Project acronym AccelOnChip
Project Attosecond physics, free electron quantum optics, photon generation and radiation biology with the accelerator on a photonic chip
Researcher (PI) Peter HOMMELHOFF
Host Institution (HI) FRIEDRICH-ALEXANDER-UNIVERSITAET ERLANGEN-NUERNBERG
Country Germany
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2019-ADG
Summary Resting on our demonstration of laser-driven nanophotonics-based particle acceleration, we propose to build a miniature particle accelerator on a photonic chip, comprising high gradient acceleration and fully optical field-based electron control. The resulting electron beam has outstanding space-time properties: It is bunched on sub-femtosecond timescales, is nanometres wide and coherent. We aim at utilizing this new form of all-optical free electron control in a broad research program with five exciting objectives:
(1) Build a 5 MeV accelerator on a photonic chip in a shoebox-sized vessel,
(2) Perform ultrafast diffraction with attosecond and even zeptosecond electron pulses,
(3) Generate photons on chip at various wavelengths (IR to x-ray),
(4) Couple quantum-coherently electron wavepackets and light in multiple interaction zones, and
(5) Conduct radiobiological experiments, akin to the new FLASH radiotherapy and Microbeam cell treat-ment.
AccelOnChip will enable five science objectives potentially shifting the horizons of today’s knowledge and capabilities around ultrafast electron imaging, photon generation, (quantum) electron-light coupling, and radiotherapy dramatically. Moreover, AccelOnChip promises to democratize accelerators: the accelerator on a chip will be based on inexpensive nanofabrication technology. We foresee that every university lab can have access to particle and light sources, today only accessible at large facilities. Last, AccelOnChip will take decisive steps towards an ultracompact electron beam radiation device to be put into the tip of a catheter, a potentially disruptive radiation therapy device facilitating new treatment forms. AccelOnChip is a cross-disciplinary high risk/high return project combining and benefiting nanophotonics, accelerator science, ultra-fast physics, materials science, coherent light-matter coupling, light generation, and radiology - and is based on my group’s unique expertise acquired in recent years.
Summary
Resting on our demonstration of laser-driven nanophotonics-based particle acceleration, we propose to build a miniature particle accelerator on a photonic chip, comprising high gradient acceleration and fully optical field-based electron control. The resulting electron beam has outstanding space-time properties: It is bunched on sub-femtosecond timescales, is nanometres wide and coherent. We aim at utilizing this new form of all-optical free electron control in a broad research program with five exciting objectives:
(1) Build a 5 MeV accelerator on a photonic chip in a shoebox-sized vessel,
(2) Perform ultrafast diffraction with attosecond and even zeptosecond electron pulses,
(3) Generate photons on chip at various wavelengths (IR to x-ray),
(4) Couple quantum-coherently electron wavepackets and light in multiple interaction zones, and
(5) Conduct radiobiological experiments, akin to the new FLASH radiotherapy and Microbeam cell treat-ment.
AccelOnChip will enable five science objectives potentially shifting the horizons of today’s knowledge and capabilities around ultrafast electron imaging, photon generation, (quantum) electron-light coupling, and radiotherapy dramatically. Moreover, AccelOnChip promises to democratize accelerators: the accelerator on a chip will be based on inexpensive nanofabrication technology. We foresee that every university lab can have access to particle and light sources, today only accessible at large facilities. Last, AccelOnChip will take decisive steps towards an ultracompact electron beam radiation device to be put into the tip of a catheter, a potentially disruptive radiation therapy device facilitating new treatment forms. AccelOnChip is a cross-disciplinary high risk/high return project combining and benefiting nanophotonics, accelerator science, ultra-fast physics, materials science, coherent light-matter coupling, light generation, and radiology - and is based on my group’s unique expertise acquired in recent years.
Max ERC Funding
2 498 508 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-10-01, End date: 2025-09-30
Project acronym Ampl2Einstein
Project Scattering Amplitudes for Gravitational Wave Theory
Researcher (PI) David Kosower
Host Institution (HI) COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
Country France
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2019-ADG
Summary Four years ago, the LIGO/Virgo observation of a black-hole binary merger
heralded the dawn of gravitational-wave astronomy. The promise of future
observations calls for an invigorated effort to underpin the theoretical
framework and supply the predictions needed for detecting future signals and
exploiting them for astronomical and astrophysical studies. Ampl2Einstein
will take ideas and techniques from recent years' dramatic advances in Quantum
Scattering Amplitudes, creating new tools for taking their classical limits
and using it for gravitational physics. The powerful `square root' relation
between gravity and a generalization of electrodynamics known as Yang--Mills
theory will play a key role in making this route simpler than direct classical
calculation. We will transfer these ideas to classical General Relativity to
compute new perturbative orders, spin-dependent observables, and the
dependence on the internal structure of merging objects. We will exploit
symmetries and structure we find in order to extrapolate to even higher orders
in the gravitational theory. We will make such calculations vastly simpler,
pushing the known frontier much further in perturbation theory and in
complexity of observables. These advances will give rise to a new generation
of gravitational-wave templates, dramatically extending the observing power of
detectors. They will allow observers to see weaker signals and will be key to
resolving long-standing puzzles about the internal structure of neutron stars.
We will apply novel technologies developed for scattering amplitudes to
bound-state calculations in both quantum and classical theory. Our research
will also lead to a deeper understanding of the classical limit of quantum
field theory, relevant to gravitational-wave observations and beyond. The
transfer of ideas to the new domain of General Relativity will dramatically
enhance our ability to reveal new physics encoded in the subtlest of
gravitational-wave signals.
Summary
Four years ago, the LIGO/Virgo observation of a black-hole binary merger
heralded the dawn of gravitational-wave astronomy. The promise of future
observations calls for an invigorated effort to underpin the theoretical
framework and supply the predictions needed for detecting future signals and
exploiting them for astronomical and astrophysical studies. Ampl2Einstein
will take ideas and techniques from recent years' dramatic advances in Quantum
Scattering Amplitudes, creating new tools for taking their classical limits
and using it for gravitational physics. The powerful `square root' relation
between gravity and a generalization of electrodynamics known as Yang--Mills
theory will play a key role in making this route simpler than direct classical
calculation. We will transfer these ideas to classical General Relativity to
compute new perturbative orders, spin-dependent observables, and the
dependence on the internal structure of merging objects. We will exploit
symmetries and structure we find in order to extrapolate to even higher orders
in the gravitational theory. We will make such calculations vastly simpler,
pushing the known frontier much further in perturbation theory and in
complexity of observables. These advances will give rise to a new generation
of gravitational-wave templates, dramatically extending the observing power of
detectors. They will allow observers to see weaker signals and will be key to
resolving long-standing puzzles about the internal structure of neutron stars.
We will apply novel technologies developed for scattering amplitudes to
bound-state calculations in both quantum and classical theory. Our research
will also lead to a deeper understanding of the classical limit of quantum
field theory, relevant to gravitational-wave observations and beyond. The
transfer of ideas to the new domain of General Relativity will dramatically
enhance our ability to reveal new physics encoded in the subtlest of
gravitational-wave signals.
Max ERC Funding
2 372 571 €
Duration
Start date: 2021-01-01, End date: 2025-12-31
Project acronym ATTIDA
Project Attosecond space-time imaging of coherent quantum dynamics
Researcher (PI) Michael Krueger
Host Institution (HI) TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Country Israel
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Coherence is a fundamental property of quantum mechanics, characterizing phase correlations of light or matter waves. It is at the heart of many physical phenomena, such as the creation of electron-hole pairs in the photovoltaic effect or the fast migration of electronic charge within a molecule. In order to study coherent electron dynamics, extremely high spatial and temporal resolving power is required, which is highly challenging. Well-established imaging methods like scanning tunneling microscopy achieve atomic-scale spatial resolution, while lacking ultrafast time resolution. At the temporal frontier, I recently bridged the gap between attosecond spectroscopy (1as = 10-18 s) and the nano-scale. The goal of my research program is to unlock the full potential of attosecond spectroscopy by achieving simultaneous spatial and temporal probing of ultrafast coherent phenomena.
The proposed approach relies on the introduction of attosecond spectroscopy into scanning tunneling microscopy and electron holography. The spatial resolution of these methods is based on nano-scale needle tips, serving as local probes or as point-like electron sources. My team and I will develop attosecond temporal gates at the tips, enabling pump-probe spectroscopy. The resulting “pump” – triggering the coherent dynamics – and the “probe” – measuring its evolution – are localized in space and time, with attosecond and sub-nanometer precision. This combination will allow watching charge dynamics in a single molecule and observing multi-electron dynamics in nanostructures with atomic-scale site selectivity, as they evolve in real time.
My approach has the potential to shed new light on quantum optics, plasmonics, molecular electronics, surface science and femtochemistry. In particular, my team and I will study quantum tunneling on the atomic level, charge migration in organic molecules and electron-hole dynamics in low-dimensional solid-state systems.
Summary
Coherence is a fundamental property of quantum mechanics, characterizing phase correlations of light or matter waves. It is at the heart of many physical phenomena, such as the creation of electron-hole pairs in the photovoltaic effect or the fast migration of electronic charge within a molecule. In order to study coherent electron dynamics, extremely high spatial and temporal resolving power is required, which is highly challenging. Well-established imaging methods like scanning tunneling microscopy achieve atomic-scale spatial resolution, while lacking ultrafast time resolution. At the temporal frontier, I recently bridged the gap between attosecond spectroscopy (1as = 10-18 s) and the nano-scale. The goal of my research program is to unlock the full potential of attosecond spectroscopy by achieving simultaneous spatial and temporal probing of ultrafast coherent phenomena.
The proposed approach relies on the introduction of attosecond spectroscopy into scanning tunneling microscopy and electron holography. The spatial resolution of these methods is based on nano-scale needle tips, serving as local probes or as point-like electron sources. My team and I will develop attosecond temporal gates at the tips, enabling pump-probe spectroscopy. The resulting “pump” – triggering the coherent dynamics – and the “probe” – measuring its evolution – are localized in space and time, with attosecond and sub-nanometer precision. This combination will allow watching charge dynamics in a single molecule and observing multi-electron dynamics in nanostructures with atomic-scale site selectivity, as they evolve in real time.
My approach has the potential to shed new light on quantum optics, plasmonics, molecular electronics, surface science and femtochemistry. In particular, my team and I will study quantum tunneling on the atomic level, charge migration in organic molecules and electron-hole dynamics in low-dimensional solid-state systems.
Max ERC Funding
1 690 323 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-01-01, End date: 2024-12-31
Project acronym ATTO-GRAM
Project Attosecond Gated Holography
Researcher (PI) Nirit DUDOVICH
Host Institution (HI) WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Country Israel
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2019-COG
Summary Strong-field-driven electric currents in condensed-matter systems open new frontiers in manipulating electronic and optical properties on petahertz frequency scales. In this regime, new challenges arise as the role of the band structure and the quantum nature of ultrafast electron-hole dynamics have yet to be resolved. While petahertz spectroscopy and control of condensed-matter systems holds great potential, revealing the underlying attosecond (1 attosecond – 10(-18) second) dynamics of electrons in solids is still in its infancy.
The proposed research aims at the development of a state-of-the-art attosecond metrology scheme that integrates the concept of holography with attosecond gating. Attosecond-gated holography will provide direct insight into the instantaneous evolution of the complex quantum wavefunctions in solid-state systems. This scheme will enable us to follow the electron-hole wavepacket evolution during ultrafast band structure deformation, probing a range of fundamental processes – from sub-cycle phase transitions to ultrafast dynamics in correlated systems. In ATTO-GRAM, we will establish attosecond-gated holography and then apply it to study field-induced transient band structures, resolve electron-hole dynamics during lattice deformation and reveal attosecond phenomena in strongly correlated systems.
Integrating state-of-the-art experimental schemes, supported by advanced theoretical analysis, will lead to the discoveries of new phenomena previously deemed inaccessible. The impact of the proposed research reaches beyond attosecond metrology – opening new routes in the establishment of compact solid-state extreme ultraviolet sources, petahertz electronics and optically induced metamaterials.
Summary
Strong-field-driven electric currents in condensed-matter systems open new frontiers in manipulating electronic and optical properties on petahertz frequency scales. In this regime, new challenges arise as the role of the band structure and the quantum nature of ultrafast electron-hole dynamics have yet to be resolved. While petahertz spectroscopy and control of condensed-matter systems holds great potential, revealing the underlying attosecond (1 attosecond – 10(-18) second) dynamics of electrons in solids is still in its infancy.
The proposed research aims at the development of a state-of-the-art attosecond metrology scheme that integrates the concept of holography with attosecond gating. Attosecond-gated holography will provide direct insight into the instantaneous evolution of the complex quantum wavefunctions in solid-state systems. This scheme will enable us to follow the electron-hole wavepacket evolution during ultrafast band structure deformation, probing a range of fundamental processes – from sub-cycle phase transitions to ultrafast dynamics in correlated systems. In ATTO-GRAM, we will establish attosecond-gated holography and then apply it to study field-induced transient band structures, resolve electron-hole dynamics during lattice deformation and reveal attosecond phenomena in strongly correlated systems.
Integrating state-of-the-art experimental schemes, supported by advanced theoretical analysis, will lead to the discoveries of new phenomena previously deemed inaccessible. The impact of the proposed research reaches beyond attosecond metrology – opening new routes in the establishment of compact solid-state extreme ultraviolet sources, petahertz electronics and optically induced metamaterials.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-01-01, End date: 2024-12-31
Project acronym ATTOSTRUCTURA
Project Structured attosecond pulses for ultrafast nanoscience
Researcher (PI) Carlos HERNANDEZ-GARCIA
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSIDAD DE SALAMANCA
Country Spain
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Light is one of today’s most powerful tools for exploriLight is one of today’s most powerful tools for exploring nature at the frontier of the human knowledge. The rapid development of laser technology allow us today to generate ultrashort pulses of coherent structured light: light fields with custom spatial and temporal properties, such as intensity, phase and angular momentum. The later one represents one of the most interesting light properties nowadays, as topological light beams carrying angular momentum interact with matter differently, introducing mechanical motion to micro and nano-structures, and affecting fundamental excitation rules. High-order harmonic generation (HHG) stands as a unique mechanism to provide coherent flashes of light with outstanding properties: its radiation spectrum expands from the vacuum ultraviolet to the soft x-rays; it can be synthesized in pulses as short as several attoseconds (10^-18 seconds): and it can be structured in its angular momentum properties. This proposal represents a timely opportunity to explore the ground-breaking opportunities offered by attosecond structured x-ray sources. It conveys computing light-matter interaction in extreme conditions, which requires an extraordinary effort in the elaboration of new theoretical tools to design, propose and guide future experiments at the frontier of ultrafast science. We shall pioneer the new scenario of angular momenta in structured ultrashort x-rays –the most complex coherent pulses to date–. It is not difficult to envision a new era in ultrafast nanotechnology that makes use of these x-ray sources. In particular we shall pioneer their application to nanoscience and ultrafast magnetism. We aim to establish the grounding principles of attomagnetism, taking advantage of the unique opportunity offered by structured light pulses to induce pure attosecond magnetic fields, which could set the precedents of high-rate magnetic recording through ultrafast magnetization reversal.
Summary
Light is one of today’s most powerful tools for exploriLight is one of today’s most powerful tools for exploring nature at the frontier of the human knowledge. The rapid development of laser technology allow us today to generate ultrashort pulses of coherent structured light: light fields with custom spatial and temporal properties, such as intensity, phase and angular momentum. The later one represents one of the most interesting light properties nowadays, as topological light beams carrying angular momentum interact with matter differently, introducing mechanical motion to micro and nano-structures, and affecting fundamental excitation rules. High-order harmonic generation (HHG) stands as a unique mechanism to provide coherent flashes of light with outstanding properties: its radiation spectrum expands from the vacuum ultraviolet to the soft x-rays; it can be synthesized in pulses as short as several attoseconds (10^-18 seconds): and it can be structured in its angular momentum properties. This proposal represents a timely opportunity to explore the ground-breaking opportunities offered by attosecond structured x-ray sources. It conveys computing light-matter interaction in extreme conditions, which requires an extraordinary effort in the elaboration of new theoretical tools to design, propose and guide future experiments at the frontier of ultrafast science. We shall pioneer the new scenario of angular momenta in structured ultrashort x-rays –the most complex coherent pulses to date–. It is not difficult to envision a new era in ultrafast nanotechnology that makes use of these x-ray sources. In particular we shall pioneer their application to nanoscience and ultrafast magnetism. We aim to establish the grounding principles of attomagnetism, taking advantage of the unique opportunity offered by structured light pulses to induce pure attosecond magnetic fields, which could set the precedents of high-rate magnetic recording through ultrafast magnetization reversal.
Max ERC Funding
1 425 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-03-01, End date: 2025-02-28
Project acronym AuDACE
Project Attosecond Dynamics in Advanced Materials
Researcher (PI) Matteo LUCCHINI
Host Institution (HI) POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Country Italy
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary Speed and performances of contemporary digital electronics are limited by the available device architectures and heat dissipation. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are emerging as one of the main candidates for designing new structures capable to overcome the current device limitations and foster the establishment of the electronics of the future. Due to the electron confinement in two directions, they are characterised by exotic physical, electronic and chemical properties, which are neither fully investigated nor understood. In particular, the lack of suitable tools hinders the possibility to study the ultrafast processes unfolding during light-matter interaction. Nevertheless, a clear understanding is required in order to leverage the unique properties of 2D materials. AuDACE aims to enter this unexplored region and investigate ultrafast electron, exciton and spin dynamics happening in advanced materials on time scales below few femtoseconds with unprecedented and ground-breaking possible outcome.
To reach this ambitious goal AuDACE will go beyond the state of the art and develop an innovative pump-probe beamline for transient absorption and reflectivity measurements based on arbitrarily polarised attosecond pulses in a two-foci geometry. Once the experimental techniques are established, my team and I will concentrate on ultrafast exciton dynamics in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (ML-TMDCs). In the final phase, AuDACE will focus on a new class of materials such as ferromagnetic ML-TMDCs to investigate the elusive physical mechanism responsible for ultrafast spin and magnetic dynamics. For the first time, a comprehensive investigation of these phenomena will become feasible on these little studied time scales. Due to the wide spectrum of relevant applications for 2D materials, I expect the outcome of AuDACE to have a crucial impact on the development of many key technological areas like optoelectronics, spintronics, valleytronics and photovoltaics.
Summary
Speed and performances of contemporary digital electronics are limited by the available device architectures and heat dissipation. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are emerging as one of the main candidates for designing new structures capable to overcome the current device limitations and foster the establishment of the electronics of the future. Due to the electron confinement in two directions, they are characterised by exotic physical, electronic and chemical properties, which are neither fully investigated nor understood. In particular, the lack of suitable tools hinders the possibility to study the ultrafast processes unfolding during light-matter interaction. Nevertheless, a clear understanding is required in order to leverage the unique properties of 2D materials. AuDACE aims to enter this unexplored region and investigate ultrafast electron, exciton and spin dynamics happening in advanced materials on time scales below few femtoseconds with unprecedented and ground-breaking possible outcome.
To reach this ambitious goal AuDACE will go beyond the state of the art and develop an innovative pump-probe beamline for transient absorption and reflectivity measurements based on arbitrarily polarised attosecond pulses in a two-foci geometry. Once the experimental techniques are established, my team and I will concentrate on ultrafast exciton dynamics in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (ML-TMDCs). In the final phase, AuDACE will focus on a new class of materials such as ferromagnetic ML-TMDCs to investigate the elusive physical mechanism responsible for ultrafast spin and magnetic dynamics. For the first time, a comprehensive investigation of these phenomena will become feasible on these little studied time scales. Due to the wide spectrum of relevant applications for 2D materials, I expect the outcome of AuDACE to have a crucial impact on the development of many key technological areas like optoelectronics, spintronics, valleytronics and photovoltaics.
Max ERC Funding
1 466 250 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-02-01, End date: 2025-01-31
Project acronym BARB
Project Biomedical Applications of Radioactive ion Beams
Researcher (PI) Marco DURANTE
Host Institution (HI) GSI HELMHOLTZZENTRUM FUER SCHWERIONENFORSCHUNG GMBH
Country Germany
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2019-ADG
Summary Cancer remains one of the main causes of death worldwide. In 2018, >50% cancer patients in Europe underwent radiotherapy. While over 80% were treated using high-energy X-rays, the number of patients receiving accelerated protons or heavy ions (charged particle therapy: CPT) is rapidly growing, with nearly 200,000 patients treated up till now. Although CPT offers a better depth-dose distribution compared to common X-ray based techniques, range uncertainty and poor image guidance still limit its application.
Improving accuracy is key to broadening the applicability of CPT. In BARB, we will open a new paradigm in the clinical use of CPT by using high-intensity radioactive ion beams (RIB), produced at GSI/FAIR-phase-0 in Darmstadt, for simultaneous treatment and visualization. This will reduce range uncertainty and extend the applicability of CPT to treatment of small lesions (e.g. metastasis and heart ventricles) with unprecedented precision.
The Facility for Antiprotons and Ion Research (FAIR) is currently under construction at GSI. RIB are one of the main tools for basic nuclear physics studies in the new facility. As part of the ongoing FAIR-phase-0, an intensity upgrade will increase the light ion currents in the existing SIS18 synchrotron. Within this project BARB, we will study four b+ emitters (10,11C, and 14,15O) and build an innovative hybrid detector for online positron emission tomography (PET) and g-ray imaging. This novel detector will acquire both prompt g-rays during the beam-on phase of the pulsed synchrotron beam delivery, and the delayed emission from b+ annihilation during the pulse intervals. The technique will be further validated in vivo by applying it to treatment of small tumors in a mouse model.
BARB will exploit the potential of the Bragg peak in medicine. The project will tweak RIB production in nuclear physics and validate the therapeutic potential of RIB therapy in vivo by empowering simultaneous treatment and visualization.
Summary
Cancer remains one of the main causes of death worldwide. In 2018, >50% cancer patients in Europe underwent radiotherapy. While over 80% were treated using high-energy X-rays, the number of patients receiving accelerated protons or heavy ions (charged particle therapy: CPT) is rapidly growing, with nearly 200,000 patients treated up till now. Although CPT offers a better depth-dose distribution compared to common X-ray based techniques, range uncertainty and poor image guidance still limit its application.
Improving accuracy is key to broadening the applicability of CPT. In BARB, we will open a new paradigm in the clinical use of CPT by using high-intensity radioactive ion beams (RIB), produced at GSI/FAIR-phase-0 in Darmstadt, for simultaneous treatment and visualization. This will reduce range uncertainty and extend the applicability of CPT to treatment of small lesions (e.g. metastasis and heart ventricles) with unprecedented precision.
The Facility for Antiprotons and Ion Research (FAIR) is currently under construction at GSI. RIB are one of the main tools for basic nuclear physics studies in the new facility. As part of the ongoing FAIR-phase-0, an intensity upgrade will increase the light ion currents in the existing SIS18 synchrotron. Within this project BARB, we will study four b+ emitters (10,11C, and 14,15O) and build an innovative hybrid detector for online positron emission tomography (PET) and g-ray imaging. This novel detector will acquire both prompt g-rays during the beam-on phase of the pulsed synchrotron beam delivery, and the delayed emission from b+ annihilation during the pulse intervals. The technique will be further validated in vivo by applying it to treatment of small tumors in a mouse model.
BARB will exploit the potential of the Bragg peak in medicine. The project will tweak RIB production in nuclear physics and validate the therapeutic potential of RIB therapy in vivo by empowering simultaneous treatment and visualization.
Max ERC Funding
2 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-10-01, End date: 2025-09-30
Project acronym Beauty2Charm
Project Precision tests of the Standard Model using Beauty to Charm decays
Researcher (PI) Conor Thomas Fitzpatrick
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary The present matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe cannot be explained by the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. I propose to look for the presence of new physics beyond the SM in Charge-Parity (CP) asymmetries using beauty mesons decaying to charmed mesons (Beauty2Charm). A unique feature of these decays is that the SM contribution can be precisely measured using relations between ten decay modes all of which can be measured with in a coherent manner at a single experiment: LHCb at the Large Hadron Collier (LHC). The proposal will make measurements of ten branching ratios and eight analyses sensitive to CP violation using data collected by LHCb in order to test these relations. CP asymmetries larger than a few percent would be an unambiguous signal of the presence of new physics. In order to make these measurements at the required level of precision, I will lead a major upgrade to the way that the LHCb experiment selects proton proton collisions and for which I have laid the conceptual foundations. Real-Time Analysis will enable a dramatic increase in the the efficiency and signal yield of the decay modes relevant to this proposal, and reduce systematic uncertainties. To test and commission this upgrade I will lead the first ever measurements of beauty hadron production using final states without leptons. The experience gained in the commissioning phase will result in increased efficiencies for the CP sensitive channels leading to the world's most precise measurements and world-leading sensitivity to new physics.
Summary
The present matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe cannot be explained by the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. I propose to look for the presence of new physics beyond the SM in Charge-Parity (CP) asymmetries using beauty mesons decaying to charmed mesons (Beauty2Charm). A unique feature of these decays is that the SM contribution can be precisely measured using relations between ten decay modes all of which can be measured with in a coherent manner at a single experiment: LHCb at the Large Hadron Collier (LHC). The proposal will make measurements of ten branching ratios and eight analyses sensitive to CP violation using data collected by LHCb in order to test these relations. CP asymmetries larger than a few percent would be an unambiguous signal of the presence of new physics. In order to make these measurements at the required level of precision, I will lead a major upgrade to the way that the LHCb experiment selects proton proton collisions and for which I have laid the conceptual foundations. Real-Time Analysis will enable a dramatic increase in the the efficiency and signal yield of the decay modes relevant to this proposal, and reduce systematic uncertainties. To test and commission this upgrade I will lead the first ever measurements of beauty hadron production using final states without leptons. The experience gained in the commissioning phase will result in increased efficiencies for the CP sensitive channels leading to the world's most precise measurements and world-leading sensitivity to new physics.
Max ERC Funding
1 450 020 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-09-01, End date: 2025-08-31
Project acronym BINGO
Project Bi-Isotope 0n2b Next Generation Observatory
Researcher (PI) Claudia NONES
Host Institution (HI) COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
Country France
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2019-COG
Summary BINGO will set the grounds for a large-scale bolometric experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decay with a background index of about 10-5 counts/(keV kg y) and with very high energy resolution – of the order of 1.5‰ – in the region of interest. These features will enable a search for lepton number violation with unprecedented sensitivity. The BINGO approach can lead to the demonstration of the Majorana nature of neutrino even in the unfavourable case of direct ordering of neutrino masses.
BINGO is based on luminescent bolometers for the rejection of the dominant alpha surface background. It will focus on two extremely promising isotopes – 100Mo and 130Te – that have complementary merits and deserve to be both considered for future large-scale searches.
The project will bring three original ingredients to the well-established technology of hybrid heat-light bolometers: i) the light-detector sensitivity will be increased by an order of magnitude thanks to Neganov-Luke amplification; (ii) a revolutionary detector assembly will reduce the total surface radioactivity contribution by at least one order of magnitude; (iii) for the first time in an array of macrobolometers, an internal active shield, based on ultrapure ZnWO4 scintillators with bolometric light readout, will suppress the external gamma background. These challenging technologies will be extensively tested in a two-isotope demonstrator, dubbed MINI‑BINGO, which will be located in an underground laboratory in a dedicated cryogenic infrastructure built with ERC funds.
The BINGO approach can be implemented in the next-generation search CUPID, a proposed follow up of the CUORE experiment. BINGO can improve dramatically the sensitivity of CUPID, using two isotopes at the same time and providing the demonstration of its background goal. Subsequently, the intrinsic modularity of the bolometric technique would make sensible to proceed to further expansions, capable of penetrating the direct-ordering band.
Summary
BINGO will set the grounds for a large-scale bolometric experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decay with a background index of about 10-5 counts/(keV kg y) and with very high energy resolution – of the order of 1.5‰ – in the region of interest. These features will enable a search for lepton number violation with unprecedented sensitivity. The BINGO approach can lead to the demonstration of the Majorana nature of neutrino even in the unfavourable case of direct ordering of neutrino masses.
BINGO is based on luminescent bolometers for the rejection of the dominant alpha surface background. It will focus on two extremely promising isotopes – 100Mo and 130Te – that have complementary merits and deserve to be both considered for future large-scale searches.
The project will bring three original ingredients to the well-established technology of hybrid heat-light bolometers: i) the light-detector sensitivity will be increased by an order of magnitude thanks to Neganov-Luke amplification; (ii) a revolutionary detector assembly will reduce the total surface radioactivity contribution by at least one order of magnitude; (iii) for the first time in an array of macrobolometers, an internal active shield, based on ultrapure ZnWO4 scintillators with bolometric light readout, will suppress the external gamma background. These challenging technologies will be extensively tested in a two-isotope demonstrator, dubbed MINI‑BINGO, which will be located in an underground laboratory in a dedicated cryogenic infrastructure built with ERC funds.
The BINGO approach can be implemented in the next-generation search CUPID, a proposed follow up of the CUORE experiment. BINGO can improve dramatically the sensitivity of CUPID, using two isotopes at the same time and providing the demonstration of its background goal. Subsequently, the intrinsic modularity of the bolometric technique would make sensible to proceed to further expansions, capable of penetrating the direct-ordering band.
Max ERC Funding
2 420 370 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-10-01, End date: 2025-09-30
Project acronym Bug-Flash
Project Coherent Back-Lasing from Atmospheric Insects
Researcher (PI) Mikkel Brydegaard Soerensen
Host Institution (HI) LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2019-STG
Summary I received I received the prestigious Inaba award by the lidar community for advancing lidar entomology. Our Scheimpflug lidar can be implemented at 1% of the conventional cost and weight. It allows atmospheric observation with unpreceded sensitivity and spatiotemporal resolution. The kHz sampling rates can exceed the round-trip time of the light and reveal the modulation spectra for classifying free flying insect species over ground. The method has infinite focal depth and efficiently profiles sparse organisms in the airspace with 100000 observations per day. This tool is of key importance for tackling challenges related to pollinator diversity, agricultural pests and pesticides and malaria disease vectors. As in radar entomology, in situ lidar monitoring apparently has inevitable limitations: 1) Detection limit deteriorate with range, and far observations are biased towards larger organisms, 2) It takes several wing-beats, and therefore time, beam-width and energy to retrieve a modulation spectrum for classifying species. I propose to remove range biasing and classify insects by a microsecond flash of light. Back-lasing in air has been a dream of physicists for half a century. I now intend to capture specular reflexes from flat wing membranes. When the surface normal coincides with the lidar transect, collimated back-propagating laser light is accomplished. This flash of light is spectrally fringed and can report on the membrane thickness for target classification purpose. This project has three ambitious milestones of increasing challenge with in situ campaigns:
A) Polarimetric kHz lidar: Verification of specular flashes, investigation of range dependence, properties and likelihood.
B) Remote nanoscopy: Spectral analysis of remotely retrieved flashes for membrane thickness assessment and optimization of back-scatter resonance.
C) Farfetched flatness: I will enhance apparent surface roughness and collimated back-scatter from diffuse specimen by infrared methods
Summary
I received I received the prestigious Inaba award by the lidar community for advancing lidar entomology. Our Scheimpflug lidar can be implemented at 1% of the conventional cost and weight. It allows atmospheric observation with unpreceded sensitivity and spatiotemporal resolution. The kHz sampling rates can exceed the round-trip time of the light and reveal the modulation spectra for classifying free flying insect species over ground. The method has infinite focal depth and efficiently profiles sparse organisms in the airspace with 100000 observations per day. This tool is of key importance for tackling challenges related to pollinator diversity, agricultural pests and pesticides and malaria disease vectors. As in radar entomology, in situ lidar monitoring apparently has inevitable limitations: 1) Detection limit deteriorate with range, and far observations are biased towards larger organisms, 2) It takes several wing-beats, and therefore time, beam-width and energy to retrieve a modulation spectrum for classifying species. I propose to remove range biasing and classify insects by a microsecond flash of light. Back-lasing in air has been a dream of physicists for half a century. I now intend to capture specular reflexes from flat wing membranes. When the surface normal coincides with the lidar transect, collimated back-propagating laser light is accomplished. This flash of light is spectrally fringed and can report on the membrane thickness for target classification purpose. This project has three ambitious milestones of increasing challenge with in situ campaigns:
A) Polarimetric kHz lidar: Verification of specular flashes, investigation of range dependence, properties and likelihood.
B) Remote nanoscopy: Spectral analysis of remotely retrieved flashes for membrane thickness assessment and optimization of back-scatter resonance.
C) Farfetched flatness: I will enhance apparent surface roughness and collimated back-scatter from diffuse specimen by infrared methods
Max ERC Funding
1 499 487 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-02-01, End date: 2025-01-31
