Project acronym ASTERISK
Project ASTERoseismic Investigations with SONG and Kepler
Researcher (PI) Jørgen Christensen-Dalsgaard
Host Institution (HI) AARHUS UNIVERSITET
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE9, ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
Summary The project aims at a breakthrough in our understanding of stellar evolution, by combining advanced observations of stellar oscillations with state-of-the-art modelling of stars. This will largely be based on very extensive and precise data on stellar oscillations from the NASA Kepler mission launched in March 2009, but additional high-quality data will also be included. In particular, my group is developing the global SONG network for observations of stellar oscillations. These observational efforts will be supplemented by sophisticated modelling of stellar evolution, and by the development of asteroseismic tools to use the observations to probe stellar interiors. This will lead to a far more reliable determination of stellar ages, and hence ages of other astrophysical objects; it will compare the properties of the Sun with other stars and hence provide an understanding of the life history of the Sun; it will investigate the physical processes that control stellar properties, both at the level of the thermodynamical properties of stellar plasmas and the hydrodynamical instabilities that play a central role in stellar evolution; and it will characterize central stars in extra-solar planetary systems, determining the size and age of the star and hence constrain the evolution of the planetary systems. The Kepler data will be analysed in a large international collaboration coordinated by our group. The SONG network, which will become partially operational during the present project, will yield even detailed information about the conditions in the interior of stars, allowing tests of subtle but central aspects of the physics of stellar interiors. The projects involve the organization of a central data archive for asteroseismic data, at the Royal Library, Copenhagen.
Summary
The project aims at a breakthrough in our understanding of stellar evolution, by combining advanced observations of stellar oscillations with state-of-the-art modelling of stars. This will largely be based on very extensive and precise data on stellar oscillations from the NASA Kepler mission launched in March 2009, but additional high-quality data will also be included. In particular, my group is developing the global SONG network for observations of stellar oscillations. These observational efforts will be supplemented by sophisticated modelling of stellar evolution, and by the development of asteroseismic tools to use the observations to probe stellar interiors. This will lead to a far more reliable determination of stellar ages, and hence ages of other astrophysical objects; it will compare the properties of the Sun with other stars and hence provide an understanding of the life history of the Sun; it will investigate the physical processes that control stellar properties, both at the level of the thermodynamical properties of stellar plasmas and the hydrodynamical instabilities that play a central role in stellar evolution; and it will characterize central stars in extra-solar planetary systems, determining the size and age of the star and hence constrain the evolution of the planetary systems. The Kepler data will be analysed in a large international collaboration coordinated by our group. The SONG network, which will become partially operational during the present project, will yield even detailed information about the conditions in the interior of stars, allowing tests of subtle but central aspects of the physics of stellar interiors. The projects involve the organization of a central data archive for asteroseismic data, at the Royal Library, Copenhagen.
Max ERC Funding
2 498 149 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-04-01, End date: 2016-03-31
Project acronym CIO
Project Common Interactive Objects
Researcher (PI) Susanne Bødker
Host Institution (HI) AARHUS UNIVERSITET
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE6, ERC-2016-ADG
Summary In CIO, common interactive objects are developed and explored to extend human control over the technological environment by human beings, both individually and together. CIO leads to a coherent framework of user interfaces to be applied in interaction design. Common interactive objects will provide a useful frame for furthering human computer interaction (HCI) theory, development of interaction design methods and the underlying technical platforms. Common interactive objects will empower users to better understand and develop the technologies they use.
When carried through, the project offers new ways for people to construct and configure human physical and virtual environments, together, over time and within communities.
The main objectives of CIO are to
1. develop the conception of common interactive objects in order to offer a new understanding of human-computer interaction, focusing on human control.
2. develop support for building user interfaces in a coherent and unified framework.
3. make common interactive objects that will empower users to better understand and develop the technologies they use.
4. carry out ground-breaking research regarding the technological basis of common interactive objects with focus on malleability, control and shareability over time.
CIO is methodologically rooted in HCI. CIO’s research methods combine empirical, analytical, theoretical, and design approaches, all with focus on the relationship between common interactive objects and their human users.
CIO presents the idea that common interactive objects may radically innovate our understanding of use and building user interfaces. The gains of CIO will be a coherent new, high-impact way of understanding and building HCI across physical and virtual structures, bringing control back to the users. The risks are in delivering this alternative in a manner that is able to confront the current strong commercial interests in the Internet-of-Things and the 'new' Artificial Intelligence
Summary
In CIO, common interactive objects are developed and explored to extend human control over the technological environment by human beings, both individually and together. CIO leads to a coherent framework of user interfaces to be applied in interaction design. Common interactive objects will provide a useful frame for furthering human computer interaction (HCI) theory, development of interaction design methods and the underlying technical platforms. Common interactive objects will empower users to better understand and develop the technologies they use.
When carried through, the project offers new ways for people to construct and configure human physical and virtual environments, together, over time and within communities.
The main objectives of CIO are to
1. develop the conception of common interactive objects in order to offer a new understanding of human-computer interaction, focusing on human control.
2. develop support for building user interfaces in a coherent and unified framework.
3. make common interactive objects that will empower users to better understand and develop the technologies they use.
4. carry out ground-breaking research regarding the technological basis of common interactive objects with focus on malleability, control and shareability over time.
CIO is methodologically rooted in HCI. CIO’s research methods combine empirical, analytical, theoretical, and design approaches, all with focus on the relationship between common interactive objects and their human users.
CIO presents the idea that common interactive objects may radically innovate our understanding of use and building user interfaces. The gains of CIO will be a coherent new, high-impact way of understanding and building HCI across physical and virtual structures, bringing control back to the users. The risks are in delivering this alternative in a manner that is able to confront the current strong commercial interests in the Internet-of-Things and the 'new' Artificial Intelligence
Max ERC Funding
2 398 993 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-12-01, End date: 2022-11-30
Project acronym CLUNATRA
Project Discovering new Catalysts in the Cluster-Nanoparticle Transition Regime
Researcher (PI) Ib CHORKENDORFF
Host Institution (HI) DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE4, ERC-2016-ADG
Summary The purpose of this proposal is to establish new fundamental insight of the reactivity and thereby the catalytic activity of oxides, nitrides, phosphides and sulfides (O-, N-, P-, S- ides) in the Cluster-Nanoparticle transition regime. We will use this insight to develop new catalysts through an interactive loop involving DFT simulations, synthesis, characterization and activity testing. The overarching objective is to make new catalysts that are efficient for production of solar fuels and chemicals to facilitate the implementation of sustainable energy, e.g. electrochemical hydrogen production and reduction of CO2 and N2 through both electrochemical and thermally activated processes.
Recent research has identified why there is a lack of significant progress in developing new more active catalysts. Chemical scaling-relations exist among the intermediates, making it difficult to find a reaction pathway, which provides a flat potential energy landscape - a necessity for making the reaction proceed without large losses. My hypothesis is that going away from the conventional size regime, > 2 nm, one may break such chemical scaling-relations. Non-scalable behavior means that adding an atom results in a completely different reactivity. This drastic change could be even further enhanced if the added atom is a different element than the recipient particle, providing new freedom to control the reaction pathway. The methodology will be based on setting up a specifically optimized instrument for synthesizing such mass-selected clusters/nanoparticles. Thus far, researchers have barely explored this size regime. Only a limited amount of studies has been devoted to inorganic entities of oxides and sulfides; nitrides and phosphides are completely unexplored. We will employ atomic level simulations, synthesis, characterization, and subsequently test for specific reactions. This interdisciplinary loop will result in new breakthroughs in the area of catalyst material discovery.
Summary
The purpose of this proposal is to establish new fundamental insight of the reactivity and thereby the catalytic activity of oxides, nitrides, phosphides and sulfides (O-, N-, P-, S- ides) in the Cluster-Nanoparticle transition regime. We will use this insight to develop new catalysts through an interactive loop involving DFT simulations, synthesis, characterization and activity testing. The overarching objective is to make new catalysts that are efficient for production of solar fuels and chemicals to facilitate the implementation of sustainable energy, e.g. electrochemical hydrogen production and reduction of CO2 and N2 through both electrochemical and thermally activated processes.
Recent research has identified why there is a lack of significant progress in developing new more active catalysts. Chemical scaling-relations exist among the intermediates, making it difficult to find a reaction pathway, which provides a flat potential energy landscape - a necessity for making the reaction proceed without large losses. My hypothesis is that going away from the conventional size regime, > 2 nm, one may break such chemical scaling-relations. Non-scalable behavior means that adding an atom results in a completely different reactivity. This drastic change could be even further enhanced if the added atom is a different element than the recipient particle, providing new freedom to control the reaction pathway. The methodology will be based on setting up a specifically optimized instrument for synthesizing such mass-selected clusters/nanoparticles. Thus far, researchers have barely explored this size regime. Only a limited amount of studies has been devoted to inorganic entities of oxides and sulfides; nitrides and phosphides are completely unexplored. We will employ atomic level simulations, synthesis, characterization, and subsequently test for specific reactions. This interdisciplinary loop will result in new breakthroughs in the area of catalyst material discovery.
Max ERC Funding
2 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-09-01, End date: 2022-08-31
Project acronym COLLMOT
Project Complex structure and dynamics of collective motion
Researcher (PI) Tamás Vicsek
Host Institution (HI) EOTVOS LORAND TUDOMANYEGYETEM
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE3, ERC-2008-AdG
Summary Collective behaviour is a widespread phenomenon in nature and technology making it a very important subject to study in various contexts. The main goal we intend to achieve in our multidisciplinary research is the identification and documentation of new unifying principles describing the essential aspects of collective motion, being one of the most relevant and spectacular manifestations of collective behaviour. We shall carry out novel type of experiments, design models that are both simple and realistic enough to reproduce the observations and develop concepts for a better interpretation of the complexity of systems consisting of many organisms and such non-living objects as interacting robots. We plan to study systems ranging from cultures of migrating tissue cells through flocks of birds to collectively moving devices. The interrelation of these systems will be considered in order to deepen the understanding of the main patterns of group motion in both living and non-living systems by learning about the similar phenomena in the two domains of nature. Thus, we plan to understand the essential ingredients of flocking of birds by building collectively moving unmanned aerial vehicles while, in turn, high resolution spatiotemporal GPS data of pigeon flocks will be used to make helpful conclusions for the best designs for swarms of robots. In particular, we shall construct and build a set of vehicles that will be capable, for the first time, to exhibit flocking behaviour in the three-dimensional space. The methods we shall adopt will range from approaches used in statistical physics and network theory to various new techniques in cell biology and collective robotics. All this will be based on numerous prior results (both ours and others) published in leading interdisciplinary journals. The planned research will have the potential of leading to ground breaking results with significant implications in various fields of science and technology.
Summary
Collective behaviour is a widespread phenomenon in nature and technology making it a very important subject to study in various contexts. The main goal we intend to achieve in our multidisciplinary research is the identification and documentation of new unifying principles describing the essential aspects of collective motion, being one of the most relevant and spectacular manifestations of collective behaviour. We shall carry out novel type of experiments, design models that are both simple and realistic enough to reproduce the observations and develop concepts for a better interpretation of the complexity of systems consisting of many organisms and such non-living objects as interacting robots. We plan to study systems ranging from cultures of migrating tissue cells through flocks of birds to collectively moving devices. The interrelation of these systems will be considered in order to deepen the understanding of the main patterns of group motion in both living and non-living systems by learning about the similar phenomena in the two domains of nature. Thus, we plan to understand the essential ingredients of flocking of birds by building collectively moving unmanned aerial vehicles while, in turn, high resolution spatiotemporal GPS data of pigeon flocks will be used to make helpful conclusions for the best designs for swarms of robots. In particular, we shall construct and build a set of vehicles that will be capable, for the first time, to exhibit flocking behaviour in the three-dimensional space. The methods we shall adopt will range from approaches used in statistical physics and network theory to various new techniques in cell biology and collective robotics. All this will be based on numerous prior results (both ours and others) published in leading interdisciplinary journals. The planned research will have the potential of leading to ground breaking results with significant implications in various fields of science and technology.
Max ERC Funding
1 248 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-03-01, End date: 2015-02-28
Project acronym COULOMBUS
Project Electric Currents in Sediment and Soil
Researcher (PI) Lars Peter Nielsen
Host Institution (HI) AARHUS UNIVERSITET
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE10, ERC-2011-ADG_20110209
Summary "With COULOMBUS I will explore the new electronic world I recently found in marine sediment; a living world featuring transmission of coulombs of electrons over long distances through a grid of unknown origin and composition. This is a great challenge to science, and I will specifically
- Unravel function, expansion, resilience, and microbial engineering of the conductive grid
- Identify microbial and geological processes related to long distance electron transfer today and in the past
- Introduce the electron as a new element in biogeochemical and ecological models.
- Map the range of sediment and soil habitats featuring biogeoelectric currents
Incubations of marine sediment will serve as the “base camp” for the surveys. Here I consistently observe that current sources extending centimetres down deliver electrons for most of the oxygen consumption, and here my array of advanced microsensors and biogeochemical methods works well. My team will record electric currents and biogeochemical changes as we manipulate mechanical, chemical, and biological conditions, thereby getting to an understanding of the interplay between conductors, microorganisms, electron donors, electron acceptors, and minerals. Next we take the methods out in the sea to evaluate biogeoelectricity in situ using robots. Other aquatic environments will also be screened. The ultimate outdoor challenge will come as I lead the team into soils where surface potentials suggest biogeoelectric currents deep down. All observations, experiments, and models will be directed to answer the groundbreaking questions: What physics and microbial engineering can explain long distance electron conductance in nature? How do electric microbial communities evolve and how do they shape element cycling? What signatures of biogeoelectricity are left in the geological record of earth history? If I succeed I will have opened up many new exciting research routes for the followers."
Summary
"With COULOMBUS I will explore the new electronic world I recently found in marine sediment; a living world featuring transmission of coulombs of electrons over long distances through a grid of unknown origin and composition. This is a great challenge to science, and I will specifically
- Unravel function, expansion, resilience, and microbial engineering of the conductive grid
- Identify microbial and geological processes related to long distance electron transfer today and in the past
- Introduce the electron as a new element in biogeochemical and ecological models.
- Map the range of sediment and soil habitats featuring biogeoelectric currents
Incubations of marine sediment will serve as the “base camp” for the surveys. Here I consistently observe that current sources extending centimetres down deliver electrons for most of the oxygen consumption, and here my array of advanced microsensors and biogeochemical methods works well. My team will record electric currents and biogeochemical changes as we manipulate mechanical, chemical, and biological conditions, thereby getting to an understanding of the interplay between conductors, microorganisms, electron donors, electron acceptors, and minerals. Next we take the methods out in the sea to evaluate biogeoelectricity in situ using robots. Other aquatic environments will also be screened. The ultimate outdoor challenge will come as I lead the team into soils where surface potentials suggest biogeoelectric currents deep down. All observations, experiments, and models will be directed to answer the groundbreaking questions: What physics and microbial engineering can explain long distance electron conductance in nature? How do electric microbial communities evolve and how do they shape element cycling? What signatures of biogeoelectricity are left in the geological record of earth history? If I succeed I will have opened up many new exciting research routes for the followers."
Max ERC Funding
2 155 300 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-03-01, End date: 2017-02-28
Project acronym D-TXM
Project Diffraction Based Transmission X-ray Microscopy
Researcher (PI) Henning Friis Poulsen
Host Institution (HI) DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE5, ERC-2011-ADG_20110209
Summary The aim of this project is to develop a diffraction based transmission X-ray microscope, d-TXM, for non-destructive structural characterization of polycrystalline materials such as metals, ceramics, semiconductors, dust, soil and rocks, and for R&D applications in e.g. the energy-, electronics- and environmental sectors. Uniquely, d-TXM will be able to visualise the grains inside 100 micrometer thick specimens with a spatial resolution of 10-30 nm. Up to a thousand grains may be mapped simultaneously in three dimensions with respect to morphology, phase, orientation and local stress-state. Furthermore, the method will be sufficiently fast to enable the acquisition of 3D movies of the time evolution of the structure in nano-materials and components during synthesis, processing or operation.
During the last decade the applicant pioneered and matured a set of X-ray based methods for 3D studies of polycrystals on the micrometre scale. For this achievement, he is recognized as a worldwide leading figure in X-ray instrumentation for structural materials, situated at a nodal point between materials, X-ray physics, applied mathematics and crystallography. The underlying vision of d-TXM is similar to this past work, but in terms of optics the microscopy approach is radically different and the spatial resolution will be two orders of magnitude better.
In this project, the scientific potential will be demonstrated by means of applications to selected issues in metallurgy. Being able to directly observe the evolution of the individual crystalline elements, our understanding of processes such as plasticity and phase evolution can be greatly enhanced.
Dissemination to other fields will take place via an advisory board of future users and a workshop. Continuity of the project is ensured by the technique being implemented at the European Synchrotron Research Facility.
Summary
The aim of this project is to develop a diffraction based transmission X-ray microscope, d-TXM, for non-destructive structural characterization of polycrystalline materials such as metals, ceramics, semiconductors, dust, soil and rocks, and for R&D applications in e.g. the energy-, electronics- and environmental sectors. Uniquely, d-TXM will be able to visualise the grains inside 100 micrometer thick specimens with a spatial resolution of 10-30 nm. Up to a thousand grains may be mapped simultaneously in three dimensions with respect to morphology, phase, orientation and local stress-state. Furthermore, the method will be sufficiently fast to enable the acquisition of 3D movies of the time evolution of the structure in nano-materials and components during synthesis, processing or operation.
During the last decade the applicant pioneered and matured a set of X-ray based methods for 3D studies of polycrystals on the micrometre scale. For this achievement, he is recognized as a worldwide leading figure in X-ray instrumentation for structural materials, situated at a nodal point between materials, X-ray physics, applied mathematics and crystallography. The underlying vision of d-TXM is similar to this past work, but in terms of optics the microscopy approach is radically different and the spatial resolution will be two orders of magnitude better.
In this project, the scientific potential will be demonstrated by means of applications to selected issues in metallurgy. Being able to directly observe the evolution of the individual crystalline elements, our understanding of processes such as plasticity and phase evolution can be greatly enhanced.
Dissemination to other fields will take place via an advisory board of future users and a workshop. Continuity of the project is ensured by the technique being implemented at the European Synchrotron Research Facility.
Max ERC Funding
2 499 860 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-10-01, End date: 2017-09-30
Project acronym DEEPTIME
Project Probing the history of matter in deep time
Researcher (PI) Martin BIZZARRO
Host Institution (HI) KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE10, ERC-2018-ADG
Summary The solar system represents the archetype for the formation of rocky planets and habitable worlds. A full understanding of its formation and earliest evolution is thus one of the most fundamental goals in natural sciences. The only tangible record of the formative stages of the solar system comes from ancient meteorites and their components some of which date back to the to the birth of our Sun. The main objective of this proposal is to investigate the timescales and processes leading to the formation of the solar system, including the delivery of volatile elements to the accretion regions of rocky planets, by combining absolute ages, isotopic and trace element compositions as well as atomic and structural analysis of meteorites and their components. We identify nucleosynthetic fingerprinting as a tool allowing us to probe the history of solids parental to our solar system across cosmic times, namely from their parent stars in the Galaxy through their modification and incorporation into disk objects, including asteroidal bodies and planets. Our data will be obtained using state-of-the-art instruments including mass-spectrometers (MC-ICPMS, TIMS, SIMS), atom probe and transmission electron microscopy. These data will allow us to: (1) provide formation timescales for presolar grains and their parent stars as well as understand how these grains may control the solar system’s nucleosynthetic variability, (2) track the formation timescales of disk reservoirs and the mass fluxes between and within these regions (3) better our understanding of the timing and flux of volatile elements to the inner protoplanetary disk as well as the timescales and mechanism of primordial crust formation in rocky planets. The novel questions outlined in this proposal, including high-risk high-gain ventures, can only now be tackled using pioneering methods and approaches developed by the PI’s group and collaborators. Thus, we are in a unique position to make step-change discoveries.
Summary
The solar system represents the archetype for the formation of rocky planets and habitable worlds. A full understanding of its formation and earliest evolution is thus one of the most fundamental goals in natural sciences. The only tangible record of the formative stages of the solar system comes from ancient meteorites and their components some of which date back to the to the birth of our Sun. The main objective of this proposal is to investigate the timescales and processes leading to the formation of the solar system, including the delivery of volatile elements to the accretion regions of rocky planets, by combining absolute ages, isotopic and trace element compositions as well as atomic and structural analysis of meteorites and their components. We identify nucleosynthetic fingerprinting as a tool allowing us to probe the history of solids parental to our solar system across cosmic times, namely from their parent stars in the Galaxy through their modification and incorporation into disk objects, including asteroidal bodies and planets. Our data will be obtained using state-of-the-art instruments including mass-spectrometers (MC-ICPMS, TIMS, SIMS), atom probe and transmission electron microscopy. These data will allow us to: (1) provide formation timescales for presolar grains and their parent stars as well as understand how these grains may control the solar system’s nucleosynthetic variability, (2) track the formation timescales of disk reservoirs and the mass fluxes between and within these regions (3) better our understanding of the timing and flux of volatile elements to the inner protoplanetary disk as well as the timescales and mechanism of primordial crust formation in rocky planets. The novel questions outlined in this proposal, including high-risk high-gain ventures, can only now be tackled using pioneering methods and approaches developed by the PI’s group and collaborators. Thus, we are in a unique position to make step-change discoveries.
Max ERC Funding
2 495 496 €
Duration
Start date: 2020-01-01, End date: 2024-12-31
Project acronym DISCONV
Project DISCRETE AND CONVEX GEOMETRY: CHALLENGES, METHODS, APPLICATIONS
Researcher (PI) Imre Barany
Host Institution (HI) MAGYAR TUDOMANYOS AKADEMIA RENYI ALFRED MATEMATIKAI KUTATOINTEZET
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE1, ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
Summary Title: Discrete and convex geometry: challenges, methods, applications
Abstract: Research in discrete and convex geometry, using tools from combinatorics, algebraic
topology, probability theory, number theory, and algebra, with applications in theoretical
computer science, integer programming, and operations research. Algorithmic aspects are
emphasized and often serve as motivation or simply dictate the questions. The proposed
problems can be grouped into three main areas: (1) Geometric transversal, selection, and
incidence problems, including algorithmic complexity of Tverberg's theorem, weak
epsilon-nets, the k-set problem, and algebraic approaches to the Erdos unit distance problem.
(2) Topological methods and questions, in particular topological Tverberg-type theorems,
algorithmic complexity of the existence of equivariant maps, mass partition problems, and the
generalized HeX lemma for the k-coloured d-dimensional grid. (3) Lattice polytopes and random
polytopes, including Arnold's question on the number of convex lattice polytopes, limit
shapes of lattice polytopes in dimension 3 and higher, comparison of random polytopes and
lattice polytopes, the integer convex hull and its randomized version.
Summary
Title: Discrete and convex geometry: challenges, methods, applications
Abstract: Research in discrete and convex geometry, using tools from combinatorics, algebraic
topology, probability theory, number theory, and algebra, with applications in theoretical
computer science, integer programming, and operations research. Algorithmic aspects are
emphasized and often serve as motivation or simply dictate the questions. The proposed
problems can be grouped into three main areas: (1) Geometric transversal, selection, and
incidence problems, including algorithmic complexity of Tverberg's theorem, weak
epsilon-nets, the k-set problem, and algebraic approaches to the Erdos unit distance problem.
(2) Topological methods and questions, in particular topological Tverberg-type theorems,
algorithmic complexity of the existence of equivariant maps, mass partition problems, and the
generalized HeX lemma for the k-coloured d-dimensional grid. (3) Lattice polytopes and random
polytopes, including Arnold's question on the number of convex lattice polytopes, limit
shapes of lattice polytopes in dimension 3 and higher, comparison of random polytopes and
lattice polytopes, the integer convex hull and its randomized version.
Max ERC Funding
1 298 012 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-04-01, End date: 2017-03-31
Project acronym DISCRETECONT
Project From discrete to contimuous: understanding discrete structures through continuous approximation
Researcher (PI) László Lovász
Host Institution (HI) EOTVOS LORAND TUDOMANYEGYETEM
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE1, ERC-2008-AdG
Summary Important methods and results in discrete mathematics arise from the interaction between discrete mathematics and ``continuous'' areas like analysis or geometry. Classical examples of this include topological methods, linear and semidefinite optimization generating functions and more. More recent areas stressing this connection are the theory of limit objects of growing sequences of finite structures (graphs, hypergraphs, sequences), differential equations on networks, geometric representations of graphs. Perhaps most promising is the study of limits of growing graph and hypergraph sequences. In resent work by the Proposer and his collaborators, this area has found highly nontrivial connections with extremal graph theory, the theory of property testing in computer science, to additive number theory, the theory of random graphs, and measure theory as well as geometric representations of graphs. This proposal's goal is to explore these interactions, with the participation of a number of researchers from different areas of mathematics.
Summary
Important methods and results in discrete mathematics arise from the interaction between discrete mathematics and ``continuous'' areas like analysis or geometry. Classical examples of this include topological methods, linear and semidefinite optimization generating functions and more. More recent areas stressing this connection are the theory of limit objects of growing sequences of finite structures (graphs, hypergraphs, sequences), differential equations on networks, geometric representations of graphs. Perhaps most promising is the study of limits of growing graph and hypergraph sequences. In resent work by the Proposer and his collaborators, this area has found highly nontrivial connections with extremal graph theory, the theory of property testing in computer science, to additive number theory, the theory of random graphs, and measure theory as well as geometric representations of graphs. This proposal's goal is to explore these interactions, with the participation of a number of researchers from different areas of mathematics.
Max ERC Funding
739 671 €
Duration
Start date: 2009-01-01, End date: 2014-06-30
Project acronym DropletControl
Project Controlling the orientation of molecules inside liquid helium nanodroplets
Researcher (PI) Henrik Stapelfeldt
Host Institution (HI) AARHUS UNIVERSITET
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2012-ADG_20120216
Summary In this project I will develop and exploit experimental methods, based on short and intense laser pulses, to control the spatial orientation of molecules dissolved in liquid helium nanodroplets. This idea is, so far, completely unexplored but it has the potential to open a multitude of new opportunities in physics and chemistry. The main objectives are:
1) Complete control and real time monitoring of molecular rotation inside liquid helium droplets, exploring superfluidity of the droplets, the possible formation of quantum vortices, and rotational dephasing due to interaction of the dissolved molecules with the He solvent.
2) Ultrafast imaging of molecules undergoing chemical reaction dynamics inside liquid helium droplets, exploring rapid energy dissipation from reacting molecules to the helium solvent, transition between mirror forms of chiral molecules, strong laser field processes in He-solvated molecules, and structure determination of non crystalizable proteins by electron or x-ray diffraction.
I will achieve the objectives by combining liquid helium droplet technology, ultrafast laser pulse methods and advanced electron and ion imaging detection. The experiments will both rely on existing apparatus in my laboratories and on new vacuum and laser equipment to be set up during the project.
The ability to control how molecules are turned in space is of fundamental importance because interactions of molecules with other molecules, atoms or radiation depend on their spatial orientation. For isolated molecules in the gas phase laser based methods, developed over the past 12 years, now enable very refined and precise control over the spatial orientation of molecules. By contrast, orientational control of molecules in solution has not been demonstrated despite the potential of being able to do so is enormous, notably because most chemistry occurs in a solvent rather than in a gas of isolated molecules.
Summary
In this project I will develop and exploit experimental methods, based on short and intense laser pulses, to control the spatial orientation of molecules dissolved in liquid helium nanodroplets. This idea is, so far, completely unexplored but it has the potential to open a multitude of new opportunities in physics and chemistry. The main objectives are:
1) Complete control and real time monitoring of molecular rotation inside liquid helium droplets, exploring superfluidity of the droplets, the possible formation of quantum vortices, and rotational dephasing due to interaction of the dissolved molecules with the He solvent.
2) Ultrafast imaging of molecules undergoing chemical reaction dynamics inside liquid helium droplets, exploring rapid energy dissipation from reacting molecules to the helium solvent, transition between mirror forms of chiral molecules, strong laser field processes in He-solvated molecules, and structure determination of non crystalizable proteins by electron or x-ray diffraction.
I will achieve the objectives by combining liquid helium droplet technology, ultrafast laser pulse methods and advanced electron and ion imaging detection. The experiments will both rely on existing apparatus in my laboratories and on new vacuum and laser equipment to be set up during the project.
The ability to control how molecules are turned in space is of fundamental importance because interactions of molecules with other molecules, atoms or radiation depend on their spatial orientation. For isolated molecules in the gas phase laser based methods, developed over the past 12 years, now enable very refined and precise control over the spatial orientation of molecules. By contrast, orientational control of molecules in solution has not been demonstrated despite the potential of being able to do so is enormous, notably because most chemistry occurs in a solvent rather than in a gas of isolated molecules.
Max ERC Funding
2 409 773 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-05-01, End date: 2018-04-30
