entanglement of several disconnected regions in 1D quantum critical systems. In addition, entanglement measures will be used to benchmark the performance of numerical algorithms based on tensor network states (both in 1D and 2D) and identify the ""optimal"" algorithm for finding the ground state of a given strongly correlated many-body system.
The second main aim of this proposal is to utilize the entanglement to identify the most important features of the the non equilibrium time evolution after a ""quantum quench"", with a view to solve exactly the quench dynamics in strongly interacting integrable models. A particular question we will address is which observables ""thermalize"", which is an issue of tremendous current experimental and theoretical interest. By combining analytic and numerical techniques we will then study the non equilibrium dynamics of non integrable models, in order to quantify the effects of integrability."
Summary
"It is nowadays well established that many-body quantum systems in one and two spatial dimensions exhibit unconventional collective behavior that gives rise to intriguing novel states of matter. Examples are topological states exhibiting nonabelian statistics in 2D and spin-charge separated metals and Mott insulators in 1D. An important focus of current research is to characterize both equilibrium and non-equilibrium dynamics of such systems. The latter has become experimentally accessible only during the last decade and constitutes one of the main frontiers of modern theoretical physics. In recent years it has become clear that entanglement is a useful concept for characterizing different states of matter as well as non-equilibrium time evolution.
One main aim of this proposal is to utilize entanglement measures to fully classify states of matter in low dimensional systems. This will be achieved by carrying out a systematic study of the entanglement of several disconnected regions in 1D quantum critical systems. In addition, entanglement measures will be used to benchmark the performance of numerical algorithms based on tensor network states (both in 1D and 2D) and identify the ""optimal"" algorithm for finding the ground state of a given strongly correlated many-body system.
The second main aim of this proposal is to utilize the entanglement to identify the most important features of the the non equilibrium time evolution after a ""quantum quench"", with a view to solve exactly the quench dynamics in strongly interacting integrable models. A particular question we will address is which observables ""thermalize"", which is an issue of tremendous current experimental and theoretical interest. By combining analytic and numerical techniques we will then study the non equilibrium dynamics of non integrable models, in order to quantify the effects of integrability."
Max ERC Funding
1 108 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-09-01, End date: 2016-08-31
Project acronym EINITE
Project "Economic Inequality across Italy and Europe, 1300-1800"
Researcher (PI) Guido Alfani
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA COMMERCIALE LUIGI BOCCONI
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2011-StG_20101124
Summary "The aim of EINITE is to clarify the dynamics of economic inequality in Europe from the late Middle Ages up until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Very little data about economic inequality during such an early period is available today. Apart from some studies focussed on single years and small areas (usually only one city or a village), the only European region which has been the object of a large research project is Holland.
The project will collect an extensive database about economic inequality, mainly of wealth (for which better documentation exists), focussing on Italy from a wider European perspective. Archival research will be concentrated on Italy where particularly good sources exist, but the Italian case will be placed in the varying European context. Published data and existing databases from all over the continent will be collected as terms of comparison. The final version of the project database will be made public.
The activity of ENITE will be organized around four main research questions:
1) What is the long-term relationship between economic growth and inequality?
This is the main question to which the others are all connected.
2) What were the effects of plagues and other severe mortality crises on property structures?
3) What is the underlying relationship between immigration and urban inequality?
4) How was economic inequality perceived in the past, and how did its perception change over time?
The project will also help to explain the origin of the property structures and inequality levels to be found on the eve of the Industrial Revolution. Then, it will provide information relevant to the ‘Kuznets curve’ debate. Overall the project will lead to a better knowledge of economic inequality in the past, which is also expected to help understanding recent developments in inequality levels in Europe and elsewhere."
Summary
"The aim of EINITE is to clarify the dynamics of economic inequality in Europe from the late Middle Ages up until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Very little data about economic inequality during such an early period is available today. Apart from some studies focussed on single years and small areas (usually only one city or a village), the only European region which has been the object of a large research project is Holland.
The project will collect an extensive database about economic inequality, mainly of wealth (for which better documentation exists), focussing on Italy from a wider European perspective. Archival research will be concentrated on Italy where particularly good sources exist, but the Italian case will be placed in the varying European context. Published data and existing databases from all over the continent will be collected as terms of comparison. The final version of the project database will be made public.
The activity of ENITE will be organized around four main research questions:
1) What is the long-term relationship between economic growth and inequality?
This is the main question to which the others are all connected.
2) What were the effects of plagues and other severe mortality crises on property structures?
3) What is the underlying relationship between immigration and urban inequality?
4) How was economic inequality perceived in the past, and how did its perception change over time?
The project will also help to explain the origin of the property structures and inequality levels to be found on the eve of the Industrial Revolution. Then, it will provide information relevant to the ‘Kuznets curve’ debate. Overall the project will lead to a better knowledge of economic inequality in the past, which is also expected to help understanding recent developments in inequality levels in Europe and elsewhere."
Max ERC Funding
995 400 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31
Project acronym ENERGYA
Project ENERGY use for Adaptation
Researcher (PI) Enrica DE CIAN
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH2, ERC-2017-STG
Summary ENERGYA will improve our understanding of how energy and energy services can be used by households and industries to adapt to the risk posed by climate change. Specifically, the project will develop an interdisciplinary and scalable research framework integrating data and methods from economics with geography, climate science, and integrated assessment modelling to provide new knowledge concerning heterogeneity in energy use across countries, sectors, socioeconomic conditions and income groups, and assess the broad implications adaptation-driven energy use can have on the economy, the environment, and welfare.
The key novelty of ENERGYA is to link energy statistics and energy survey data with high spatial resolution data from climate science and remote sensing, including high-resolution spatial data on meteorology, population and economic activity distribution, electrification, and the built environment.
ENERGYA has three main objectives. First, it will produce novel statistical and econometric analyses for OECD and major emerging countries (Brazil, Mexico, India, and Indonesia) to shed light on the underlying mechanisms driving energy use. Second, it will infer future potential impacts from long-run climate and socioeconomic changes building on historical empirical evidence. Third, it will analyse the macro and distributional implications of adaptation-driven energy use with an economy-energy model characterising the distribution of energy use dynamics across and within countries.
Given the central role of energy as multiplier for socioeconomic development and as enabling condition for climate resilience, the research proposed in ENERGYA will result in timely insights for the transition towards sustainability described by the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations as well as the Paris International Climate Agreement.
Summary
ENERGYA will improve our understanding of how energy and energy services can be used by households and industries to adapt to the risk posed by climate change. Specifically, the project will develop an interdisciplinary and scalable research framework integrating data and methods from economics with geography, climate science, and integrated assessment modelling to provide new knowledge concerning heterogeneity in energy use across countries, sectors, socioeconomic conditions and income groups, and assess the broad implications adaptation-driven energy use can have on the economy, the environment, and welfare.
The key novelty of ENERGYA is to link energy statistics and energy survey data with high spatial resolution data from climate science and remote sensing, including high-resolution spatial data on meteorology, population and economic activity distribution, electrification, and the built environment.
ENERGYA has three main objectives. First, it will produce novel statistical and econometric analyses for OECD and major emerging countries (Brazil, Mexico, India, and Indonesia) to shed light on the underlying mechanisms driving energy use. Second, it will infer future potential impacts from long-run climate and socioeconomic changes building on historical empirical evidence. Third, it will analyse the macro and distributional implications of adaptation-driven energy use with an economy-energy model characterising the distribution of energy use dynamics across and within countries.
Given the central role of energy as multiplier for socioeconomic development and as enabling condition for climate resilience, the research proposed in ENERGYA will result in timely insights for the transition towards sustainability described by the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations as well as the Paris International Climate Agreement.
Max ERC Funding
1 495 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-03-01, End date: 2023-02-28