Project acronym ACB
Project The Analytic Conformal Bootstrap
Researcher (PI) Luis Fernando ALDAY
Host Institution (HI) THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary The aim of the present proposal is to establish a research team developing and exploiting innovative techniques to study conformal field theories (CFT) analytically. Our approach does not rely on a Lagrangian description but on symmetries and consistency conditions. As such it applies to any CFT, offering a unified framework to study generic CFTs analytically. The initial implementation of this program has already led to striking new results and insights for both Lagrangian and non-Lagrangian CFTs.
The overarching aims of my team will be: To develop an analytic bootstrap program for CFTs in general dimensions; to complement these techniques with more traditional methods and develop a systematic machinery to obtain analytic results for generic CFTs; and to use these results to gain new insights into the mathematical structure of the space of quantum field theories.
The proposal will bring together researchers from different areas. The objectives in brief are:
1) Develop an alternative to Feynman diagram computations for Lagrangian CFTs.
2) Develop a machinery to compute loops for QFT on AdS, with and without gravity.
3) Develop an analytic approach to non-perturbative N=4 SYM and other CFTs.
4) Determine the space of all CFTs.
5) Gain new insights into the mathematical structure of the space of quantum field theories.
The outputs of this proposal will include a new way of doing perturbative computations based on symmetries; a constructive derivation of the AdS/CFT duality; new analytic techniques to attack strongly coupled systems and invaluable new lessons about the space of CFTs and QFTs.
Success in this research will lead to a completely new, unified way to view and solve CFTs, with a huge impact on several branches of physics and mathematics.
Summary
The aim of the present proposal is to establish a research team developing and exploiting innovative techniques to study conformal field theories (CFT) analytically. Our approach does not rely on a Lagrangian description but on symmetries and consistency conditions. As such it applies to any CFT, offering a unified framework to study generic CFTs analytically. The initial implementation of this program has already led to striking new results and insights for both Lagrangian and non-Lagrangian CFTs.
The overarching aims of my team will be: To develop an analytic bootstrap program for CFTs in general dimensions; to complement these techniques with more traditional methods and develop a systematic machinery to obtain analytic results for generic CFTs; and to use these results to gain new insights into the mathematical structure of the space of quantum field theories.
The proposal will bring together researchers from different areas. The objectives in brief are:
1) Develop an alternative to Feynman diagram computations for Lagrangian CFTs.
2) Develop a machinery to compute loops for QFT on AdS, with and without gravity.
3) Develop an analytic approach to non-perturbative N=4 SYM and other CFTs.
4) Determine the space of all CFTs.
5) Gain new insights into the mathematical structure of the space of quantum field theories.
The outputs of this proposal will include a new way of doing perturbative computations based on symmetries; a constructive derivation of the AdS/CFT duality; new analytic techniques to attack strongly coupled systems and invaluable new lessons about the space of CFTs and QFTs.
Success in this research will lead to a completely new, unified way to view and solve CFTs, with a huge impact on several branches of physics and mathematics.
Max ERC Funding
2 171 483 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-12-01, End date: 2024-05-31
Project acronym ANTI-ATOM
Project Many-body theory of antimatter interactions with atoms, molecules and condensed matter
Researcher (PI) Dermot GREEN
Host Institution (HI) THE QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2018-STG
Summary The ability of positrons to annihilate with electrons, producing characteristic gamma rays, gives them important use in medicine via positron-emission tomography (PET), diagnostics of industrially-important materials, and in elucidating astrophysical phenomena. Moreover, the fundamental interactions of positrons and positronium (Ps) with atoms, molecules and condensed matter are currently under intensive study in numerous international laboratories, to illuminate collision phenomena and perform precision tests of fundamental laws.
Proper interpretation and development of these costly and difficult experiments requires accurate calculations of low-energy positron and Ps interactions with normal matter. These systems, however, involve strong correlations, e.g., polarisation of the atom and virtual-Ps formation (where an atomic electron tunnels to the positron): they significantly effect positron- and Ps-atom/molecule interactions, e.g., enhancing annihilation rates by many orders of magnitude, and making the accurate description of these systems a challenging many-body problem. Current theoretical capability lags severely behind that of experiment. Major theoretical and computational developments are required to bridge the gap.
One powerful method, which accounts for the correlations in a natural, transparent and systematic way, is many-body theory (MBT). Building on my expertise in the field, I propose to develop new MBT to deliver unique and unrivalled capability in theory and computation of low-energy positron and Ps interactions with atoms, molecules, and condensed matter. The ambitious programme will provide the basic understanding required to interpret and develop the fundamental experiments, antimatter-based materials science techniques, and wider technologies, e.g., (PET), and more broadly, potentially revolutionary and generally applicable computational methodologies that promise to define a new level of high-precision in atomic-MBT calculations.
Summary
The ability of positrons to annihilate with electrons, producing characteristic gamma rays, gives them important use in medicine via positron-emission tomography (PET), diagnostics of industrially-important materials, and in elucidating astrophysical phenomena. Moreover, the fundamental interactions of positrons and positronium (Ps) with atoms, molecules and condensed matter are currently under intensive study in numerous international laboratories, to illuminate collision phenomena and perform precision tests of fundamental laws.
Proper interpretation and development of these costly and difficult experiments requires accurate calculations of low-energy positron and Ps interactions with normal matter. These systems, however, involve strong correlations, e.g., polarisation of the atom and virtual-Ps formation (where an atomic electron tunnels to the positron): they significantly effect positron- and Ps-atom/molecule interactions, e.g., enhancing annihilation rates by many orders of magnitude, and making the accurate description of these systems a challenging many-body problem. Current theoretical capability lags severely behind that of experiment. Major theoretical and computational developments are required to bridge the gap.
One powerful method, which accounts for the correlations in a natural, transparent and systematic way, is many-body theory (MBT). Building on my expertise in the field, I propose to develop new MBT to deliver unique and unrivalled capability in theory and computation of low-energy positron and Ps interactions with atoms, molecules, and condensed matter. The ambitious programme will provide the basic understanding required to interpret and develop the fundamental experiments, antimatter-based materials science techniques, and wider technologies, e.g., (PET), and more broadly, potentially revolutionary and generally applicable computational methodologies that promise to define a new level of high-precision in atomic-MBT calculations.
Max ERC Funding
1 318 419 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31
Project acronym ANTINEUTRINONOVA
Project Probing Fundamental Physics with Antineutrinos at the NOvA Experiment
Researcher (PI) Jeffrey Hartnell
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary "This proposal addresses major questions in particle physics that are at the forefront of experimental and theoretical physics research today. The results offered would have far-reaching implications in other fields such as cosmology and could help answer some of the big questions such as why the universe contains so much more matter than antimatter. The research objectives of this proposal are to (i) make world-leading tests of CPT symmetry and (ii) discover the neutrino mass hierarchy and search for indications of leptonic CP violation.
The NOvA long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment will use a novel ""totally active scintillator design"" for the detector technology and will be exposed to the world's highest power neutrino beam. Building on the first direct observation of muon antineutrino disappearance (that was made by a group founded and led by the PI at the MINOS experiment), tests of CPT symmetry will be performed by looking for differences in the mass squared splittings and mixing angles between neutrinos and antineutrinos. The potential to discover the mass hierarchy is unique to NOvA on the timescale of this proposal due to the long 810 km baseline and the well measured beam of neutrinos and antineutrinos.
This proposal addresses several key challenges in a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment with the following tasks: (i) development of a new approach to event energy reconstruction that is expected to have widespread applicability for future neutrino experiments; (ii) undertaking a comprehensive calibration project, exploiting a novel technique developed by the PI, that will be essential to achieving the physics goals; (iii) development of a sophisticated statistical analyses.
The results promised in this proposal surpass the sensitivity to antineutrino oscillation parameters of current 1st generation experiments by at least an order of magnitude, offering wide scope for profound discoveries with implications across disciplines."
Summary
"This proposal addresses major questions in particle physics that are at the forefront of experimental and theoretical physics research today. The results offered would have far-reaching implications in other fields such as cosmology and could help answer some of the big questions such as why the universe contains so much more matter than antimatter. The research objectives of this proposal are to (i) make world-leading tests of CPT symmetry and (ii) discover the neutrino mass hierarchy and search for indications of leptonic CP violation.
The NOvA long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment will use a novel ""totally active scintillator design"" for the detector technology and will be exposed to the world's highest power neutrino beam. Building on the first direct observation of muon antineutrino disappearance (that was made by a group founded and led by the PI at the MINOS experiment), tests of CPT symmetry will be performed by looking for differences in the mass squared splittings and mixing angles between neutrinos and antineutrinos. The potential to discover the mass hierarchy is unique to NOvA on the timescale of this proposal due to the long 810 km baseline and the well measured beam of neutrinos and antineutrinos.
This proposal addresses several key challenges in a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment with the following tasks: (i) development of a new approach to event energy reconstruction that is expected to have widespread applicability for future neutrino experiments; (ii) undertaking a comprehensive calibration project, exploiting a novel technique developed by the PI, that will be essential to achieving the physics goals; (iii) development of a sophisticated statistical analyses.
The results promised in this proposal surpass the sensitivity to antineutrino oscillation parameters of current 1st generation experiments by at least an order of magnitude, offering wide scope for profound discoveries with implications across disciplines."
Max ERC Funding
1 415 848 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-10-01, End date: 2018-09-30
Project acronym ARIADNE
Project ARgon ImAging DetectioN chambEr
Researcher (PI) Konstantinos Mavrokoridis
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2015-STG
Summary This proposal outlines a plan to combine Charge Couple Device (CCD) camera technologies with two-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LAr TPCs) utilising THick Gas Electron Multipliers (THGEMs) to evolve a next generation neutrino detector. This will be an entirely new readout option, and will open the prospect of revolutionary discoveries in fundamental particle physics. Furthermore, the Compton imaging power of this technology will be developed, which will have diverse applications in novel medical imaging techniques and detection of concealed nuclear materials.
Colossal LAr TPCs are the future for long-baseline-neutrino-oscillation physics around which the international neutrino community is rallying, with the common goal of discovering new physics beyond the Standard Model, which holds the key to our understanding of phenomena such as dark matter and the matter-antimatter asymmetry.
I have successfully provided a first demonstration of photographic capturing of muon tracks and single gammas interacting in the Liverpool 40 l LAr TPC using a CCD camera and THGEM. I propose an ambitious project of extensive research to mature this innovative LAr optical readout technology. I will construct a 650 l LAr TPC with integrated CCD/THGEM readout, capable of containing sufficient tracking information for full development and characterisation of this novel detector, with the goal of realising this game-changing technology in the planned future giant LAr TPCs. Camera readout can replace the current charge readout technology and associated scalability complications, and the excellent energy thresholds will enhance detector performance as well as extend research avenues to lower energy fundamental physics.
Also, I will explore the Compton imaging capability of LAr CCD/THGEM technology; the superiority of the energy threshold and spatial resolution of this system can offer significant advancement to medical imaging and the detection of concealed nuclear materials.
Summary
This proposal outlines a plan to combine Charge Couple Device (CCD) camera technologies with two-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LAr TPCs) utilising THick Gas Electron Multipliers (THGEMs) to evolve a next generation neutrino detector. This will be an entirely new readout option, and will open the prospect of revolutionary discoveries in fundamental particle physics. Furthermore, the Compton imaging power of this technology will be developed, which will have diverse applications in novel medical imaging techniques and detection of concealed nuclear materials.
Colossal LAr TPCs are the future for long-baseline-neutrino-oscillation physics around which the international neutrino community is rallying, with the common goal of discovering new physics beyond the Standard Model, which holds the key to our understanding of phenomena such as dark matter and the matter-antimatter asymmetry.
I have successfully provided a first demonstration of photographic capturing of muon tracks and single gammas interacting in the Liverpool 40 l LAr TPC using a CCD camera and THGEM. I propose an ambitious project of extensive research to mature this innovative LAr optical readout technology. I will construct a 650 l LAr TPC with integrated CCD/THGEM readout, capable of containing sufficient tracking information for full development and characterisation of this novel detector, with the goal of realising this game-changing technology in the planned future giant LAr TPCs. Camera readout can replace the current charge readout technology and associated scalability complications, and the excellent energy thresholds will enhance detector performance as well as extend research avenues to lower energy fundamental physics.
Also, I will explore the Compton imaging capability of LAr CCD/THGEM technology; the superiority of the energy threshold and spatial resolution of this system can offer significant advancement to medical imaging and the detection of concealed nuclear materials.
Max ERC Funding
1 837 911 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-03-01, End date: 2021-08-31
Project acronym ASTEX
Project Attosecond Science by Transmission and Emission of X-rays
Researcher (PI) Jonathan Philip Marangos
Host Institution (HI) IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2011-ADG_20110209
Summary "This is a programme of advanced research with potential for high scientific impact and applications to areas of great strategic importance such as renewable energy and biomolecular technology. The aim is to develop and apply a combination of cutting-edge tools to observe and understand dynamics in molecules and condensed phase matter with attosecond temporal and nanometre spatial resolutions. The programme, will exploit two new types of measurements that my group have already begun to develop: high harmonic generation (HHG) spectroscopy and attosecond absorption pump-probe spectroscopy, and will apply them to the measurement of attosecond electron dynamics in large molecules and the condensed phase. These methods rely upon the emission and transmission of soft X-ray attosecond fields that make accessible measurement not only of larger molecules in the gas phase but also thin (micron to nanometre) samples in the condensed phase. This is a research project that will open new frontiers both experimentally and theoretically. The challenge of this research is high and will be met by a concerted programme that is well matched to my teams experimental and theoretical expertise in attosecond physics, ultrafast intense-field science, soft X-ray techniques and advanced techniques for creating gaseous and condensed phase samples."
Summary
"This is a programme of advanced research with potential for high scientific impact and applications to areas of great strategic importance such as renewable energy and biomolecular technology. The aim is to develop and apply a combination of cutting-edge tools to observe and understand dynamics in molecules and condensed phase matter with attosecond temporal and nanometre spatial resolutions. The programme, will exploit two new types of measurements that my group have already begun to develop: high harmonic generation (HHG) spectroscopy and attosecond absorption pump-probe spectroscopy, and will apply them to the measurement of attosecond electron dynamics in large molecules and the condensed phase. These methods rely upon the emission and transmission of soft X-ray attosecond fields that make accessible measurement not only of larger molecules in the gas phase but also thin (micron to nanometre) samples in the condensed phase. This is a research project that will open new frontiers both experimentally and theoretically. The challenge of this research is high and will be met by a concerted programme that is well matched to my teams experimental and theoretical expertise in attosecond physics, ultrafast intense-field science, soft X-ray techniques and advanced techniques for creating gaseous and condensed phase samples."
Max ERC Funding
2 344 390 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-04-01, End date: 2017-03-31
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 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 BSMWLHCB
Project Advanced techniques to Search for Physics Beyond the Standard Model with the LHCb Detector at CERN
Researcher (PI) Timothy John Gershon
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2009-StG
Summary I propose a programme of precision tests of the Standard Model of particle physics to be carried out using the LHCb experiment at CERN. The proposal is focussed on studies of CP violation - differences between the behaviour of particles and antiparticles that are fundamental to understanding why the Universe we see today is made up of matter, not antimatter. The innovative feature of this research is the use of Dalitz plot analyses to improve the sensitivity to interesting CP violation effects. Recently I have developed a number of new methods to search for CP violation based on this technique. These methods can be used at LHCb and will extend the physics reach of the experiment beyond what was previously considered possible. I propose to create a small research team, based at the University of Warwick, to develop these methods and to make a number of precise measurements of CP violation parameters using the LHCb experiment. By comparing the results with the Standard Model predictions for these parameters, effects due to non-standard particles can be observed or highly constrained. The results of this work have the potential to redefine the direction of this research field. They will be essential to develop theories of particle physics that go beyond the Standard Model and attempt to address great unanswered questions, such as the origin of the matter--antimatter asymmetry of the Universe.
Summary
I propose a programme of precision tests of the Standard Model of particle physics to be carried out using the LHCb experiment at CERN. The proposal is focussed on studies of CP violation - differences between the behaviour of particles and antiparticles that are fundamental to understanding why the Universe we see today is made up of matter, not antimatter. The innovative feature of this research is the use of Dalitz plot analyses to improve the sensitivity to interesting CP violation effects. Recently I have developed a number of new methods to search for CP violation based on this technique. These methods can be used at LHCb and will extend the physics reach of the experiment beyond what was previously considered possible. I propose to create a small research team, based at the University of Warwick, to develop these methods and to make a number of precise measurements of CP violation parameters using the LHCb experiment. By comparing the results with the Standard Model predictions for these parameters, effects due to non-standard particles can be observed or highly constrained. The results of this work have the potential to redefine the direction of this research field. They will be essential to develop theories of particle physics that go beyond the Standard Model and attempt to address great unanswered questions, such as the origin of the matter--antimatter asymmetry of the Universe.
Max ERC Funding
1 682 800 €
Duration
Start date: 2010-02-01, End date: 2016-01-31
Project acronym CGR2011TPS
Project Challenging General Relativity
Researcher (PI) Thomas Sotiriou
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2012-StG_20111012
Summary General relativity, Einstein's celebrated theory, has been very successful as a theory of the gravitational interaction. However, within the course of the last decades several issues have been pointed out as indicating its limitations: the inevitable existence of spacetime singularities and the fact that it is not a renormalizable theory manifest as shortcomings at very small scales. The inability of the theory to explain the late time accelerated expansion of the universe or the rotational curves of galaxies without the need of unobserved, mysterious forms of matter/energy can be interpreted as shortcomings at large scales. These riddles make gravity by far the most enigmatic of interactions nowadays. Therefore, the understanding of gravity beyond general relativity seems to be more pertinent than ever.
We propose to address this difficult issue by considering a synthetic approach towards the understand of the limitations of general relativity and the study of phenomenology which is usually considered to be outsides its realm. The proposed directions include, but are not limited to: the study of quantum gravity candidates and their phenomenology; extensions or modifications of general relativity which may address renormalizability issues or cosmological observations; explorations of fundamental principles of general relativity and the possible violation of such principles; the study of the implications of deviations from Einstein's theory for astrophysics and cosmology and the possible ways to constrain such deviations; and the study of effects within the framework of general relativity which lie at the limit of its validity as a gravity theory. The deeper understanding of each of these issues will provide an important piece to the puzzle. The synthesis of this pieces is most likely to significantly aid our understanding of gravity, and this is our ultimate goal.
Summary
General relativity, Einstein's celebrated theory, has been very successful as a theory of the gravitational interaction. However, within the course of the last decades several issues have been pointed out as indicating its limitations: the inevitable existence of spacetime singularities and the fact that it is not a renormalizable theory manifest as shortcomings at very small scales. The inability of the theory to explain the late time accelerated expansion of the universe or the rotational curves of galaxies without the need of unobserved, mysterious forms of matter/energy can be interpreted as shortcomings at large scales. These riddles make gravity by far the most enigmatic of interactions nowadays. Therefore, the understanding of gravity beyond general relativity seems to be more pertinent than ever.
We propose to address this difficult issue by considering a synthetic approach towards the understand of the limitations of general relativity and the study of phenomenology which is usually considered to be outsides its realm. The proposed directions include, but are not limited to: the study of quantum gravity candidates and their phenomenology; extensions or modifications of general relativity which may address renormalizability issues or cosmological observations; explorations of fundamental principles of general relativity and the possible violation of such principles; the study of the implications of deviations from Einstein's theory for astrophysics and cosmology and the possible ways to constrain such deviations; and the study of effects within the framework of general relativity which lie at the limit of its validity as a gravity theory. The deeper understanding of each of these issues will provide an important piece to the puzzle. The synthesis of this pieces is most likely to significantly aid our understanding of gravity, and this is our ultimate goal.
Max ERC Funding
1 375 226 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-08-01, End date: 2018-01-31
Project acronym CHAOS-PIQUANT
Project Universality and chaos in PT-symmetric quantum systems
Researcher (PI) Eva-Maria GRAEFE
Host Institution (HI) IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE
Country United Kingdom
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2017-STG
Summary The world of our daily experiences, described by classical physics, is built out of fundamental particles, governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. The striking difference between quantum and classical behaviour becomes most apparent in the realm of chaos, an extreme sensitivity to initial conditions, which is common in classical systems but impossible under quantum laws. The investigation of characteristic features of quantum systems whose classical counterparts are chaotic has illuminated foundational problems and led to a variety of technological applications. Traditional quantum theory focuses on the description of closed systems without losses. Every realistic system, however, contains unwanted losses and dissipation, but the idea to engineer them to generate desirable effects has recently come into the focus of scientific attention. The surprising properties of quantum systems with balanced gain and loss (PT-symmetric systems) have sparked much interest. The first experiments on PT-symmetry in optics have been identified as one of the top ten physics discoveries of the past decade in Nature Physics. New experimental areas are rapidly emerging. Our understanding of PT-symmetric quantum systems, however, is still limited. One major shortcoming is that the emergence of chaos and universality in these systems is hitherto nearly unexplored. I propose to investigate PT-symmetric quantum chaos to establish this new research area and overturn some common perceptions in the existing fields of PT-symmetry and quantum chaos. Ultimately this will lead to new experimental applications and quantum technologies. Building on recent conceptual breakthroughs I have made, I will a) identify spectral and dynamical features of chaos in PT-symmetric quantum systems, b) establish new universality classes, c) provide powerful semiclassical tools for the simulation of generic quantum systems, and d) facilitate experimental applications in microwave cavities and cold atoms.
Summary
The world of our daily experiences, described by classical physics, is built out of fundamental particles, governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. The striking difference between quantum and classical behaviour becomes most apparent in the realm of chaos, an extreme sensitivity to initial conditions, which is common in classical systems but impossible under quantum laws. The investigation of characteristic features of quantum systems whose classical counterparts are chaotic has illuminated foundational problems and led to a variety of technological applications. Traditional quantum theory focuses on the description of closed systems without losses. Every realistic system, however, contains unwanted losses and dissipation, but the idea to engineer them to generate desirable effects has recently come into the focus of scientific attention. The surprising properties of quantum systems with balanced gain and loss (PT-symmetric systems) have sparked much interest. The first experiments on PT-symmetry in optics have been identified as one of the top ten physics discoveries of the past decade in Nature Physics. New experimental areas are rapidly emerging. Our understanding of PT-symmetric quantum systems, however, is still limited. One major shortcoming is that the emergence of chaos and universality in these systems is hitherto nearly unexplored. I propose to investigate PT-symmetric quantum chaos to establish this new research area and overturn some common perceptions in the existing fields of PT-symmetry and quantum chaos. Ultimately this will lead to new experimental applications and quantum technologies. Building on recent conceptual breakthroughs I have made, I will a) identify spectral and dynamical features of chaos in PT-symmetric quantum systems, b) establish new universality classes, c) provide powerful semiclassical tools for the simulation of generic quantum systems, and d) facilitate experimental applications in microwave cavities and cold atoms.
Max ERC Funding
1 293 023 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-02-01, End date: 2023-01-31
