ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

The discoveries that the expansion of the universe is accelerating due to an unknown “dark energy” and that most of the matter is invisible, highlight our lack of understanding of the major constituents of the universe. These surprising findings set the stage for research in cosmology at the start of the 21st century. The objective of this proposal is to advance observational constraints to a level where we can distinguish between physical mechanisms that aim to explain the properties of dark energy and the observed distribution of dark matter throughout the universe. We use a relatively new technique called weak gravitational lensing: the accurate measurement of correlations in the orientations of distant galaxies enables us to map the dark matter distribution directly and to extract the cosmological information that is encoded by the large-scale structure. To study the dark universe we will analyse data from a new state-of-the-art imaging survey: the Kilo- Degree Survey (KiDS) will cover 1500 square degrees in 9 filters. The combination of its large survey area and the availability of exquisite photometric redshifts for the sources makes KiDS the first project that can place interesting constraints on the dark energy equation-of-state using lensing data alone. Combined with complementary results from Planck, our measurements will provide one of the best views of the dark side of the universe before much larger space-based projects commence. To reach the desired accuracy we need to carefully measure the shapes of distant background galaxies. We also need to account for any intrinsic alignments that arise due to tidal interactions, rather than through lensing. Reducing these observational and physical biases to negligible levels is a necessarystep to ensure the success of KiDS and an important part of our preparation for more challenging projects such as the European-led space mission Euclid.

1 316 880 €

Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31

BEACON aims at performing an ambitious multi-disciplinary (optical, radio astronomy and theoretical physics) study to enable a fundamentally improved understanding of gravitation and space-time. For almost a century Einstein's general relativity has been the last word on gravity. However, superstring theory predicts new gravitational phenomena beyond relativity. In this proposal I will attempt to detect these new phenomena, with a sensitivity 20 times better than state-of-the-art attempts. A successful detection would take physics beyond its current understanding of the Universe. These new gravitational phenomena are emission of dipolar gravitational waves and the violation of the strong equivalence principle (SEP). I plan to look for them by timing newly discovered binary pulsars. I will improve upon the best current limits on dipolar gravitational wave emission by a factor of 20 within the time of this proposal. I also plan to develop a test of the Strong Equivalence Principle using a new pulsar/main-sequence star binary. The precision of this test is likely to surpass the current best limits within the time frame of this proposal and then keep improving indefinitely with time. This happens because this is the cleanest gravitational experiment ever carried out. In order to further these goals, I plan to build the ultimate pulsar observing system. By taking advantage of recent technological advances in microwave engineering (particularly sensitive ultra-wide band receivers) digital electronics (fast analogue-to-digital converters and digital spectrometers) and computing, my team and me will be able to greatly improve the sensitivity and precision for pulsar timing experiments and exploit the capabilities of modern radio telescopes to their limits. Pulsars are the beacons that will guide me in these new, uncharted seas.

1 892 376 €

Start date: 2011-09-01, End date: 2016-08-31

A critical question in neuroscience is to understand how neurons wire up to form a functional network. During the wiring of the brain it is important to establish mechanisms that act as safeguards to control and stabilize neuronal excitability in the face of large, chronic changes in neuronal or network activity. This is especially true for developing systems that undergo rapid and large scale forms of plasticity, which could easily lead to large imbalances in activity. If left unchecked, they could lead the network to its extremes: a complete loss of signal or epileptic-like activity. For this reason neurons employ different strategies to maintain their excitability within reasonable bounds. This proposal will focus on two crucial sites for neuronal information processing and integration: the synapse and the axon initial segment (AIS). Both sites undergo important structural and functional rearrangements in response to chronic activity changes, thus controlling the input-output function of a neuron and allowing the network to function efficiently. This proposal will explore novel forms of plasticity that occur during development and which are key to establishing a functional network. They range from understanding the role of activity during synapse formation to how pre- and postsynaptic structure and function become matched during development. Finally, it tackles a novel form of plasticity that lies downstream of synaptic inputs and is responsible for setting the threshold of action potential firing: the axon initial segment. Here, chronic changes in network activity results in a physical relocation of the AIS along the axon, which in turn alters the excitability of the neuron. This proposal will focus on the central issue of how a neuron alters both its input (synapses) and output (AIS) during development to maintain its activity levels within a set range and allow a functional network to form.

1 500 000 €

Start date: 2012-03-01, End date: 2017-02-28

COLDNANO (UltraCOLD ion and electron beams for NANOscience), aspires to build novel ion and electron sources with superior performance in terms of brightness, energy spread and minimum achievable spot size. Such monochromatic, spatially focused and well controlled electron and ion beams are expected to open many research possibilities in material sciences, in surface investigations (imaging, lithography) and in semiconductor diagnostics. The proposed project intends to develop sources with the best beam quality ever produced and to assess them in some advanced surface science research domains. Laterally, I will develop expertise exchange with one Small and Medium Enterprise who will exploit industrial prototypes. The novel concept is to create ion and electron sources using advanced laser cooling techniques combined with the particular ionization properties of cold atoms. It would then be first time that “laser cooling” would lead to a real industrial development. A cesium magneto-optical trap will first be used. The atoms will then be excited by lasers and ionized in order to provide the electron source. The specific extraction optics for the electrons will be developed. This source will be compact and portable to be used for several applications such as Low Energy Electron Microscopy, functionalization of semi-conducting surfaces or high resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectrometry by coupling to a Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope. Based on the knowledge developed with the first experiment, a second ambitious xenon dual ion and electron beam machine will then be realized and used to study the scattering of ion and electron at low energy. Finally, I present a very innovative scheme to control the time, position and velocity of individual particles in the beams. Such a machine providing ions or electrons on demand would open the way for the “ultimate” resolution in time and space for surface analysis, lithography, microscopy or implantation.

1 944 000 €

Start date: 2012-02-01, End date: 2017-01-31

Prostate cancer causes over 1/4 of new cancer cases and 1/10 of cancer deaths in western males. Efficient methods for early treatment are available. Many lives could therefore be saved by early cancer detection, but this is not viable due to the inadequacy of the available noninvasive diagnostics. Systematic biopsy is the only reliable detection technique, but it is hampered by high costs and causes serious discomfort and health risks because of its invasiveness. Moreover, precise cancer localization is not possible, impeding the use of available focal treatments. This research will push the frontiers of prostate cancer diagnostics by a revolutionary method for localization of cancer angiogenesis (microvascular growth). Different from all methods for angiogenesis imaging, invariably based on the assessment of blood perfusion, I aim at quantifying the local dispersion dynamics of an intravascular tracer. Dispersion is the spreading process of the tracer within the vasculature, which I firmly believe to correlate much better than perfusion with microvascular architectures and, therefore, with cancer angiogenesis. The assessment of local dispersion is challenging and will be pursued through an intravenous injection of an ultrasound contrast bolus and novel spatiotemporal analysis of the bolus passage through the prostate circulation, measured by three-dimensional ultrasound imaging. If successful, the proposed method will represent a breakthrough for early noninvasive and accurate prostate cancer localization, precise focal treatment, and treatment follow-up, with strong potential for use for other types of cancers, such as breast cancer. Moreover, this method will facilitate further groundbreaking research in the therapeutic control of angiogenesis in several pathologies. This exciting research builds on my multidisciplinary expertise in ultrasound contrast dilution methods and on consistent and successful collaborations with leading clinical and industrial partners.

1 430 955 €

Start date: 2012-06-01, End date: 2018-05-31

This proposal will address how a multimodal cognitive system, the neural representation of space in the hippocampus, emerges during development. There is a long tradition in neuroscience of studying the development of primary sensory systems, but fewer studies have concentrated on the development of brain networks supporting higher-order cognitive representations. Our recent findings (Wills, Cacucci et al. Science, 2010) provide a starting point to fill this gap, charting the emergence of spatial responses of hippocampal formation neurons, using in vivo recording in awake, behaving rats. The hippocampal formation supports neural representations of the environment ('cognitive maps') by means of which an animal can locate itself and navigate to a goal location. It contains three classes of spatially-tuned cells: place cells, which code for location, head direction cells, which code for directional orientation and grid cells, which may code for distance travelled. The key aim of this proposal is to delineate the developmental processes that create this neural representation of space, focusing on the representations of place and direction. We will delineate which sensory information is capable of driving spatial firing, and whether early hippocampal coding is truly spatial in the sense of representing configurations of stimuli and not single cues. How are abstract spatial constructs (place and head direction) built from raw sensory information during development? We will test whether boundary sensitive neurons and angular velocity tuned neurons are the elemental 'building blocks' making up place and directional signals, as suggested by many theoretical models. We will also investigate the role of experience in the construction of spatial representations. Do the network architectures underlying spatial firing emerge through experience-dependent learning mechanisms, or are they the result of self-organizing processes which take place independently of experience?

1 491 930 €

Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2017-12-31

The primary questions that drive the Mars exploration program focus on life. Has the Martian climate ever been favorable for life development? Such scenario would imply a distinct planetary system from today with a magnetic flied able to retain the atmosphere. Where is the evidence of such past climate and intern conditions? The clues for answering these questions are locked up in the geologic record of the planet. The volume of data acquired in the past 15 years by the 4 Martian orbiters (ESA and NASA) reach the petaoctet, what is indecent as regard to the size of the Martian community. e-Mars propose to built a science team composed by the PI, Two post-doctorates, one PhD student and one engineer to exploit the data characterizing the surface of Mars. e-Mars proposes the unprecedented approach to combine topographic data, imagery data in diverse spectral domain and hyperspectral data from multiple orbiter captors to study the evolution of Mars and to propose pertinent landing sites for next missions. e-Mars will focus on three scientific themes: the composition of the Martian crust to constraint the early evolution of the planet, the research of possible habitable places based on evidence of past liquid water activity from both morphological record and hydrated mineral locations, and the study of current climatic and geological processes driven by the CO2 cycle. These scientific themes will be supported by three axis of methodological development: the geodatabase management via Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.)., the automatic hyperspectral data analysis and the age estimates of planetary surface based on small size crater counts.

1 392 000 €

Start date: 2011-11-01, End date: 2017-10-31

The goal of this project is to discover the first galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. The astrophysics of galaxy formation is deeply fascinating. From tiny density fluctuations of quantum mechanical nature believed to have formed during an inflationary period a tiny fraction of a second after the Big Bang during structure slowly formed through gravitational collapse. This process is strongly dependent on the nature of the dominant, but unknown form of matter - the dark matter. In the project proposed here I will study the epoch of first galaxy formation and the subsequent few billion years of cosmic evolution using gamma-ray bursts and Lyman-α (Lyα) emitting galaxies as probes. I am the principal investigator on two observational projects utilizing these probes. In the first project, I will over three years starting October 2009 be using the new X-shooter spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope to build a sample of ~100 gamma-ray bursts with UV/optical/near-IR spectroscopic follow-up. The objective of this project is to measure primarily metallicities, molecular content, and dust content of the gamma-ray burst host galaxies. I am primarily interested in the redshift range from 9 to 2 corresponding to about 500 million years to 3 billions years after the Big Bang. In the 2nd project we will use the new European Southern Observatory survey telescope VISTA. I am co-PI of the Ultra-VISTA project that over the next 5 years starting December 2009 will create an ultradeep image (about 2000 hr of total integration time) of a piece of sky known as the COSMOS field. I am responsible for the part of the project that will use a narrow-band filter to search for Lyα emitting galaxies at a redshift of 8.8 (corresponding to about 500 million years after the Big Bang) - believed to correspond to the epoch of formation of some of the very first galaxies.

1 002 000 €

Start date: 2011-11-01, End date: 2016-10-31

The rapid growth of data traffic requires radically new approaches for high-speed data transmission to increase the bandwidth and power efficiency by orders of magnitude. The proposed research aims at novel system and device concepts for low-energy high-capacity optical interconnects in data centers. Data rates of 10 Tbit/s and beyond are envisaged by coherent multicarrier transmission. Parametric frequency conversion in high-Q Kerr-nonlinear resonators will be used to generate broadband combs of frequency-locked optical carriers. Integrated silicon photonic systems will allow for power-efficient multichannel modulation and detection. Novel reconfigurable optical signal processors will avoid excessive digital post-processing and hence reduce overall energy consumption.

1 498 800 €

Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31

In the last decade, Silicon Photonics has been a rapidly growing field fueled by the promise of highly scalable, ultra-low power, high bandwidth and low cost silicon based optical communication systems. The last few years have seen the emergence of several dedicated world-class research groups, a dedicated international conference, heavy investments by the semiconductor industry giants, multiple private equity funded start-ups, as well as dedicated multi-user foundry services. Nevertheless, several critical roadblocks remain that have so far prevented the field from displacing older optical technologies, the resolution of which presents extremely challenging scientific challenges, requiring highly innovative devices and system architectures as well as bleeding edge process development. In a nutshell, state-of-the-art Silicon Photonics remains marginally too expensive for ultra-short distance links, too low performance for long haul communications, and still has too high a power consumption to displace electrical interconnects at the circuit board level. It is the goal of this proposal to reach three key milestones that in the applicant’s opinion are critical enablers for the field on its path towards becoming a truly disruptive technology.

1 917 080 €

Start date: 2011-10-01, End date: 2017-09-30

Regulated trafficking of mitochondria is essential for providing ATP at the correct spatial location to power neural computation, and for providing calcium buffering at sites of calcium entry or release. In neurons, the concentration of mitochondria in specific regions such as growth cones and synapses is important for correct neuronal function and development. Moreover mutations in proteins regulating mitochondrial trafficking compromise neuronal development and the formation, function and plasticity of synapses, and defective mitochondrial trafficking is increasingly implicated in neurological diseases. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that allow neurons to tailor the distribution of mitochondria to changes in neuronal activity therefore has important implications for our understanding of neuronal function and communication. This proposal will study the mechanisms that control the trafficking of the energy providing mitochondria within neurons, and how this relates to neuronal connectivity and plasticity. Using imaging, electrophysiological, molecular and cell biological techniques, combined with viral transduction and mouse transgenic approaches we will determine the molecular mechanisms underlying the activity-dependent subcellular positioning of mitochondria in neurons. We will examine how the mitochondrial Ca2+-sensing GTPases Miro1 and Miro2 act to regulate mitochondrial movement, distribution and function and how this contributes to neuronal development, synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity. A key goal will be to determine if different roles exist for constitutive versus activity-dependent control of mitochondrial transport by Miro1 and Miro2 in these processes. These studies will significantly advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control mitochondrial localisation in neurons and the role that activity-dependent mitochondrial trafficking plays in regulating neuronal development, morphogenesis, connectivity and function.

1 997 567 €

Start date: 2012-02-01, End date: 2018-01-31

"Gas accretion and galactic winds are two of the most important and poorly understood ingredients of models for the formation and evolution of galaxies. We propose to take advantage of two unique opportunities to embark on a multi-disciplinary program to advance our understanding of the circumgalactic medium (CGM). We will use MUSE, a massive optical integral field spectrograph that we helped to develop and that will be commissioned on the VLT in 2012, to study the CGM in both absorption and emission. We will use 200 hours of guaranteed time to carry out deep redshift surveys of fields centred on bright z≈3.5 and z≈5 QSOs. This will yield hundreds of faint galaxies (mainly Lyα emitters) within 250 kpc of the lines of sight to the background QSOs, an order of magnitude increase compared to the best existing sample (bright, z≈2.3 galaxies). This will allow us to map the CGM in absorption in 3-D using HI and metal lines and to identify, for the first time, the counterparts to most metal absorbers. MUSE will also enable us to detect Lyα emission from the denser CGM (also using another 300 hours of guaranteed time targeting deep HST fields) and thus to directly explore its connection with galaxies and QSO absorbers. We will use the new supercomputer of the Virgo consortium to carry out cosmological hydro simulations that contain 1-2 orders of magnitude more resolution elements than the largest existing (spatially adaptive) runs. We will use the results of our previous work to guide our choice of parameters in order to obtain a better match to the observed mass function of galaxies. In parallel, we will carry out a complementary program of zoomed simulations of individual galaxies. These will have the physics and resolution to include a cold gas phase and hence to bypass much of the ""subgrid"" physics used in the cosmological runs. Both types of simulations will be used to study the physics of gas flows around galaxies and to guide the interpretation of our observations."

1 496 400 €

Start date: 2012-09-01, End date: 2017-08-31

Exposure to traumatic experiences as well as chronic stress has been shown to increase the risk for a number of psychiatric disorders including major depression and anxiety disorders by inducing longterm alterations in the reactivity of the stress hormone system. These effects can be moderated by genetic variants, one of them being functional polymorphisms in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) co-chaperone gene FKBP5. Preliminary studies in my laboratory suggest that this GxE interaction is mediated by allele-specific de-methylation of intronic glucocorticoid response elements (GREs) within FKBP5. The overarching aim of this grant is to identify the molecular mechanisms by which FKBP5 polymorphisms and early trauma interact to increase the risk for a number of depressive and anxiety disorders. In this application, I propose to extend these preliminary data by experiments in healthy controls and depressed patients, human lymphoblastiod cell lines as well as an animal model in outbred mice showing similar GxE interaction to address the molecular mechanism of these DNA-methylation changes as well as their cellular and system level consequences. Finally we will use expression quantitative trait locus analysis for GR stimulated gene expression to identify new loci relevant for GxE interactions in stress-related disorders. Overall, this proposal will follow up on one of the first putative molecular and systemic mechanisms identified for gene x environment interactions in affective disorders and will establish an animal model mimicking these specific interactions. The findings related to this proposal could be of major importance for understanding the biology of these disorders and to explore novel treatment options, including manipulations of epigenetic modifications.

1 254 120 €

Start date: 2012-03-01, End date: 2017-02-28

Aberrant protein aggregation (proteotoxicity) is an underlying mechanistic event common to numerous late-onset human neurodegenerative maladies including Alzheimer’s (AD) disease. Recent studies indicated that the ageing process plays key roles in enabling protein aggregation to become toxic late in life. The insulin/IGF signaling pathway (IIS) is a major ageing, stress resistance and lifespan regulator in worms and mice. We found that IIS reduction protects worms and mice from toxicity associated with the AD linked peptide, Aβ. These findings point to the alteration of ageing by IIS reduction as a promising research avenue towards the development of neurodegeneration therapies. In the nematode C. elegans, both effects of IIS reduction; longevity and protection from proteotoxicity are dependent on the activity of the FOXO transcription factor DAF-16. However, these functions of DAF-16/FOXO differ temporally; in worms the mediation of longevity by DAF-16 is restricted to reproductive adulthood while protection from proteotoxicity extends also to late adulthood. This differential temporal activity pattern suggests that different DAF-16 co-factors and target genes play roles in the mediation of longevity and in protection from proteotoxicity. Thus, a careful characterization of the late life DAF-16 regulated protective mechanism is required to evaluate the therapeutic potential of IIS reduction as a future treatment for neurodegenerative disorders. Here I propose to use nematodes and mice to explore the DAF-16/FOXO co-factors and target genes that mediate stress resistance and protection from proteotoxicity in the aged organism. Dual experimental approach will be utilized to achieve this goal; a directed genetic screen for the identification of co-factors and temporally differential set of DNA microarrays for the recognition of late life DAF-16/FOX target genes. This project is expected to yield new insight and to serve as a platform for future studies.

1 438 899 €

Start date: 2011-10-01, End date: 2017-09-30

Micro- and nanoelectromechanical system (MEMS and NEMS) components are vital for many industrial and consumer products such as airbag systems in cars and motion controls in mobile phones, and many of these MEMS and NEMS enabled applications have a large impact on European industry and society. However, the potential of MEMS and NEMS is being critically hampered by their dependence on integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing technologies. Most micro- and nano-manufacturing methods have been developed by the IC industry and are characterized by highly standardized manufacturing processes that are adapted for extremely large production volumes of more than 10.000 wafers per month. In contrast, the vast majority of MEMS and NEMS applications only demands production volumes of less than 100 wafers per month in combination with different non-standardized manufacturing and integration processes for each product. If a much wider variety of diverse and even low-volume MEMS and NEMS products shall be exploited, the semiconductor manufacturing paradigm has to be broken. In this project, we therefore will focus on frontier research on new paradigms for flexible and cost-efficient manufacturing and integration of MEMS and NEMS within three related research areas: (1) Wafer-Level Heterogeneous Integration for MEMS and NEMS, where we explore new and improved wafer-level heterogeneous integration technologies for MEMS and NEMS devices; (2) Integration of Materials into MEMS Using High-Speed Wire Bonding Tools, where we explore new ways of integrating various types of wire materials into MEMS devices; (3) Free-Form 3D Printing of Mono-Crystalline Silicon Micro- and Nanostructures, where we explore entirely novel ways of implementing mono-crystalline silicon MEMS and NEMS structures that can be arbitrarily shaped.

1 495 982 €

Start date: 2011-11-01, End date: 2017-10-31

Studies of spatial navigation and neural codes for space have followed two parallel tracks over the last 100 years: One research approach was to study animal navigation in the wild over large spatial scales (kilometers); this approach focused on non-mammalian species and on behavioral studies, with hardly any research on the underlying brain mechanisms. The other approach was to study the navigation of mammals (mostly rats) in mazes and small arenas; this approach revealed 'place cells' in the hippocampus, neurons that become active at specific locations; and 'grid cells' in entorhinal cortex – neurons that respond when the animal passes through the vertices of a hexagonal grid spanning the entire environment. However, it is unknown whether place- and grid-cells are relevant at all to large-scale navigation over kilometers. Thus, there is a large gap between the two parallel approaches to studying spatial memory and navigation – both a conceptual gap, and a gap in spatial scale. Here, we propose to bridge this gap, by recording from place cells and grid cells in a flying mammal – the bat – while it moves in 4 different environments of varying sizes, from centimeters to kilometers. We will conduct both standard (tethered) and wireless neural recordings, and will also pioneer the development of a novel sonar-based virtual reality system for studying large-scale navigation. The same neurons will be recorded across different spatial scales, which will allow comparing various neural-coding schemes. These new setups will allow the first testing for the existence of kilometer-sized hippocampal place-fields and entorhinal grids, in bats navigating through naturalistic virtual landscapes; they will also provide rich information on neural codes for 2-D and 3-D space in the mammalian brain. Our innovative project is expected to provide – for the first time – a true understanding of the brain mechanisms of large-scale, realistic navigation in complex 3-D environments.

1 499 999 €

Start date: 2011-11-01, End date: 2016-10-31

We need to understand the brain mechanisms of perception and cognition in order to develop treatments for disorders in which these abilities fail, such as schizophrenia, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder or autism. Over the past half-century neurophysiologists have enormously advanced our knowledge of how the feed-forward connections give rise to the response properties in the visual cortex. However, although we know from anatomy that most afferents in cortex constitute feedback projections, their function is still largely unknown. Visual perception in humans and monkeys depends on context. These perceptual phenomena are thought to be mediated by feedback, and many are altered in schizophrenic patients. Understanding the role of feedback is therefore important not only for unraveling fundamental mechanisms of cognition, but also for addressing their dysfunction in cognitive disorders. Until now technical limitations have made it nearly impossible to test the role of feedback. Novel approaches allow us to examine the role of cortico-cortical feedback in visual perception in the behaving monkey. We will use optogenetic techniques and retrograde viral vectors (lentivirus pseudotyped with rabies glycoprotein) to target specific monosynaptic cortico-cortical projections in vivo. By expressing the light-sensitive proteins channelrhodopsin2 (ChrR2) or archaerhodopsin (Arch) in these projection neurons, we can activate (ChR2) or inactivate (Arch) them with light. We will combine this approach with multi-channel electrophysiology, behavior and computational analyses. We will first quantify the effect of (in)activating cortico-cortical feedback from visual cortex V2 on the neuronal responses in the primary visual, and then on the monkey’s visual perception during tasks manipulating attention. If successful, this work will help advance our functional understanding of feedback, and may open the possibility to examine the function of any connection in the primate brain.

1 903 114 €

Start date: 2012-07-01, End date: 2017-06-30

"The goal of this ERC Starting Grant proposal is to make significant advances in our understanding of how planetesimals and gas giant planets form. I propose an ambitious research programme dedicated to answering three key questions at the frontier of planet formation theory: - How do mm-sized particles grow past the bouncing barrier? - What is the Initial Mass Function of planetesimals? - How do the cores of gas giants form and evolve?} I will address these questions using a combination of novel ideas and computer simulations to model three critical stages of planet formation: 1) the growth of pebbles into rocks and boulders by coagulation and vapour condensation, 2) the gravitational collapse of clumps of rocks and boulders into planetesimals with an array of sizes, and 3) the long term growth of planetesimals as they grow to become cores of gas giants by accreting pebbles embedded in the gas. These investigations will form an important theoretical foundation for understanding the next generation of observations of protoplanetary disc pebbles, planetesimal belts, and planetary systems. The self-consistent models for the formation of planets resulting from this proposal will shed light on the spatial distribution of pebbles in gas discs around young stars (observable with the ALMA telescopes), on the initial state of planetesimal belts (crucial for understanding the evolution of debris discs observable with JWST and the asteroid and Kuiper belts), and on the formation and evolution of the wealth of exoplanetary systems detected in the near future (by astrometry with the Gaia satellite, by ground-based radial velocity surveys, and by direct imaging with E-ELT)."

1 332 467 €

Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31

"Recent measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) combined with the large-scale distribution of galaxies have defined a standard cosmological model. This model is a remarkable fit to the observations but also raises profound questions - we do not know how the initial conditions were imprinted in the early Universe, nor do we know the nature of the dark energy. In this proposal, I request funds to set up a new cosmology data analysis team at the University of Manchester to tackle these issues. Over the next five years, my team will pursue a program of work intended to have a large impact on two hugely important fields of observational cosmology which are uniquely suited to answering these questions --- the polarisation of the microwave background and weak gravitational lensing. The former is the most powerful way to probe the early Universe while the latter is potentially the most sensitive probe of dark energy. Building on the innovative methods I developed for the QUaD experiment, I will apply new analysis techniques to mitigate systematics and maximise the science return from current and future CMB polarisation experiments including the Planck satellite, the ground-based QUIJOTE experiment and phase 2 of the ground-based QUIET experiment. In the field of weak lensing, I will perform pioneering radio lensing analyses with forthcoming instruments including the Square Kilometre Array pathfinders, e-MERLIN and MeerKAT. One particularly novel idea which I will develop is the use of polarisation information to reduce noise and to minimise contamination from the intrinsic alignment of galaxies in radio lensing analyses. The research described in this proposal will allow my team to establish an international leadership position in both CMB polarisation and radio weak lensing research in advance of a possible CMB polarisation satellite mission and the commissioning of the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope towards the latter part of this decade."

1 424 269 €

Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31

"Sensory stimuli, like odors, sound and colors, acquire positive or negative value through their association with rewards or punishments, a process called “emotional learning”. Although we know a great deal about how the brain analyses sensory information, we know relatively little about how sensory representations become linked with values and where such emotional memory is stored. Recently, we have demonstrated that higher order sensory cortices are necessary for the long-term storage of aversive memories. We hypothesized that such cortices represent the link between the neural sites that elaborate the physical features of sensory stimuli and the areas elaborating affective information. The present study is aimed at elucidating this issue. First, we will investigate if sensory cortices are mainly involved in the storage of aversive memories or alternatively if they participate also to the encoding of hedonic memories, i.e. if the brain normally uses higher order sensory cortices in order to allocate emotional positive as well negative memories. Then, we will address the crucial issue of whether and how these areas encode the emotional meaning that sensory stimuli acquire with the experience. Finally, we will study the functional dialogue that may occur during emotional memory storage/retrieval between sensory cortices and subcortical nuclei. To tackle these topics, we will employ a multidisciplinary approach made of the combination of behavioural, electrophysiological, immunohistochemical and confocal analyses. In our aim, the results obtained will provide new and important information about the brain circuitry that stores affective memories. In particular, they could led to the idea that higher-level sensory cortices encode the emotional value acquired by sensory stimuli and thus through their connections with other cortical and subcortical centres they enable identical sensory stimuli to trigger different emotional responses depending on past emotional experience"

1 116 000 €

Start date: 2011-11-01, End date: 2016-10-31

Mental disorders constitute a human an economic burden for developed countries. Many mental disorders are linked to serotonin dysfunction, but the exact mechanism underlying these disorders is not well understood. Serotonin Related Mental Disorders (SRMD) are multigenic, making the identification of these mechanisms a difficult task. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that generate serotonergic neurons will provide us with the tools to identify mutations that could predispose to SRMD. In this grant we will use a multidisciplinary approach to dissect the transcriptional mechanisms that generate serotonergic neurons and use this knowledge to identify genetic links to SRMD. Serotonergic neurons are very ancient in evolution and enzymes and transporters responsible for the production of serotonin (serotonin pathway genes) are very well conserved in all metazoans. We would take advantage of this evolutionary conservation and use the genetic amenability of C. elegans to dissect the genetic mechanisms responsible for the generation of the serotonergic neurons. We will apply the lessons learned from C. elegans to unravel analogous mechanisms regulating mouse serotonergic differentiation. Our preliminary results show that the serotonergic pathway genes are co-regulated by the same factors and that this mechanism is evolutionary conserved. We will identify the cis-acting sequences (serotonergic motif) and trans-acting factors responsible for the activation of the serotonergic features, both in worms and mice. Finally, we will apply our knowledge on serotonergic differentiation to identify genetic association to SRMDs. Mutations in the serotonergic motif could lead to defects on the expression of the serotonergic genes, resulting in a dysfunctional serotonergic neuron. We will build a database of all human serotonergic motifs and look for mutations in these sites in SRMD patients. In summary, this grant will give us the tools to better understand and treat SRMD.

1 931 621 €

Start date: 2012-12-01, End date: 2018-11-30

T-rays, often called terahertz radiation or submillimeter waves, are loosely defined as the wavelengths from 30 µm to 1,000 µm, or the frequencies from 10 THz to 300 GHz. This non-ionizing radiation appears as a harmless alternative to x-rays in medical, biological and security screening. Current solutions in terms of coherent sources of T-rays either require cryogenic temperatures or are relatively bulky equipments based on optically-pumped materials. The solid-state recourse consisting of GaAs-based quantum cascade lasers presents an intrinsic limitation in operation temperature: The low energy of the longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon in arsenide compounds hinders laser emission beyond 180 K at 4 THz, and forces operation below the liquid nitrogen temperature (< 70 K) for frequencies below 1 THz. Overcoming this limitation requires a technology revolution through introduction of a new material system. This project aims at exploring a novel semiconductor technology for high-performance photonic devices operating in the T-ray spectral region. The advanced materials that we will investigate consist of nitride-based [GaN/Al(Ga,In)N] superlattices and nanowires, where we can profit from unique properties of III-nitride semiconductors, namely the large LO-phonon energy and the strong electron-phonon interaction. Our target is to adapt the quantum cascade design and fabrication technology to these new materials, characterized by intense internal polarization fields. Our project aims at pushing intersubband transitions in this material family to unprecendently long wavelengths, in other to cover the whole T-ray spectral gap with coherent solid-state sources operating at room temperature and above.

1 627 236 €

Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2017-06-30

Observations of the temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have transformed cosmology into a quantitative science. This revolution has led to a detailed understanding of the geometry and composition of the universe. However, the microphysical origin of the CMB fluctuations remains a mystery. Although quantum-mechanical fluctuations during a early period of inflationary expansion provide a remarkably successful description of the data, a concrete realization of inflation in a fundamental theory of particle physics remains elusive. Moreover, it seems almost certain that the inflationary era involved physics beyond the Standard Model. This is both a challenge and a fantastic opportunity to learn about physics at the highest energy scales from cosmological observations. With the ERC grant I plan to form a group at Cambridge University that will explore both the theoretical foundations and the observational consequences of inflation. A key question that a satisfactory microscopic theory of inflation should answer is why the mass of the inflaton field is much smaller than its natural value. We will search for answers to this question both from the bottom up in effective field theory (EFT) and from the top down in string theory. We will furthermore initiate the first systematic study of large-field inflation, thereby providing the theoretical foundation for inflationary models with observable gravitational waves. To make contact with observations we will then develop an EFT for the inflationary fluctuations as Goldstone bosons of spontaneously broken time-translations. We will compare the predictions of that theory to the latest CMB observations. Finally, we will use the data to pursue two of the central signatures of the physics of inflation: gravitational waves and non-Gaussianity.

1 493 535 €

Start date: 2011-10-01, End date: 2016-09-30

"The search for extrasolar planets is moving into the domain of Earth-like, habitable planets with more precise measurement techniques and a focus on low-mass, very cool stars. New spectrographs are being developed with the goal to find Earth-like planets in the habitable zones of stars other than the Sun. Extensive photometric programs, both ground- and space-based are running and being planned to discover transiting planets particularly useful for detailed investigation of exo-planetary atmospheres. For the characterization of exo-planets, and to confirm the planetary status of transit candidates, high-precision radial velocity measurements (m/s) are required, in particular at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths to discover Earth-like planets around low-mass stars. The largest obstacle for NIR programs is currently the lack of reliable wavelength standards. Potential calibration sources include absorption cells, gas emission lamps, and Fabry-Perot (FP) etalons. In most cases, detailed NIR characterization is still lacking. A very promising source is the Laser frequency comb (LFC), but the LFC signal paradoxically needs to be degenerated to be useful for astronomical spectrographs because spectral line density is usually too high. It is currently not clear whether the LFC can become a viable calibration scheme, in particular for programs carried out at 4m-class telescopes. I propose to systematically investigate wavelength calibration sources with a focus on NIR wavelengths and to develop wavelength calibration sources for NIR wavelengths. The development is of fundamental nature providing new strategies for the upcoming generation of NIR high-precision spectrographs. I suggest a new mechanism in which a FP should be coupled to a double-laser PDH mechanism providing reliable wavelength reference. Calibration lamps filled with UNe or CN are promising alternative sources of calibration lines and should be studied in detail."

1 437 200 €

Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31

Polarization, which confers asymmetry at molecular, cellular and tissue scales, is a fascinating process establishing fundamental features of biological systems. In multicellular organisms, symmetry breaking triggers the specification of embryonic body axes, governing the positioning of subsequent morphogenetic processes. Cells and tissues acquire complex polarity features, which remarkably, are highly precisely positioned within the body axes. How are polarization processes spatially oriented remlains fully enigmatic. During the formation of the nervous system, some crucial processes are polarized. Likewise, the navigation of neuronal projections in the body is a typical polarized process, axons selecting specific pathways to reach their targets. Studies in this field established crucial roles for topographic cues in controlling the polarized growth of neuronal projections. Up to now, my lab has focused on axon guidance mechanisms and while investigating the links between spatial position and neural circuit formation, I became convinced that topographic signalling must be equally required to set other key polarized processes of the developing nervous system. For example in the neuroepithelium, progenitor division is polarized along the apico-basal axis of the neural tube. Likewise in the young post-mitotic neuron, precise coordinates along the body axes define the site where the axon emerges. First, we postulate the existence of a topographic signaling giving to neuronal cells (but this might be a more general case) landmarks of the different embryonic axes so that polarization takes place with appropriate spatial orientation. Second, we make the assumption that this topographic signalling is ensured by cues initially identified for their role during axon navigation. Our goals are to explore these issues, using as a model the sensorimotor circuits, where several processes can be investigated for questioning the interplay between polarity and topography.

1 498 971 €

Start date: 2012-04-01, End date: 2017-03-31