ERC FUNDED PROJECTS

How does the inside of the proton look like? What generates its spin?
3DSPIN will deliver essential information to answer these questions at the frontier of subnuclear physics. At present, we have detailed maps of the distribution of quarks and gluons in the nucleon in 1D (as a function of their momentum in a single direction). We also know that quark spins account for only about 1/3 of the spin of the nucleon. 3DSPIN will lead the way into a new stage of nucleon mapping, explore the distribution of quarks in full 3D momentum space and obtain unprecedented information on orbital angular momentum. Goals 1. extract from experimental data the 3D distribution of quarks (in momentum space), as described by Transverse-Momentum Distributions (TMDs); 2. obtain from TMDs information on quark Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM). Methodology 3DSPIN will implement state-of-the-art fitting procedures to analyze relevant experimental data and extract quark TMDs, similarly to global fits of standard parton distribution functions. Information about quark angular momentum will be obtained through assumptions based on theoretical considerations. The next five years represent an ideal time window to accomplish our goals, thanks to the wealth of expected data from deep-inelastic scattering experiments (COMPASS, Jefferson Lab), hadronic colliders (Fermilab, BNL, LHC), and electron-positron colliders (BELLE, BABAR). The PI has a strong reputation in this field. The group will operate in partnership with the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics and in close interaction with leading experts and experimental collaborations worldwide. Impact Mapping the 3D structure of chemical compounds has revolutionized chemistry. Similarly, mapping the 3D structure of the nucleon will have a deep impact on our understanding of the fundamental constituents of matter. We will open new perspectives on the dynamics of quarks and gluons and sharpen our view of high-energy processes involving nucleons.

1 509 000 €

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

Goal of the 4DPHOTON project is the development and construction of a photon imaging detector with unprecedented performance. The proposed device will be capable of detecting fluxes of single-photons up to one billion photons per second, over areas of several square centimetres, and will measure - for each photon - position and time simultaneously with resolutions better than ten microns and few tens of picoseconds, respectively. These figures of merit will open many important applications allowing significant advances in particle physics, life sciences or other emerging fields where excellent timing and position resolutions are simultaneously required. Our goal will be achieved thanks to the use of an application-specific integrated circuit in 65 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, that will deliver a timing resolution of few tens of picoseconds at the pixel level, over few hundred thousand individually-active pixel channels, allowing very high rates of photons to be detected, and the corresponding information digitized and transferred to a processing unit. As a result of the 4DPHOTON project we will remove the constraints that many light imaging applications have due to the lack of precise single-photon information on four dimensions (4D): the three spatial coordinates and time simultaneously. In particular, we will prove the performance of this detector in the field of particle physics, performing the reconstruction of Cherenkov photon rings with a timing resolution of ten picoseconds. With its excellent granularity, timing resolution, rate capability and compactness, this detector will represent a new paradigm for the realisation of future Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors, capable of achieving high efficiency particle identification in environments with very high particle multiplicities, exploiting time-association of the photon hits.

1 975 000 €

Start date: 2019-12-01, End date: 2024-11-30

Interferometers are fundamental tools for the study of nature laws and for the precise measurement and control of the physical world. In the last century, the scientific and technological progress has proceeded in parallel with a constant improvement of interferometric performances. For this reason, the challenge of conceiving and realizing new generations of interferometers with broader ranges of operation and with higher sensitivities is always open and actual. Despite the introduction of laser devices has deeply improved the way of developing and performing interferometric measurements with light, the atomic matter wave analogous, i.e. the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), has not yet triggered any revolution in precision interferometry. However, thanks to recent improvements on the control of the quantum properties of ultra-cold atomic gases, and new original ideas on the creation and manipulation of quantum entangled particles, the field of atom interferometry is now mature to experience a big step forward. The system I want to realize is a Mach-Zehnder spatial interferometer operating with trapped BECs. Undesired decoherence sources will be suppressed by implementing BECs with tunable interactions in ultra-stable optical potentials. Entangled states will be used to improve the sensitivity of the sensor beyond the standard quantum limit to ideally reach the ultimate, Heisenberg, limit set by quantum mechanics. The resulting apparatus will show unprecedented spatial resolution and will overcome state-of-the-art interferometers with cold (non condensed) atomic gases. A successful completion of this project will lead to a new generation of interferometers for the immediate application to local inertial measurements with unprecedented resolution. In addition, we expect to develop experimental capabilities which might find application well beyond quantum interferometry and crucially contribute to the broader emerging field of quantum-enhanced technologies.

1 068 000 €

Start date: 2011-01-01, End date: 2015-12-31

I propose a program of research that may forever change the way that we understand and use quantum field theory to make predictions for experiment. This will be achieved through the advancement of new, constructive frameworks to determine and represent scattering amplitudes in perturbation theory in terms that depend only on observable quantities, make manifest (all) the symmetries of the theory, and which can be efficiently evaluated while minimally spoiling the underlying simplicity of predictions. My research has already led to the discovery and development of several approaches of this kind. This proposal describes the specific steps required to extend these ideas to more general theories and to higher orders of perturbation theory. Specifically, the plan of research I propose consists of three concrete goals: to fully characterize the discontinuities of loop amplitudes (`on-shell functions') for a broad class of theories; to develop powerful new representations of loop amplitude {\it integrands}, making manifest as much simplicity as possible; and to develop new techniques for loop amplitude {integration} that are compatible with and preserve the symmetries of observable quantities. Progress toward any one of these objectives would have important theoretical implications and valuable practical applications. In combination, this proposal has the potential to significantly advance the state of the art for both our theoretical understanding and our computational reach for making predictions for experiment. To achieve these goals, I will pursue a data-driven, `phenomenological' approach—involving the construction of new computational tools, developed in pursuit of concrete computational targets. For this work, my suitability and expertise is amply demonstrated by my research. I have not only played a key role in many of the most important theoretical developments in the past decade, but I have personally built the most powerful computational tools for their

1 499 695 €

Start date: 2018-02-01, End date: 2023-01-31

The astrophysical p-process, the stellar production mechanism of the heavy, proton rich isotopes (p-isotopes), is one of the least studied processes in nucleosynthesis. The astrophysical site(s) for the p-process could not yet be clearly identified. In order to reproduce the natural abundances of the p-isotopes, the p-process models must take into account a huge nuclear reaction network. A precise knowledge of the rate of the nuclear reactions in this network is essential for a reliable abundance calculation and for a clear assignment of the astrophysical site(s). For lack of experimental data the nuclear physics inputs for the reaction networks are based on statistical model calculations. These calculations are largely untested in the mass and energy range relevant to the p-process and the uncertainties in the reaction rate values result in a correspondingly uncertain prediction of the p-isotope abundances. Therefore, experiments aiming at the determination of reaction rates for the p-process are of great importance. In this project nuclear reaction cross section measurements will be carried out in the mass and energy range of p-process to check the reliability of the statistical model calculations and to put the p-process models on a more reliable base. The accelerators of the Institute of Nuclear Research in Debrecen, Hungary provide the necessary basis for such studies. The p-process model calculations are especially sensitive to the rates of reactions involving alpha particles and heavy nuclei. Because of technical difficulties, so far there are practically no experimental data available on such reactions and the uncertainty in these reaction rates is presently one of the biggest contributions to the uncertainty of p-isotope abundance calculations. With the help of the ERC grant the alpha-induced reaction cross sections can be measured on heavy isotopes for the first time, which could contribute to a better understanding of the astrophysical p-process.

750 000 €

Start date: 2008-07-01, End date: 2013-06-30

New renewable energy source are highly needed to compensate exhausting fossil fuels reserves and reduce greenhouse gases emissions. Some species of algae have an interesting potential as feedstock for the production of biodiesel thanks to their ability to accumulate large amount of lipids. Strong research efforts are however needed to fulfil this potential and address many issues involving optimization of cultivation systems, biomass harvesting and algae genetic improvement. This proposal aims to address one of these issues, the optimization of algae light use efficiency. Light, in fact, provides the energy supporting algae growth and must be exploited with the highest possible efficiency to achieve sufficient productivity. In a photobioreactor algae are highly concentrated and this cause a inhomogeneous light distribution with a large fraction of the cells exposed to very low light or even in the dark. Algae are also actively mixed and they can abruptly move from dark to full illumination and vice versa. This proposal aims to assess how alternation of dark/light cycles affect algae growth and functionality of photosynthetic apparatus both in batch and continuous cultures. In collaboration with the Chemical Engineering department, experimental data will be exploited to build a model describing the photobioreactor, a fundamental tool to improve its design. The other main scope of this proposal is the isolation of genetically improved strains more suitable to the artificial environment of a photobioreactor. A first part of the work of setting up protocols for transformation will be followed by a second phase for generation and selection of mutants with altered photosynthetic performances. Transcriptome analyses in different light conditions will also be instrumental to identify genes to be targeted by genetic engineering.

1 257 600 €

Start date: 2012-10-01, End date: 2017-09-30

"In the comprehension of fundamental laws of nature, particle physics is now facing two important questions: 1) What is the nature of the neutrino, is it a standard (Dirac) particle or a Majorana particle? The nature of the neutrino plays a crucial role in the global framework of particle interactions and in cosmology. The only practicable way to answer this question is to search for a nuclear process called ""neutrinoless double beta decay"" (0nuDBD). 2) What is the so called ""dark matter"" made of? Astrophysical observations suggest that the largest part of the mass of the Universe is composed by a form of matter other than atoms and known matter constituents. We still do not know what dark matter is made of because its rate of interaction with ordinary matter is really low, thus making the direct experimental detection extremely difficult. Both 0nuDBD and dark matter interactions are rare processes and can be detected using the same experimental technique. Bolometers are promising devices and their combination with light detectors provides the identification of interacting particles, a powerful tool to reduce the background. 
 The goal of CALDER is to realize a new type of light detectors to improve the upcoming generation of bolometric experiments. The detectors will be designed to feature unprecedented energy resolution and reliability, to ensure an almost complete particle identification. In case of success, CUORE, a 0nuDBD experiment in construction, would gain in sensitivity by up to a factor 6. LUCIFER, a 0nuDBD experiment already implementing the light detection, could be sensitive also to dark matter interactions, thus increasing its research potential. The light detectors will be based on Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs), a new technology that proved its potential in astrophysical applications but that is still new in the field of particle physics and rare event searches."

1 176 758 €

Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2019-02-28

The ultimate aim of this ERC project is to provide a comprehensive and complete understanding, at the atomic-level of sophistication, of genuinely important biomolecular recognition processes in epigenetics that play key roles in human health and disease. At the biochemical level, epigenetics refers to mechanisms, such as enzymatic modifications of DNA and posttranslational modifications of the associated histone proteins, that regulate the activity of human genes. The proposed work aims to address epigenetics using the physical-organic chemistry approach that enables the elucidation of the elemental processes with unprecedented molecular/atomic detail. The project will experimentally and computationally examine non-covalent interactions between three essential constituents of the epigenetic biomolecular system, namely epigenetic proteins, histones and water, at the level of short histone peptides, intact histone proteins, the nucleosome assembly and nucleosome arrays. Our programme, built on synergistic thermodynamic, structural and computational studies, aims to unravel i) the underlying chemical origin of methyllysine-containing histones in epigenetics, ii) the chemical basis for the recognition of methylarginine-containing histones in epigenetic processes, and iii) the role of unstructured histone tails in biomolecular recognition, which together form the three main structural elements found in the epigenetic framework. Results from this work will be important from both a fundamental molecular perspective as well as from the biomedical perspective, because proteins involved in epigenetic regulation processes are currently regarded as important targets for numerous therapeutic interventions, most notably for cancer treatment.

1 500 000 €

Start date: 2017-04-01, End date: 2022-03-31

This project aims to get a theoretical understanding of the most important large-scale phenomena in classical and quantum disordered systems. Thanks to the renormalization group approach the critical behaviour of pure systems is under very good control; however disordered systems are in many ways remarkably peculiar (think for example to non-perturbative phenomena like Griffiths singularities), often the conventional approach does not work and many crucial issues are still unclear. My work aims to fill this important hole in our understanding of disordered systems. I will concentrate my efforts on some of the most important and studied systems, i.e. spin glasses, random field ferromagnets (that are realized in nature as diluted antiferromagnets in a field), Anderson and Mott localization (with possible experimental applications to Bose-Einstein condensates and to electron glasses), surface growth in random media (KPZ and DLA models). In this project I want to pursue a new approach to these problems. I aim to compute in the most accurate way the properties of these systems using the original Wilson formulation of the renormalization group with a phase space cell analysis; this is equivalent to solving a statistical model on a hierarchical lattice (Dyson-Bleher-Sinai model). This is not an easy job. In the same conceptual frame we plan to use simultaneously very different techniques: probabilistic techniques, perturbative techniques at high orders, expansions around mean field on Bethe lattice and numerical techniques to evaluate the critical behaviour. I believe that even this restricted approach is very ambitious, but that the theoretical progresses that have been done in unveiling important features of disordered systems suggest that it will be possible to obtain solid results.

2 098 800 €

Start date: 2010-01-01, End date: 2014-12-31