Project acronym AfricanNeo
Project The African Neolithic: A genetic perspective
Researcher (PI) Carina SCHLEBUSCH
Host Institution (HI) UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH6, ERC-2017-STG
Summary The spread of farming practices in various parts of the world had a marked influence on how humans live today and how we are distributed around the globe. Around 10,000 years ago, warmer conditions lead to population increases, coinciding with the invention of farming in several places around the world. Archaeological evidence attest to the spread of these practices to neighboring regions. In many cases this lead to whole continents being converted from hunter-gatherer to farming societies. It is however difficult to see from archaeological records if only the farming culture spread to other places or whether the farming people themselves migrated. Investigating patterns of genetic variation for farming populations and for remaining hunter-gatherer groups can help to resolve questions on population movements co-occurring with the spread of farming practices. It can further shed light on the routes of migration and dates when migrants arrived.
The spread of farming to Europe has been thoroughly investigated in the fields of archaeology, linguistics and genetics, while on other continents these events have been less investigated. In Africa, mainly linguistic and archaeological studies have attempted to elucidate the spread of farming and herding practices. I propose to investigate the movement of farmer and pastoral groups in Africa, by typing densely spaced genome-wide variant positions in a large number of African populations. The data will be used to infer how farming and pastoralism was introduced to various regions, where the incoming people originated from and when these (potential) population movements occurred. Through this study, the Holocene history of Africa will be revealed and placed into a global context of migration, mobility and cultural transitions. Additionally the study will give due credence to one of the largest Neolithic expansion events, the Bantu-expansion, which caused a pronounced change in the demographic landscape of the African continent
Summary
The spread of farming practices in various parts of the world had a marked influence on how humans live today and how we are distributed around the globe. Around 10,000 years ago, warmer conditions lead to population increases, coinciding with the invention of farming in several places around the world. Archaeological evidence attest to the spread of these practices to neighboring regions. In many cases this lead to whole continents being converted from hunter-gatherer to farming societies. It is however difficult to see from archaeological records if only the farming culture spread to other places or whether the farming people themselves migrated. Investigating patterns of genetic variation for farming populations and for remaining hunter-gatherer groups can help to resolve questions on population movements co-occurring with the spread of farming practices. It can further shed light on the routes of migration and dates when migrants arrived.
The spread of farming to Europe has been thoroughly investigated in the fields of archaeology, linguistics and genetics, while on other continents these events have been less investigated. In Africa, mainly linguistic and archaeological studies have attempted to elucidate the spread of farming and herding practices. I propose to investigate the movement of farmer and pastoral groups in Africa, by typing densely spaced genome-wide variant positions in a large number of African populations. The data will be used to infer how farming and pastoralism was introduced to various regions, where the incoming people originated from and when these (potential) population movements occurred. Through this study, the Holocene history of Africa will be revealed and placed into a global context of migration, mobility and cultural transitions. Additionally the study will give due credence to one of the largest Neolithic expansion events, the Bantu-expansion, which caused a pronounced change in the demographic landscape of the African continent
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-11-01, End date: 2022-10-31
Project acronym collectiveQCD
Project Collectivity in small, srongly interacting systems
Researcher (PI) Korinna ZAPP
Host Institution (HI) LUNDS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2018-STG
Summary In collisions of heavy nuclei at collider energies, for instance at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the energy density is so high that an equilibrated Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), an exotic state of matter consisting of deconfined quarks and gluons, is formed. In proton-proton (p+p) collisions, on the other hand, the density of produced particles is low. The traditional view on such reactions is that final state particles are free and do not rescatter. This picture is challenged by recent LHC data, which found features in p+p collisions that are indicative of collective behaviour and/or the formation of a hot and dense system. These findings have been taken as signs of QGP formation in p+p reactions. Such an interpretation is complicated by the fact that jets, which are the manifestation of very energetic quarks and gluons, are quenched in heavy ion collisions, but appear to be unmodified in p+p reactions. This is puzzling because collectivity and jet quenching are caused by the same processes. So far there is no consensus about the interpretation of these results, which is also due to a lack of suitable tools.
It is the objective of this proposal to address the question whether there are collective effects in p+p collisions. To this end two models capable of describing all relevant aspects of p+p and heavy ion collisions will be developed. They will be obtained by extending a successful description of p+p to heavy ion reactions and vice versa.
The answer to these questions will either clarify the long-standing problem how collectivity emerges from fundamental interactions, or it will necessitate qualitative changes to our interpretation of collective phenomena in p+p and/or heavy ion collisions.
The PI is in a unique position to accomplish this goal, as she has spent her entire career working on different aspects of p+p and heavy ion collisions. The group in Lund is the ideal host, as it is very active in developing alternative interpretations of the data.
Summary
In collisions of heavy nuclei at collider energies, for instance at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the energy density is so high that an equilibrated Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), an exotic state of matter consisting of deconfined quarks and gluons, is formed. In proton-proton (p+p) collisions, on the other hand, the density of produced particles is low. The traditional view on such reactions is that final state particles are free and do not rescatter. This picture is challenged by recent LHC data, which found features in p+p collisions that are indicative of collective behaviour and/or the formation of a hot and dense system. These findings have been taken as signs of QGP formation in p+p reactions. Such an interpretation is complicated by the fact that jets, which are the manifestation of very energetic quarks and gluons, are quenched in heavy ion collisions, but appear to be unmodified in p+p reactions. This is puzzling because collectivity and jet quenching are caused by the same processes. So far there is no consensus about the interpretation of these results, which is also due to a lack of suitable tools.
It is the objective of this proposal to address the question whether there are collective effects in p+p collisions. To this end two models capable of describing all relevant aspects of p+p and heavy ion collisions will be developed. They will be obtained by extending a successful description of p+p to heavy ion reactions and vice versa.
The answer to these questions will either clarify the long-standing problem how collectivity emerges from fundamental interactions, or it will necessitate qualitative changes to our interpretation of collective phenomena in p+p and/or heavy ion collisions.
The PI is in a unique position to accomplish this goal, as she has spent her entire career working on different aspects of p+p and heavy ion collisions. The group in Lund is the ideal host, as it is very active in developing alternative interpretations of the data.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-02-01, End date: 2024-01-31
Project acronym Meiotic telomere
Project Study of telomere function in germ cells, relevant to the regulations of homologous recombination and telomere length maintenance across generations
Researcher (PI) Hiroki Shibuya
Host Institution (HI) GOETEBORGS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS1, ERC-2018-STG
Summary The length of telomeric DNA is a critical determinant factor for aging and cancer development. In germ cells, the activation of a telomerase-dependent telomere-lengthening pathway is thought to be important in order to maintain telomeric DNA across generations, but the molecular mechanisms involved in this pathway, i.e: how and when telomerase is activated in germ cells, are largely unknown.
A DNA-binding protein complex called shelterin constitutively binds telomeric DNA. However, my recent studies have suggested that a multi-subunit DNA-binding complex, TERB1-TERB2-MAJIN, takes over telomeric DNA from shelterin in mammalian germ cells in order to facilitate homologous recombination. These findings represent a hitherto unknown molecular mechanism at work on the telomeres in germ cells.
In this project, I hypothesize that the drastic reformation of telomere-binding complexes in germ cells contributes also to the telomere-lengthening pathway. The aim of this project is to test this hypothesis in order to reveal the mechanism underlying the transgenerational inheritance of telomeric DNA throughout meiosis. This work is divided into three work packages.
WP1: to determine the molecular rearrangements that take place at telomeres during meiosis.
WP2: to determine how and when telomeres are lengthened during germ cell production.
WP3: to determine how meiotic recombination is achieved.
The proposed project will reveal molecular mechanisms underlying the transgenerational inheritance of genetic information after meiosis, and this will increase our understanding of the etiology of numerous human diseases caused by meiotic errors, such as congenital birth defects and aneuploidy. Further, because the misregulation of telomerase is a leading cause of cancer development, the identification of telomerase-activating mechanisms in germ cells will have multidiscipline impacts in both cancer and reproductive biology fields and will be useful for developing novel cancer therapies.
Summary
The length of telomeric DNA is a critical determinant factor for aging and cancer development. In germ cells, the activation of a telomerase-dependent telomere-lengthening pathway is thought to be important in order to maintain telomeric DNA across generations, but the molecular mechanisms involved in this pathway, i.e: how and when telomerase is activated in germ cells, are largely unknown.
A DNA-binding protein complex called shelterin constitutively binds telomeric DNA. However, my recent studies have suggested that a multi-subunit DNA-binding complex, TERB1-TERB2-MAJIN, takes over telomeric DNA from shelterin in mammalian germ cells in order to facilitate homologous recombination. These findings represent a hitherto unknown molecular mechanism at work on the telomeres in germ cells.
In this project, I hypothesize that the drastic reformation of telomere-binding complexes in germ cells contributes also to the telomere-lengthening pathway. The aim of this project is to test this hypothesis in order to reveal the mechanism underlying the transgenerational inheritance of telomeric DNA throughout meiosis. This work is divided into three work packages.
WP1: to determine the molecular rearrangements that take place at telomeres during meiosis.
WP2: to determine how and when telomeres are lengthened during germ cell production.
WP3: to determine how meiotic recombination is achieved.
The proposed project will reveal molecular mechanisms underlying the transgenerational inheritance of genetic information after meiosis, and this will increase our understanding of the etiology of numerous human diseases caused by meiotic errors, such as congenital birth defects and aneuploidy. Further, because the misregulation of telomerase is a leading cause of cancer development, the identification of telomerase-activating mechanisms in germ cells will have multidiscipline impacts in both cancer and reproductive biology fields and will be useful for developing novel cancer therapies.
Max ERC Funding
1 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31
Project acronym MICROTOMACROANDBACK
Project Micro Heterogeneity and Macroeconomic Policy
Researcher (PI) Kurt Elliott MITMAN
Host Institution (HI) STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), SH1, ERC-2017-STG
Summary This project will develop macroeconomic models with household heterogeneity and partially demand-determined output to study how the economy is affected by monetary and fiscal policy, and to investigate the importance of housing in macroeconomic fluctuations and the transmission and efficacy of policy. The objective is to provide a modelling framework that simultaneously is consistent with both empirical micro evidence on household consumption and savings behaviour, and macro evidence on the response of the aggregate economy to a variety of economic shocks. The ultimate goal is to help make these models the new standard for the study of fluctuations and policy evaluation in macro.
Inequality and incomplete markets will be a central theme. The first objective of the project is to establish the importance of incomplete financial markets for the response of the economy to changes in monetary policy. The framework will then be used to evaluate the size of the fiscal multiplier and quantitatively evaluate the stimulative effect of extensions to unemployment benefits.
The second theme of the project will focus on housing and mortgage debt as an amplification and propagation mechanism. The recent Great Recession–preceded by an unparalleled boom and bust in house prices – has brought to light the importance of housing for the economy. The project will develop a rich benchmark model of housing and the aggregate economy for policy evaluation. First, the project will investigate how heterogeneity in housing and debt affects the transmission of monetary policy. Next, a cross-country analysis will be performed to quantify the importance of different arrangements in the mortgage market for the response of the economy to shocks. Finally, I will introduce imperfect information above the driving forces of the economy to study booms and busts in the housing market and real economic activity, with the goal of evaluating macroprudential policies geared at the housing market.
Summary
This project will develop macroeconomic models with household heterogeneity and partially demand-determined output to study how the economy is affected by monetary and fiscal policy, and to investigate the importance of housing in macroeconomic fluctuations and the transmission and efficacy of policy. The objective is to provide a modelling framework that simultaneously is consistent with both empirical micro evidence on household consumption and savings behaviour, and macro evidence on the response of the aggregate economy to a variety of economic shocks. The ultimate goal is to help make these models the new standard for the study of fluctuations and policy evaluation in macro.
Inequality and incomplete markets will be a central theme. The first objective of the project is to establish the importance of incomplete financial markets for the response of the economy to changes in monetary policy. The framework will then be used to evaluate the size of the fiscal multiplier and quantitatively evaluate the stimulative effect of extensions to unemployment benefits.
The second theme of the project will focus on housing and mortgage debt as an amplification and propagation mechanism. The recent Great Recession–preceded by an unparalleled boom and bust in house prices – has brought to light the importance of housing for the economy. The project will develop a rich benchmark model of housing and the aggregate economy for policy evaluation. First, the project will investigate how heterogeneity in housing and debt affects the transmission of monetary policy. Next, a cross-country analysis will be performed to quantify the importance of different arrangements in the mortgage market for the response of the economy to shocks. Finally, I will introduce imperfect information above the driving forces of the economy to study booms and busts in the housing market and real economic activity, with the goal of evaluating macroprudential policies geared at the housing market.
Max ERC Funding
1 299 165 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-11-01, End date: 2022-10-31
Project acronym miRCell
Project MicroRNA functions in single cells
Researcher (PI) Marc FRIEDLaeNDER
Host Institution (HI) STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS2, ERC-2017-STG
Summary It is now becoming apparent that genes are regulated not only by transcription, but also by thousands of post-transcriptional regulators that can stabilize or degrade mRNAs. Some of the most important regulators are miRNAs, short RNA molecules that are deeply conserved in sequence and are involved in numerous biological processes, including human disease. Surprisingly, transcriptomic and proteomic studies show that most miRNAs only have subtle silencing effects on their targets, suggesting additional important, but yet undiscovered functions. Thus the question is raised: if the main function of miRNAs is not to silence targets, what is it?
I will test two novel hypotheses about miRNA function. The first hypothesis proposes that miRNAs can buffer gene expression noise. The second hypothesis is inspired by my preliminary results and proposes that miRNAs can synchronize expression of genes. If I validate either hypothesis, it would mean that miRNA functions can be investigated in entirely new ways, yielding important new biological insights relevant to both basic research and human health. However, these hypotheses can only be tested in individual cells, and the necessary single-cell technologies and computational tools are only maturing now.
I will apply my expertise in miRNA biology and in combined wet-lab and computational methods to design, develop and apply miRCell-seq to test these two hypotheses in cell cultures and in animals. This new method will for the first time measure miRNAs, their targets, and the interactions between them in single cells and transcriptome-wide. We will use mutant cells devoid of miRNAs and time course experiments to generate sufficient data to develop detailed models of the miRNA impact on their targets. We will then validate our findings with single cell proteomics. This project thus has the potential to reveal novel functions of miRNAs and substantially improve our general understanding of gene regulation.
Summary
It is now becoming apparent that genes are regulated not only by transcription, but also by thousands of post-transcriptional regulators that can stabilize or degrade mRNAs. Some of the most important regulators are miRNAs, short RNA molecules that are deeply conserved in sequence and are involved in numerous biological processes, including human disease. Surprisingly, transcriptomic and proteomic studies show that most miRNAs only have subtle silencing effects on their targets, suggesting additional important, but yet undiscovered functions. Thus the question is raised: if the main function of miRNAs is not to silence targets, what is it?
I will test two novel hypotheses about miRNA function. The first hypothesis proposes that miRNAs can buffer gene expression noise. The second hypothesis is inspired by my preliminary results and proposes that miRNAs can synchronize expression of genes. If I validate either hypothesis, it would mean that miRNA functions can be investigated in entirely new ways, yielding important new biological insights relevant to both basic research and human health. However, these hypotheses can only be tested in individual cells, and the necessary single-cell technologies and computational tools are only maturing now.
I will apply my expertise in miRNA biology and in combined wet-lab and computational methods to design, develop and apply miRCell-seq to test these two hypotheses in cell cultures and in animals. This new method will for the first time measure miRNAs, their targets, and the interactions between them in single cells and transcriptome-wide. We will use mutant cells devoid of miRNAs and time course experiments to generate sufficient data to develop detailed models of the miRNA impact on their targets. We will then validate our findings with single cell proteomics. This project thus has the potential to reveal novel functions of miRNAs and substantially improve our general understanding of gene regulation.
Max ERC Funding
1 497 650 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-03-01, End date: 2023-02-28
Project acronym Orgasome
Project Protein synthesis in organelles
Researcher (PI) Alexey AMUNTS
Host Institution (HI) STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS1, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Protein synthesis in mitochondria is essential for the bioenergetics, whereas its counterpart in chloroplasts is responsible for the synthesis of the core proteins that ultimately converts sunlight into the chemical energy that produces oxygen and organic matter. Recent insights into the mito- and chlororibosomes have provided the first glimpses into the distinct and specialized machineries that involved in synthesizing almost exclusively hydrophobic membrane proteins. Our findings showed: 1) mitoribosomes have different exit tunnels, intrinsic GTPase in the head of the small subunit, tRNA-Val incorporated into the central protuberance; 2) chlororibosomes have divaricate tunnels; 3) ribosomes from both organelles exhibit parallel evolution. This allows contemplation of questions regarding the next level of complexity: How these ribosomes work and evolve? How the ribosomal components imported from cytosol are assembled with the organellar rRNA into a functional unit being maturated in different compartments in organelles? Which trans-factors are involved in this process? How the chlororibosomal activity is spatiotemporally coupled to the synthesis and incorporation of functionally essential pigments? What are the specific regulatory mechanisms?
To address these questions, there is a need to first to characterize the process of translation in organelles on the structural level. To reveal molecular mechanisms of action, we will use antibiotics and mutants for pausing in different stages. To reconstitute the assembly, we will systematically pull-down pre-ribosomes and combine single particle with tomography to put the dynamic process in the context of the whole organelle. To understand co-translational operations, we will stall ribosomes and characterize their partner factors. To elucidate the evolution, we will analyze samples from different species.
Taken together, this will provide fundamental insights into the structural and functional dynamics of organelles.
Summary
Protein synthesis in mitochondria is essential for the bioenergetics, whereas its counterpart in chloroplasts is responsible for the synthesis of the core proteins that ultimately converts sunlight into the chemical energy that produces oxygen and organic matter. Recent insights into the mito- and chlororibosomes have provided the first glimpses into the distinct and specialized machineries that involved in synthesizing almost exclusively hydrophobic membrane proteins. Our findings showed: 1) mitoribosomes have different exit tunnels, intrinsic GTPase in the head of the small subunit, tRNA-Val incorporated into the central protuberance; 2) chlororibosomes have divaricate tunnels; 3) ribosomes from both organelles exhibit parallel evolution. This allows contemplation of questions regarding the next level of complexity: How these ribosomes work and evolve? How the ribosomal components imported from cytosol are assembled with the organellar rRNA into a functional unit being maturated in different compartments in organelles? Which trans-factors are involved in this process? How the chlororibosomal activity is spatiotemporally coupled to the synthesis and incorporation of functionally essential pigments? What are the specific regulatory mechanisms?
To address these questions, there is a need to first to characterize the process of translation in organelles on the structural level. To reveal molecular mechanisms of action, we will use antibiotics and mutants for pausing in different stages. To reconstitute the assembly, we will systematically pull-down pre-ribosomes and combine single particle with tomography to put the dynamic process in the context of the whole organelle. To understand co-translational operations, we will stall ribosomes and characterize their partner factors. To elucidate the evolution, we will analyze samples from different species.
Taken together, this will provide fundamental insights into the structural and functional dynamics of organelles.
Max ERC Funding
1 331 300 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-05-01, End date: 2024-04-30
Project acronym OXYGEN SENSING
Project Acute oxygen sensing and oxygen tolerance in C. elegans
Researcher (PI) Changchun CHEN
Host Institution (HI) UMEA UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS2, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Oxygen (O2) levels can vary enormously in the environment, which induces dramatic behavioral and physiological changes to resident animals. Adaptations to O2 variations can be either acute or sustained. How animals detect and respond to the changes of O2 availability remains elusive at the molecular level. In particular, what is the precise mechanism of acute O2 sensing, what are the primary sensor for acute hypoxia, and why do neurons of various species exhibit completely different sensitivity to hypoxic challenges? The research proposed here aims at addressing these intriguing but challenging questions in the model system nematode C. elegans, which offers unique advantages to systematically dissect O2 sensing at both genetic and neural circuit levels. C. elegans responds dramatically to acute O2 variations by altering its locomotory speed. We will make use of this robust behavioral response to O2 stimulation for high-throughput genetic screens, aiming to identify a collection of molecules critical for acute O2 sensing. These molecules will be subsequently characterized in the context of a well-described nervous system of C. elegans. Our findings will offer the opportunity to shed light on conserved principles of acute O2 sensing that are operating in the O2 sensing systems in humans such as carotid body. In addition to its robust responses to O2 variation, C. elegans exhibits remarkable tolerance to a complete lack of O2, anoxic exposure. My team will thoroughly investigate anoxia tolerance of C. elegans by performing a screen for anoxia-sensitive mutants that has previously been challenging. The discoveries will allow us to delineate the molecular underpinning of anoxia tolerance in C. elegans, and to inspire other researchers to develop better strategies to cope with hypoxic challenges caused by certain diseases such as stroke and ischemia, which are the most causes of human deaths in developed countries.
Summary
Oxygen (O2) levels can vary enormously in the environment, which induces dramatic behavioral and physiological changes to resident animals. Adaptations to O2 variations can be either acute or sustained. How animals detect and respond to the changes of O2 availability remains elusive at the molecular level. In particular, what is the precise mechanism of acute O2 sensing, what are the primary sensor for acute hypoxia, and why do neurons of various species exhibit completely different sensitivity to hypoxic challenges? The research proposed here aims at addressing these intriguing but challenging questions in the model system nematode C. elegans, which offers unique advantages to systematically dissect O2 sensing at both genetic and neural circuit levels. C. elegans responds dramatically to acute O2 variations by altering its locomotory speed. We will make use of this robust behavioral response to O2 stimulation for high-throughput genetic screens, aiming to identify a collection of molecules critical for acute O2 sensing. These molecules will be subsequently characterized in the context of a well-described nervous system of C. elegans. Our findings will offer the opportunity to shed light on conserved principles of acute O2 sensing that are operating in the O2 sensing systems in humans such as carotid body. In addition to its robust responses to O2 variation, C. elegans exhibits remarkable tolerance to a complete lack of O2, anoxic exposure. My team will thoroughly investigate anoxia tolerance of C. elegans by performing a screen for anoxia-sensitive mutants that has previously been challenging. The discoveries will allow us to delineate the molecular underpinning of anoxia tolerance in C. elegans, and to inspire other researchers to develop better strategies to cope with hypoxic challenges caused by certain diseases such as stroke and ischemia, which are the most causes of human deaths in developed countries.
Max ERC Funding
1 485 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31
Project acronym PrecisionNuclei
Project Strong interactions for precision nuclear physics
Researcher (PI) Andreas EKSTRoeM
Host Institution (HI) CHALMERS TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLA AB
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2017-STG
Summary Nuclear physics is a cornerstone in our scientific endeavour to understand the universe. Indeed, atomic nuclei bring us closer to study both the stellar explosions in the macrocosmos, where the elements are formed, and the fundamental symmetries of the microcosmos. Having access to a a precise description of the interactions between protons and neutrons would provide a key to new knowledge across 20 orders of magnitude; from neutrinos to neutron stars. Despite a century of the finest efforts, a systematic description of strongly interacting matter at low energies is still lacking. Successful theoretical approaches, such as mean-field and shell models, rely on uncontrolled approximations that severely limit their predictive power in regions where the model has not been adjusted.
In this project I will develop a novel methodology to use experimental information from heavy atomic nuclei in the construction of nuclear interactions from chiral effective field theory. I expect this approach to enable me and my team to make precise ab initio predictions of various nuclear observables in a wide mass-range from hydrogen to lead as well as infinite nuclear matter. I will apply Bayesian regression and methods from machine learning to quantify the statistical and systematic uncertainties of the theoretical predictions. The novelty and challenge in this project lies in synthesising (i) the design of nuclear interactions, (ii) ab initio calculations of nuclei, and (iii) statistical inference in the confrontation between theory and experimental data. This alignment of methods, harboured within the same project, will create a clear scientific advantage and allow me to tackle the following big research question: how can atomic nuclei be described in chiral effective field theories of quantum chromo dynamics?
Summary
Nuclear physics is a cornerstone in our scientific endeavour to understand the universe. Indeed, atomic nuclei bring us closer to study both the stellar explosions in the macrocosmos, where the elements are formed, and the fundamental symmetries of the microcosmos. Having access to a a precise description of the interactions between protons and neutrons would provide a key to new knowledge across 20 orders of magnitude; from neutrinos to neutron stars. Despite a century of the finest efforts, a systematic description of strongly interacting matter at low energies is still lacking. Successful theoretical approaches, such as mean-field and shell models, rely on uncontrolled approximations that severely limit their predictive power in regions where the model has not been adjusted.
In this project I will develop a novel methodology to use experimental information from heavy atomic nuclei in the construction of nuclear interactions from chiral effective field theory. I expect this approach to enable me and my team to make precise ab initio predictions of various nuclear observables in a wide mass-range from hydrogen to lead as well as infinite nuclear matter. I will apply Bayesian regression and methods from machine learning to quantify the statistical and systematic uncertainties of the theoretical predictions. The novelty and challenge in this project lies in synthesising (i) the design of nuclear interactions, (ii) ab initio calculations of nuclei, and (iii) statistical inference in the confrontation between theory and experimental data. This alignment of methods, harboured within the same project, will create a clear scientific advantage and allow me to tackle the following big research question: how can atomic nuclei be described in chiral effective field theories of quantum chromo dynamics?
Max ERC Funding
1 499 085 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-02-01, End date: 2023-01-31
Project acronym UNISCAMP
Project The unity of scattering amplitudes: gauge theory, gravity, strings and number theory
Researcher (PI) Oliver Schlotterer
Host Institution (HI) UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Country Sweden
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2018-STG
Summary Scattering amplitudes are central observables in quantum field theory and provide essential information about the quantum consistency of perturbative gravity. Precise control of the physical and mathematical properties of scattering amplitudes holds the key to long-standing questions on fundamental interactions and the structure of space and time. As a concrete leap in this direction, UNISCAMP addresses predictions in gauge theories, gravity and effective theories through
- the efficient computation and compact representation of scattering amplitudes and,
- decoding their hidden structures & symmetries and their rich web of connections.
String-theory methods will complement conventional approaches to scattering amplitudes, and I will combine the insights from
- the point-particle limit of superstrings & heterotic strings and,
- the recent ambitwistor strings which directly compute field-theory amplitudes.
Both of them naturally incorporate the double-copy relation between gauge-theory & gravity amplitudes and extend the framework to effective field theories describing pions and other low-energy states. It is a primary goal of UNISCAMP to pinpoint the unifying principles connecting a wide range of field and string theories. My expertise in both flavours of string theories will allow to optimally exploit their fruitful synergies and to depart from mainstream approaches.
Moreover, field- and string-theory amplitudes exhibit an intriguing mathematical structure: Their Feynman- and moduli-space integrals yield special functions such as polylogarithms which became a vibrant common theme of high-energy physics and number theory. As an interdisciplinary goal of UNISCAMP, I will
- investigate the low-energy expansion of multiloop string amplitudes and,
- extract an organizing scheme for iterated integrals on higher-genus Riemann surfaces.
These research objectives should benefit from my experience in collaborations with mathematicians.
Summary
Scattering amplitudes are central observables in quantum field theory and provide essential information about the quantum consistency of perturbative gravity. Precise control of the physical and mathematical properties of scattering amplitudes holds the key to long-standing questions on fundamental interactions and the structure of space and time. As a concrete leap in this direction, UNISCAMP addresses predictions in gauge theories, gravity and effective theories through
- the efficient computation and compact representation of scattering amplitudes and,
- decoding their hidden structures & symmetries and their rich web of connections.
String-theory methods will complement conventional approaches to scattering amplitudes, and I will combine the insights from
- the point-particle limit of superstrings & heterotic strings and,
- the recent ambitwistor strings which directly compute field-theory amplitudes.
Both of them naturally incorporate the double-copy relation between gauge-theory & gravity amplitudes and extend the framework to effective field theories describing pions and other low-energy states. It is a primary goal of UNISCAMP to pinpoint the unifying principles connecting a wide range of field and string theories. My expertise in both flavours of string theories will allow to optimally exploit their fruitful synergies and to depart from mainstream approaches.
Moreover, field- and string-theory amplitudes exhibit an intriguing mathematical structure: Their Feynman- and moduli-space integrals yield special functions such as polylogarithms which became a vibrant common theme of high-energy physics and number theory. As an interdisciplinary goal of UNISCAMP, I will
- investigate the low-energy expansion of multiloop string amplitudes and,
- extract an organizing scheme for iterated integrals on higher-genus Riemann surfaces.
These research objectives should benefit from my experience in collaborations with mathematicians.
Max ERC Funding
1 425 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31
