ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

In the future, high-efficiency (low CO2) vehicles will be powered in part by reinvented internal combustion (IC) engines that are “downsized” and operate with new combustion modes. These engine concepts are subject to problems such as increased transient heat transfer and flame quenching in small passages. Near-wall transient heat transfer is not well-understood in engine environments; the gas is not constant in pressure, temperature, or velocity such that physical processes quickly digress from established theory. EPIC is uniquely placed to address these problems. A novel constant-volume chamber, offering realistic engine passages but with optical access, and which emulates the pressure/temperature time curve of a real engine, will be developed. This chamber will make it possible to measure the highly transient and highly variable processes at the gas/wall interface (including a highly dynamic flame front) for single- and two-wall passages. Measurements will be made using a suite of advanced laser diagnostics; a novel aspect of the proposed work as they have not been used in combination to study such a problem before. Hybrid fs/ps rotational coherent Raman (i.e. CARS) in a line format will provide transient gas temperature and species profiles normal to the wall surface in high-risk/high-gain packages. PIV/PTV measurements will further elucidate flow dynamics at the surface. Planar OH-LIF will help interpret CARS measurements and provide necessary details of flame transport and quenching. As the flame approaches the surface, phosphor thermometry will measure wall temperature and heat flux to elucidate the highly dynamic inter-coupling between flame and wall. EPIC will provide substantial breakthroughs in knowledge by measuring unsteady boundary layer development and understanding its influence on flame quenching for single- and two-wall surfaces. As such, EPIC will provide the fundamental knowledge that supports cleaner combustion technology for the future.

1 499 351 €

Start date: 2017-12-01, End date: 2022-11-30

Corneal blindness resulting from disease, physical injury or chemical burns affects millions worldwide and has a considerable economic and social impact on the lives of people across Europe. In many cases corneal transplants can restore vision however the shortage of donor corneas suitable for transplantation has necessitated the development of alternative treatments. The aim of this project is to develop a new approach to corneal tissue regeneration. Previous approaches at engineering corneal tissue have required access to donor cells and lengthy culture periods in an attempt to grow tissue in vitro prior to implantation with only limited success and at great expense. Our approach will differ fundamentally from these in that we will design artificial corneal scaffolds that do not require donated cells or in vitro culture but instead will recruit the patient’s own cells to regenerate the cornea post-implantation. These biomaterial scaffolds will incorporate specific chemical and physical cues with the deliberate aim of attracting cells and inducing tissue formation. Studies will be undertaken to examine how different chemical, biochemical, physical and mechanical cues can be used to control the behaviour of corneal epithelial, stromal and endothelial cells. Once the optimal combination of these cues has been determined, this information will be incorporated into the design of the scaffold. Recent advances in manufacturing and material processing technology will enable us to develop scaffolds with organized nanometric architectures and that incorporate controlled growth factor release mechanisms. Techniques such as 3D bio-printing and nanofiber electrospinning will be used to fabricate scaffolds. The ability of the scaffold to attract cells and promote matrix remodelling will be examined by developing an in vitro bioreactor system capable of mimicking the ocular environment and by performing in vivo tests using a live animal model.

1 498 734 €

Start date: 2015-07-01, End date: 2020-06-30

FoQAL aims to completely re-define our ability to control light-matter interactions at the quantum level. This potential revolution will make use of cold atoms interfaced with nanophotonic systems, exploiting unique features such as control over the dimensionality and dispersion of light, the engineering of quantum vacuum forces, and strong optical fields and forces associated with light confined to the nanoscale. We will develop powerful and fundamentally new paradigms for atomic trapping, tailoring atomic interactions, and quantum nonlinear optics, which cannot be duplicated in macroscopic systems even in principle. Targeted breakthroughs include: 1) Nanoscale traps using quantum vacuum forces. Nanophotonic structures enable strong quantum vacuum forces acting on atoms near dielectric surfaces to be harnessed for novel “vacuum traps.” Their figures of merit (e.g., trap depth and spatial confinement) will exceed what is possible with conventional trapping techniques by 1-2 orders of magnitude. 2) Strong long-range spin-photon-phonon interactions. We will show that nanophotonic systems enable the formation of new “quasi-particles” consisting of atoms dressed by localized photonic clouds. These clouds produce strong multi-physics coupling between photons and atomic spins and motion, facilitating novel long-range interactions and the generation of exotic quantum states of light and matter. 3) New routes to single-photon nonlinear optics. We will develop novel techniques to attain strong interactions between individual photons, which are not based upon the saturation of atomic transitions. These approaches will take advantage of engineered long-range interactions between atoms, and “atom-optomechanics” in which the optical response of atoms and their motion strongly couple. Significantly, our protocols will enable a growth in nonlinearities for moderate atom number N, in contrast to conventional cavity QED where the optimal operating point is N=1.

1 340 873 €

Start date: 2015-03-01, End date: 2020-02-29

Elastic instabilities are ubiquitous, from the wrinkles that form on skin to the ‘snap-through’ of an umbrella on a windy day. The complex patterns such instabilities make, and the great speed with which they develop, have led to a host of technological and scientific applications. However, recent experiments have revealed significant gaps in our theoretical understanding of such instabilities, particularly in the roles played by geometry and dynamics. I will establish a group to develop and validate a theoretical framework within which these results can be understood. Central to my approach is an appreciation of the crucial role of geometry in the pattern formation and dynamics of elastic instabilities. As a starting point, I will consider the model problem of a pressurized elastic shell subject to a geometrically large deformation. This system develops either wrinkles or a stress-focusing instability depending on the internal pressure. As such, this is a natural paradigm with which to understand geometrical features of deformation relevant across length scales from deformed viruses to the subduction zones in Earth’s tectonic plates. My team will combine theoretical and computational approaches with tabletop experiments to determine a new set of shell deformations that are generically observed in contradiction of the classic ‘mirror buckling’. Understanding why these new shapes emerge will transform our perception of shell instabilities and provide new fundamental building blocks with which to model them. These ideas will also be used to transform our understanding of a number of other, previously mysterious, elastic instabilities of practical interest. Turning our focus to the dynamics of instabilities such as the snap-through of shells, we will show that accounting for geometry is again crucial. The new insight gained through this project will increase our ability to control elastic instabilities, benefitting a range of technological and scientific applications.

1 361 077 €

Start date: 2015-04-01, End date: 2020-03-31