Project acronym 3DSPIN
Project 3-Dimensional Maps of the Spinning Nucleon
Researcher (PI) Alessandro Bacchetta
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PAVIA
Country Italy
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary How does the inside of the proton look like? What generates its spin?
3DSPIN will deliver essential information to answer these questions at the frontier of subnuclear physics.
At present, we have detailed maps of the distribution of quarks and gluons in the nucleon in 1D (as a function of their momentum in a single direction). We also know that quark spins account for only about 1/3 of the spin of the nucleon.
3DSPIN will lead the way into a new stage of nucleon mapping, explore the distribution of quarks in full 3D momentum space and obtain unprecedented information on orbital angular momentum.
Goals
1. extract from experimental data the 3D distribution of quarks (in momentum space), as described by Transverse-Momentum Distributions (TMDs);
2. obtain from TMDs information on quark Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM).
Methodology
3DSPIN will implement state-of-the-art fitting procedures to analyze relevant experimental data and extract quark TMDs, similarly to global fits of standard parton distribution functions. Information about quark angular momentum will be obtained through assumptions based on theoretical considerations. The next five years represent an ideal time window to accomplish our goals, thanks to the wealth of expected data from deep-inelastic scattering experiments (COMPASS, Jefferson Lab), hadronic colliders (Fermilab, BNL, LHC), and electron-positron colliders (BELLE, BABAR). The PI has a strong reputation in this field. The group will operate in partnership with the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics and in close interaction with leading experts and experimental collaborations worldwide.
Impact
Mapping the 3D structure of chemical compounds has revolutionized chemistry. Similarly, mapping the 3D structure of the nucleon will have a deep impact on our understanding of the fundamental constituents of matter. We will open new perspectives on the dynamics of quarks and gluons and sharpen our view of high-energy processes involving nucleons.
Summary
How does the inside of the proton look like? What generates its spin?
3DSPIN will deliver essential information to answer these questions at the frontier of subnuclear physics.
At present, we have detailed maps of the distribution of quarks and gluons in the nucleon in 1D (as a function of their momentum in a single direction). We also know that quark spins account for only about 1/3 of the spin of the nucleon.
3DSPIN will lead the way into a new stage of nucleon mapping, explore the distribution of quarks in full 3D momentum space and obtain unprecedented information on orbital angular momentum.
Goals
1. extract from experimental data the 3D distribution of quarks (in momentum space), as described by Transverse-Momentum Distributions (TMDs);
2. obtain from TMDs information on quark Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM).
Methodology
3DSPIN will implement state-of-the-art fitting procedures to analyze relevant experimental data and extract quark TMDs, similarly to global fits of standard parton distribution functions. Information about quark angular momentum will be obtained through assumptions based on theoretical considerations. The next five years represent an ideal time window to accomplish our goals, thanks to the wealth of expected data from deep-inelastic scattering experiments (COMPASS, Jefferson Lab), hadronic colliders (Fermilab, BNL, LHC), and electron-positron colliders (BELLE, BABAR). The PI has a strong reputation in this field. The group will operate in partnership with the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics and in close interaction with leading experts and experimental collaborations worldwide.
Impact
Mapping the 3D structure of chemical compounds has revolutionized chemistry. Similarly, mapping the 3D structure of the nucleon will have a deep impact on our understanding of the fundamental constituents of matter. We will open new perspectives on the dynamics of quarks and gluons and sharpen our view of high-energy processes involving nucleons.
Max ERC Funding
1 509 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-07-01, End date: 2020-12-31
Project acronym AEDMOS
Project Attosecond Electron Dynamics in MOlecular Systems
Researcher (PI) Reinhard Kienberger
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary Advanced insight into ever smaller structures of matter and their ever faster dynamics hold promise for pushing the frontiers of many fields in science and technology. Time-domain investigations of ultrafast microscopic processes are most successfully carried out by pump/probe experiments. Intense waveform-controlled few-cycle near-infrared laser pulses combined with isolated sub-femtosecond XUV (extreme UV) pulses have made possible direct access to electron motion on the atomic scale. These tools along with the techniques of laser-field-controlled XUV photoemission (“attosecond streaking”) and ultrafast UV-pump/XUV-probe spectroscopy have permitted real-time observation of electronic motion in experiments performed on atoms in the gas phase and of electronic transport processes in solids.
The purpose of this project is to to get insight into intra- and inter-molecular electron dynamics by extending attosecond spectroscopy to these processes. AEDMOS will allow control and real-time observation of a wide range of hyperfast fundamental processes directly on their natural, i.e. attosecond (1 as = EXP-18 s) time scale in molecules and molecular structures. In previous work we have successfully developed attosecond tools and techniques. By combining them with our experience in UHV technology and target preparation in a new beamline to be created in the framework of this project, we aim at investigating charge migration and transport in supramolecular assemblies, ultrafast electron dynamics in photocatalysis and dynamics of electron correlation in high-TC superconductors. These dynamics – of electronic excitation, exciton formation, relaxation, electron correlation and wave packet motion – are of broad scientific interest reaching from biomedicine to chemistry and physics and are pertinent to the development of many modern technologies including molecular electronics, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, light-to-chemical energy conversion and lossless energy transfer.
Summary
Advanced insight into ever smaller structures of matter and their ever faster dynamics hold promise for pushing the frontiers of many fields in science and technology. Time-domain investigations of ultrafast microscopic processes are most successfully carried out by pump/probe experiments. Intense waveform-controlled few-cycle near-infrared laser pulses combined with isolated sub-femtosecond XUV (extreme UV) pulses have made possible direct access to electron motion on the atomic scale. These tools along with the techniques of laser-field-controlled XUV photoemission (“attosecond streaking”) and ultrafast UV-pump/XUV-probe spectroscopy have permitted real-time observation of electronic motion in experiments performed on atoms in the gas phase and of electronic transport processes in solids.
The purpose of this project is to to get insight into intra- and inter-molecular electron dynamics by extending attosecond spectroscopy to these processes. AEDMOS will allow control and real-time observation of a wide range of hyperfast fundamental processes directly on their natural, i.e. attosecond (1 as = EXP-18 s) time scale in molecules and molecular structures. In previous work we have successfully developed attosecond tools and techniques. By combining them with our experience in UHV technology and target preparation in a new beamline to be created in the framework of this project, we aim at investigating charge migration and transport in supramolecular assemblies, ultrafast electron dynamics in photocatalysis and dynamics of electron correlation in high-TC superconductors. These dynamics – of electronic excitation, exciton formation, relaxation, electron correlation and wave packet motion – are of broad scientific interest reaching from biomedicine to chemistry and physics and are pertinent to the development of many modern technologies including molecular electronics, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, light-to-chemical energy conversion and lossless energy transfer.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 375 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-05-01, End date: 2020-04-30
Project acronym BetaDropNMR
Project Ultra-sensitive NMR in liquids
Researcher (PI) Magdalena Kowalska-Wyrowska
Host Institution (HI) EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH
Country Switzerland
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2014-STG
Summary "The nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) is a versatile and powerful tool, especially in chemistry and in biology. However, its limited sensitivity and small amount of suitable probe nuclei pose severe constraints on the systems that may be explored.
This project aims at overcoming the above limitations by giving NMR an ultra-high sensitivity and by enlarging the NMR ""toolbox"" to dozens of nuclei across the periodic table. This will be achieved by applying the β-NMR method to the soft matter samples. The method relies on anisotropic emission of β particles in the decay of highly spin-polarized nuclei. This feature results in 10 orders of magnitude more sensitivity compared to conventional NMR and makes it applicable to elements which are otherwise difficult to investigate spectroscopically. β-NMR has been successfully applied in nuclear physics and material science in solid samples and high-vacuum environments, but never before to liquid samples placed in atmospheric pressure. With this novel approach I want to create a new universal and extremely sensitive tool to study various problems in biochemistry.
The first questions which I envisage addressing with this ground-breaking and versatile method concern the interaction of essential metal ions, which are spectroscopically silent in most techniques, Mg2+, Cu+, and Zn2+, with proteins and nucleic acids. The importance of these studies is well motivated by the fact that half of the proteins in our human body contain metal ions, but their interaction mechanism and factors influencing it are still not fully understood. In this respect NMR spectroscopy is of great help: it provides information on the structure, dynamics, and chemical properties of the metal complexes, by revealing the coordination number, oxidation state, bonding situation and electronic configuration of the interacting metal.
My long-term aim is to establish a firm basis for β-NMR in soft matter studies in biology, chemistry and physics."
Summary
"The nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) is a versatile and powerful tool, especially in chemistry and in biology. However, its limited sensitivity and small amount of suitable probe nuclei pose severe constraints on the systems that may be explored.
This project aims at overcoming the above limitations by giving NMR an ultra-high sensitivity and by enlarging the NMR ""toolbox"" to dozens of nuclei across the periodic table. This will be achieved by applying the β-NMR method to the soft matter samples. The method relies on anisotropic emission of β particles in the decay of highly spin-polarized nuclei. This feature results in 10 orders of magnitude more sensitivity compared to conventional NMR and makes it applicable to elements which are otherwise difficult to investigate spectroscopically. β-NMR has been successfully applied in nuclear physics and material science in solid samples and high-vacuum environments, but never before to liquid samples placed in atmospheric pressure. With this novel approach I want to create a new universal and extremely sensitive tool to study various problems in biochemistry.
The first questions which I envisage addressing with this ground-breaking and versatile method concern the interaction of essential metal ions, which are spectroscopically silent in most techniques, Mg2+, Cu+, and Zn2+, with proteins and nucleic acids. The importance of these studies is well motivated by the fact that half of the proteins in our human body contain metal ions, but their interaction mechanism and factors influencing it are still not fully understood. In this respect NMR spectroscopy is of great help: it provides information on the structure, dynamics, and chemical properties of the metal complexes, by revealing the coordination number, oxidation state, bonding situation and electronic configuration of the interacting metal.
My long-term aim is to establish a firm basis for β-NMR in soft matter studies in biology, chemistry and physics."
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-10-01, End date: 2022-03-31
Project acronym BlackHoleMaps
Project Mapping gravitational waves from collisions of black holes
Researcher (PI) Mark Douglas Hannam
Host Institution (HI) CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary Breakthroughs in numerical relativity in 2005 gave us unprecedented access to the strong-field regime of general relativity, making possible solutions of the full nonlinear Einstein equations for the merger of two black holes. Numerical relativity is also crucial to study fundamental physics with gravitational-wave (GW) observations: numerical solutions allow us to construct models that will be essential to extract physical information from observations in data from Advanced LIGO and Virgo, which will operate from late 2015. Complete signal models will allow us to follow up our first theoretical predictions of the nature of black-hole mergers with their first observational measurements.
The goal of this project is to advance numerical-relativity methods, deepen our understanding of black-hole mergers, and map the parameter space of binary configurations with the most comprehensive and systematic set of numerical calculations performed to date, in order to produce a complete GW signal model. Central to this problem is the purely general-relativistic effect of orbital precession. The inclusion of precession in waveform models is the most challenging and urgent theoretical problem in the build-up to GW astronomy. Simulations must cover a seven-dimensional parameter space of binary configurations, but their computational cost makes a naive covering unfeasible. This project capitalizes on a breakthrough preliminary model produced by my team in 2013, with the pragmatic goal of focussing on the physics that will be measurable with GW detectors over the next five years.
My team at Cardiff is uniquely placed to tackle this problem. Since 2005 I have been at the forefront of black-hole simulations and waveform modelling, and the Cardiff group is a world leader in analysis of GW detector data. This project will consolidate my team to make breakthroughs in strong-field gravity, astrophysics, fundamental physics and cosmology using GW observations.
Summary
Breakthroughs in numerical relativity in 2005 gave us unprecedented access to the strong-field regime of general relativity, making possible solutions of the full nonlinear Einstein equations for the merger of two black holes. Numerical relativity is also crucial to study fundamental physics with gravitational-wave (GW) observations: numerical solutions allow us to construct models that will be essential to extract physical information from observations in data from Advanced LIGO and Virgo, which will operate from late 2015. Complete signal models will allow us to follow up our first theoretical predictions of the nature of black-hole mergers with their first observational measurements.
The goal of this project is to advance numerical-relativity methods, deepen our understanding of black-hole mergers, and map the parameter space of binary configurations with the most comprehensive and systematic set of numerical calculations performed to date, in order to produce a complete GW signal model. Central to this problem is the purely general-relativistic effect of orbital precession. The inclusion of precession in waveform models is the most challenging and urgent theoretical problem in the build-up to GW astronomy. Simulations must cover a seven-dimensional parameter space of binary configurations, but their computational cost makes a naive covering unfeasible. This project capitalizes on a breakthrough preliminary model produced by my team in 2013, with the pragmatic goal of focussing on the physics that will be measurable with GW detectors over the next five years.
My team at Cardiff is uniquely placed to tackle this problem. Since 2005 I have been at the forefront of black-hole simulations and waveform modelling, and the Cardiff group is a world leader in analysis of GW detector data. This project will consolidate my team to make breakthroughs in strong-field gravity, astrophysics, fundamental physics and cosmology using GW observations.
Max ERC Funding
1 998 009 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-10-01, End date: 2022-03-31
Project acronym BSMFLEET
Project Challenging the Standard Model using an extended Physics program in LHCb
Researcher (PI) Diego Martinez Santos
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2014-STG
Summary We know that the Standard Model (SM) of Particle Physics is not the ultimate theory of Nature. It misses a quantum description of gravity, it does not offer any explanation to the composition of Dark Matter, and the matter-antimatter unbalance of the Universe is predicted to be significantly smaller than what we actually see. Those are fundamental questions that still need an answer. Alternative models to SM exist, based on ideas such as SuperSymmetry or extra dimensions, and are currently being tested at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. But after the first run of the LHC the SM is yet unbeaten at accelerators, which imposes severe constraints in Physics beyond the SM (BSM). From this point, I see two further working directions: on one side, we must increase our precision in the previous measurements in order to access smaller BSM effects. On the other hand; we should attack the SM with a new fleet of observables sensitive to different BSM scenarios, and make sure that we are making full use of what the LHC offers to us. I propose to create a team at Universidade de Santiago de Compostela that will expand the use of LHCb beyond its original design, while also reinforcing the core LHCb analyses in which I played a leading role so far. LHCb has up to now collected world-leading samples of decays of b and c quarks. My proposal implies to use LHCb for collecting and analysing also world-leading samples of rare s quarks complementary to those of NA62. In the rare s decays the SM sources of Flavour Violation have a stronger suppression than anywhere else, and therefore those decays are excellent places to search for new Flavour Violating sources that otherwise would be hidden behind the SM contributions. It is very important to do this now, since we may not have a similar opportunity in years. In addition, the team will also exploit LHCb to search for μμ resonances predicted in models like NMSSM, and for which LHCb also offers a unique potential that must be used.
Summary
We know that the Standard Model (SM) of Particle Physics is not the ultimate theory of Nature. It misses a quantum description of gravity, it does not offer any explanation to the composition of Dark Matter, and the matter-antimatter unbalance of the Universe is predicted to be significantly smaller than what we actually see. Those are fundamental questions that still need an answer. Alternative models to SM exist, based on ideas such as SuperSymmetry or extra dimensions, and are currently being tested at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. But after the first run of the LHC the SM is yet unbeaten at accelerators, which imposes severe constraints in Physics beyond the SM (BSM). From this point, I see two further working directions: on one side, we must increase our precision in the previous measurements in order to access smaller BSM effects. On the other hand; we should attack the SM with a new fleet of observables sensitive to different BSM scenarios, and make sure that we are making full use of what the LHC offers to us. I propose to create a team at Universidade de Santiago de Compostela that will expand the use of LHCb beyond its original design, while also reinforcing the core LHCb analyses in which I played a leading role so far. LHCb has up to now collected world-leading samples of decays of b and c quarks. My proposal implies to use LHCb for collecting and analysing also world-leading samples of rare s quarks complementary to those of NA62. In the rare s decays the SM sources of Flavour Violation have a stronger suppression than anywhere else, and therefore those decays are excellent places to search for new Flavour Violating sources that otherwise would be hidden behind the SM contributions. It is very important to do this now, since we may not have a similar opportunity in years. In addition, the team will also exploit LHCb to search for μμ resonances predicted in models like NMSSM, and for which LHCb also offers a unique potential that must be used.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 855 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-04-01, End date: 2020-03-31
Project acronym CurvedSusy
Project Dynamics of Supersymmetry in Curved Space
Researcher (PI) Guido Festuccia
Host Institution (HI) UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2014-STG
Summary Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework to explain quantitatively natural phenomena as diverse as the fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background, superconductivity, and elementary particle interactions in colliders. Even if we use quantum field theories in different settings, their structure and dynamics are still largely mysterious. Weakly coupled systems can be studied perturbatively, however many natural phenomena are characterized by strong self-interactions (e.g. high T superconductors, nuclear forces) and their analysis requires going beyond perturbation theory. Supersymmetric field theories are very interesting in this respect because they can be studied exactly even at strong coupling and their dynamics displays phenomena like confinement or the breaking of chiral symmetries that occur in nature and are very difficult to study analytically.
Recently it was realized that many interesting insights on the dynamics of supersymmetric field theories can be obtained by placing these theories in curved space preserving supersymmetry. These advances have opened new research avenues but also left many important questions unanswered. The aim of our research programme will be to clarify the dynamics of supersymmetric field theories in curved space and use this knowledge to establish new exact results for strongly coupled supersymmetric gauge theories. The novelty of our approach resides in the systematic use of the interplay between the physical properties of a supersymmetric theory and the geometrical properties of the space-time it lives in. The analytical results we will obtain, while derived for very symmetric theories, can be used as a guide in understanding the dynamics of many physical systems. Besides providing new tools to address the dynamics of quantum field theory at strong coupling this line of investigation could lead to new connections between Physics and Mathematics.
Summary
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework to explain quantitatively natural phenomena as diverse as the fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background, superconductivity, and elementary particle interactions in colliders. Even if we use quantum field theories in different settings, their structure and dynamics are still largely mysterious. Weakly coupled systems can be studied perturbatively, however many natural phenomena are characterized by strong self-interactions (e.g. high T superconductors, nuclear forces) and their analysis requires going beyond perturbation theory. Supersymmetric field theories are very interesting in this respect because they can be studied exactly even at strong coupling and their dynamics displays phenomena like confinement or the breaking of chiral symmetries that occur in nature and are very difficult to study analytically.
Recently it was realized that many interesting insights on the dynamics of supersymmetric field theories can be obtained by placing these theories in curved space preserving supersymmetry. These advances have opened new research avenues but also left many important questions unanswered. The aim of our research programme will be to clarify the dynamics of supersymmetric field theories in curved space and use this knowledge to establish new exact results for strongly coupled supersymmetric gauge theories. The novelty of our approach resides in the systematic use of the interplay between the physical properties of a supersymmetric theory and the geometrical properties of the space-time it lives in. The analytical results we will obtain, while derived for very symmetric theories, can be used as a guide in understanding the dynamics of many physical systems. Besides providing new tools to address the dynamics of quantum field theory at strong coupling this line of investigation could lead to new connections between Physics and Mathematics.
Max ERC Funding
1 145 879 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-09-01, End date: 2020-08-31
Project acronym CutLoops
Project Loop amplitudes in quantum field theory
Researcher (PI) Ruth Britto
Host Institution (HI) THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD, OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN
Country Ireland
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary The traditional formulation of relativistic quantum theory is ill-equipped to handle the range of difficult computations needed to describe particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) within a suitable time frame. Yet, recent work shows that probability amplitudes in quantum gauge field theories, such as those describing the Standard Model and its extensions, take surprisingly simple forms. The simplicity indicates deep structure in gauge theory that has already led to dramatic computational improvements, but remains to be fully understood. For precision calculations and investigations of the deep structure of gauge theory, a comprehensive method for computing multi-loop amplitudes systematically and efficiently must be found.
The goal of this proposal is to construct a new and complete approach to computing amplitudes from a detailed understanding of their singularities, based on prior successes of so-called on-shell methods combined with the latest developments in the mathematics of Feynman integrals. Scattering processes relevant to the LHC and to formal investigations of quantum field theory will be computed within the new framework.
Summary
The traditional formulation of relativistic quantum theory is ill-equipped to handle the range of difficult computations needed to describe particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) within a suitable time frame. Yet, recent work shows that probability amplitudes in quantum gauge field theories, such as those describing the Standard Model and its extensions, take surprisingly simple forms. The simplicity indicates deep structure in gauge theory that has already led to dramatic computational improvements, but remains to be fully understood. For precision calculations and investigations of the deep structure of gauge theory, a comprehensive method for computing multi-loop amplitudes systematically and efficiently must be found.
The goal of this proposal is to construct a new and complete approach to computing amplitudes from a detailed understanding of their singularities, based on prior successes of so-called on-shell methods combined with the latest developments in the mathematics of Feynman integrals. Scattering processes relevant to the LHC and to formal investigations of quantum field theory will be computed within the new framework.
Max ERC Funding
1 954 065 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-10-01, End date: 2021-08-31
Project acronym DARKHORIZONS
Project Dark Matter and the Early Universe in the LHC Era
Researcher (PI) Malcolm Douglas Stephen Fairbairn
Host Institution (HI) KING'S COLLEGE LONDON
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary The discovery of a Higgs like particle in its first science run shows that we are truly in the LHC era and when collisions resume we will learn more about the physics of the TeV scale.
There are two main areas at the interface of particle physics and cosmology that the LHC will shed light on - If dark matter is a thermal relic then we naturally expect new particle physics close to this TeV energy range. The LHC will also help us learn about the nature of the electroweak sector and its behaviour during the early Universe.
In this proposal we present a body of work which will combine information from the LHC with dark matter experiments and astronomical observations to understand both the nature of dark matter and the role of the Higgs sector in the first moments after the big bang.
We will investigate dark matter by developing a new categorisation of interactions between the dark sector and the standard model. This will enable us to perform detailed collider and direct detection phenomenology in a more comprehensive way than current approaches while avoiding the problems which occur when those methods breakdown. Different schemes for mitigating against the upcoming problem of the neutrino floor in direct detection experiments will also be investigated.
Many of the keys to understanding the particle nature of dark matter lie in astrophysics, and we will develop new techniques to understand the distribution of dark matter in the Universe, its behaviour and density in distant galaxies and its velocity dispersion in the Solar system, critical to predict event rates in detectors.
We will use LHC and CMB data to answer important questions - Can the electroweak phase transition be first order? What is the role of the Higgs field during inflation? Can we use the electroweak sector to infer information about physics at high energy scale or the nature of inflation?
The interdisciplinary experience of the PI will ensure the ambitious project is a success.
Summary
The discovery of a Higgs like particle in its first science run shows that we are truly in the LHC era and when collisions resume we will learn more about the physics of the TeV scale.
There are two main areas at the interface of particle physics and cosmology that the LHC will shed light on - If dark matter is a thermal relic then we naturally expect new particle physics close to this TeV energy range. The LHC will also help us learn about the nature of the electroweak sector and its behaviour during the early Universe.
In this proposal we present a body of work which will combine information from the LHC with dark matter experiments and astronomical observations to understand both the nature of dark matter and the role of the Higgs sector in the first moments after the big bang.
We will investigate dark matter by developing a new categorisation of interactions between the dark sector and the standard model. This will enable us to perform detailed collider and direct detection phenomenology in a more comprehensive way than current approaches while avoiding the problems which occur when those methods breakdown. Different schemes for mitigating against the upcoming problem of the neutrino floor in direct detection experiments will also be investigated.
Many of the keys to understanding the particle nature of dark matter lie in astrophysics, and we will develop new techniques to understand the distribution of dark matter in the Universe, its behaviour and density in distant galaxies and its velocity dispersion in the Solar system, critical to predict event rates in detectors.
We will use LHC and CMB data to answer important questions - Can the electroweak phase transition be first order? What is the role of the Higgs field during inflation? Can we use the electroweak sector to infer information about physics at high energy scale or the nature of inflation?
The interdisciplinary experience of the PI will ensure the ambitious project is a success.
Max ERC Funding
1 947 665 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-09-01, End date: 2021-02-28
Project acronym DIVI
Project Direct Visualization of Light-Driven Atomic-Scale Carrier Dynamics in Space and Time
Researcher (PI) Peter Gerhard Baum
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT KONSTANZ
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary Electronics is rapidly speeding up. Ultimately, miniaturization will reach atomic dimensions and the switching speed will reach optical frequencies. This ultimate regime of lightwave electronics, where atomic-scale charges are controlled by few-cycle laser fields, holds promise to advance information processing technology from today’s microwave frequencies to the thousand times faster regime of optical light fields. All materials, including dielectrics, semiconductors and molecular crystals, react to such field oscillations with an intricate interplay between atomic-scale charge displacements (polarizations) and collective carrier motion on the nanometer scale (currents). This entanglement provides a rich set of potential mechanisms for switching and control. However, our ability to eventually realize lightwave electronics, or even to make first steps, will critically depend on our ability to actually measure electronic motion in the relevant environment: within/around atoms. The most fundamental approach would be a direct visualization in space and time. This project, if realized, will offer that: a spatiotemporal recording of electronic motion with sub-atomic spatial resolution and sub-optical-cycle time resolution, i.e. picometers and few-femtoseconds/attoseconds. Drawing on our unique combination of expertise covering electron diffraction and few-cycle laser optics likewise, we will replace the photon pulses of conventional attosecond spectroscopy with freely propagating single-electron pulses at picometer de Broglie wavelength, compressed in time by sculpted laser fields. Stroboscopic diffraction/microscopy will provide, after playback of the image sequence, a direct visualization of fundamental electronic activity in space and time. Profound study of atomic-scale light-matter interaction in simple and complex materials will provide a comprehensive picture of the fundamental physics allowing or limiting the high-speed electronics of the future.
Summary
Electronics is rapidly speeding up. Ultimately, miniaturization will reach atomic dimensions and the switching speed will reach optical frequencies. This ultimate regime of lightwave electronics, where atomic-scale charges are controlled by few-cycle laser fields, holds promise to advance information processing technology from today’s microwave frequencies to the thousand times faster regime of optical light fields. All materials, including dielectrics, semiconductors and molecular crystals, react to such field oscillations with an intricate interplay between atomic-scale charge displacements (polarizations) and collective carrier motion on the nanometer scale (currents). This entanglement provides a rich set of potential mechanisms for switching and control. However, our ability to eventually realize lightwave electronics, or even to make first steps, will critically depend on our ability to actually measure electronic motion in the relevant environment: within/around atoms. The most fundamental approach would be a direct visualization in space and time. This project, if realized, will offer that: a spatiotemporal recording of electronic motion with sub-atomic spatial resolution and sub-optical-cycle time resolution, i.e. picometers and few-femtoseconds/attoseconds. Drawing on our unique combination of expertise covering electron diffraction and few-cycle laser optics likewise, we will replace the photon pulses of conventional attosecond spectroscopy with freely propagating single-electron pulses at picometer de Broglie wavelength, compressed in time by sculpted laser fields. Stroboscopic diffraction/microscopy will provide, after playback of the image sequence, a direct visualization of fundamental electronic activity in space and time. Profound study of atomic-scale light-matter interaction in simple and complex materials will provide a comprehensive picture of the fundamental physics allowing or limiting the high-speed electronics of the future.
Max ERC Funding
1 992 083 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-08-01, End date: 2020-07-31
Project acronym DOQS
Project Many-Body Physics with Driven Open Quantum Systems of Atoms, Light and Solids
Researcher (PI) Sebastian Ludwig Diehl
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAET ZU KOELN
Country Germany
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary Understanding the quantum many-particle problem is one of the grand challenges of modern physics. While
tremendous progresses have been made over the past decades in thermodynamic equilibrium, nonequilibrium
many-body quantum physics is still in its infancy. Strong motivation for addressing this
challenge comes from recent experimental developments in diverse areas, ranging from cold atomic gases
over light-driven semiconductors to microcavity arrays. This moves systems into the focus, which are
located on the interface of quantum optics, many-body physics and statistical mechanics. They share in
common that coherent and driven-dissipative quantum dynamics occur on an equal footing, creating
scenarios without immediate counterpart in traditional condensed matter systems. This project has the goal of
pushing forward the understanding of such driven open quantum systems.
To this end, we follow a combined approach structured around three key challenges. (i) We aim to identify
novel macroscopic phenomena, which manifestly witness microscopic non-equilibrium conditions. This
concerns non-thermal stationary states, where we will shape an understanding of non-equilibrium phase
diagrams and the associated phase transitions, in particular constructing a notion of driven quantum
criticality. But it also encompasses the identification of new universal regimes in open system time
evolution. Finally, we will extend the concept of topological order to a broader non-equilibrium context,
motivated by quantum information applications. (ii) We will create new theoretical tools, in particular
advancing a flexible Keldysh dynamical quantum field theory for driven open quantum systems. (iii) We will
address a broad spectrum of cutting edge experimental platforms in view of exploring our theoretical
scenarios, and to foster mutual cross-fertilization. With an emphasis on cold atomic gases, this program also
comprises exciton-polariton condensates and coupled circuit QED architectures.
Summary
Understanding the quantum many-particle problem is one of the grand challenges of modern physics. While
tremendous progresses have been made over the past decades in thermodynamic equilibrium, nonequilibrium
many-body quantum physics is still in its infancy. Strong motivation for addressing this
challenge comes from recent experimental developments in diverse areas, ranging from cold atomic gases
over light-driven semiconductors to microcavity arrays. This moves systems into the focus, which are
located on the interface of quantum optics, many-body physics and statistical mechanics. They share in
common that coherent and driven-dissipative quantum dynamics occur on an equal footing, creating
scenarios without immediate counterpart in traditional condensed matter systems. This project has the goal of
pushing forward the understanding of such driven open quantum systems.
To this end, we follow a combined approach structured around three key challenges. (i) We aim to identify
novel macroscopic phenomena, which manifestly witness microscopic non-equilibrium conditions. This
concerns non-thermal stationary states, where we will shape an understanding of non-equilibrium phase
diagrams and the associated phase transitions, in particular constructing a notion of driven quantum
criticality. But it also encompasses the identification of new universal regimes in open system time
evolution. Finally, we will extend the concept of topological order to a broader non-equilibrium context,
motivated by quantum information applications. (ii) We will create new theoretical tools, in particular
advancing a flexible Keldysh dynamical quantum field theory for driven open quantum systems. (iii) We will
address a broad spectrum of cutting edge experimental platforms in view of exploring our theoretical
scenarios, and to foster mutual cross-fertilization. With an emphasis on cold atomic gases, this program also
comprises exciton-polariton condensates and coupled circuit QED architectures.
Max ERC Funding
1 676 424 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-02-01, End date: 2022-01-31
