Project acronym GutBCells
Project Cellular Dynamics of Intestinal Antibody-Mediated Immune Response
Researcher (PI) Ziv Shulman Ben-Avraham
Host Institution (HI) WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE LTD
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS6, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Vaccination is widely used to prevent human diseases by inducing the formation of cellular and antibody-mediated immune responses for induction of long lasting immunological memory. Although most studies focus on immune responses elicited against injected immunizations, the simplest delivery of a vaccine regimen is by oral administration. The cellular and molecular components of the antibody immune response in peripheral lymph nodes in response to immunization are well described, however, much less is known about the dynamics of immune cells in gut associate lymphoid tissues (GALT) and adjust intestinal mucosal tissues. In the proposed research plan I will implicate intravital in vivo imaging for analysis of the cellular component of the antibody immune response in intestinal tissues. My goals are: 1. To track germinal center (GC) T cells for prolong time periods in peripheral lymph nodes and GALT and determine if they enter the memory compartment. For this purpose I will develop a new photoactivation method for permanently labeling immune cells and fate tracing of their daughter cells. 2. To examine T-B interactions and their regulation by intraceullar signaling pathways in GALT and to determine where and when class switch recombination to IgA takes place. For this purpose I will use intravital imaging of fluorescent reporter mice. 3. I will analyze the dynamics of plasma cell migration from Peyer’s patches to the mucosa by implementing state of the art photoactivation and imaging techniques that allow prolonged cell tracking. I will also use photoactivation approaches for sorting plasma cells from specific intestinal layers and perform gene expression analysis. 4. I will develop a new method to study dynamics and fate of B cells specific for commensal microbes in the GC, memory and plasma cell compartments. This research plan will extend our knowledge of the antibody immune response in intestinal tissues towards the future design of improved oral vaccinations.
Summary
Vaccination is widely used to prevent human diseases by inducing the formation of cellular and antibody-mediated immune responses for induction of long lasting immunological memory. Although most studies focus on immune responses elicited against injected immunizations, the simplest delivery of a vaccine regimen is by oral administration. The cellular and molecular components of the antibody immune response in peripheral lymph nodes in response to immunization are well described, however, much less is known about the dynamics of immune cells in gut associate lymphoid tissues (GALT) and adjust intestinal mucosal tissues. In the proposed research plan I will implicate intravital in vivo imaging for analysis of the cellular component of the antibody immune response in intestinal tissues. My goals are: 1. To track germinal center (GC) T cells for prolong time periods in peripheral lymph nodes and GALT and determine if they enter the memory compartment. For this purpose I will develop a new photoactivation method for permanently labeling immune cells and fate tracing of their daughter cells. 2. To examine T-B interactions and their regulation by intraceullar signaling pathways in GALT and to determine where and when class switch recombination to IgA takes place. For this purpose I will use intravital imaging of fluorescent reporter mice. 3. I will analyze the dynamics of plasma cell migration from Peyer’s patches to the mucosa by implementing state of the art photoactivation and imaging techniques that allow prolonged cell tracking. I will also use photoactivation approaches for sorting plasma cells from specific intestinal layers and perform gene expression analysis. 4. I will develop a new method to study dynamics and fate of B cells specific for commensal microbes in the GC, memory and plasma cell compartments. This research plan will extend our knowledge of the antibody immune response in intestinal tissues towards the future design of improved oral vaccinations.
Max ERC Funding
1 375 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-05-01, End date: 2021-04-30
Project acronym QUESS
Project Quantum Environment Engineering for Steered Systems
Researcher (PI) Mikko Pentti Matias Möttönen
Host Institution (HI) AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE3, ERC-2015-CoG
Summary The superconducting quantum computer has very recently reached the theoretical thresholds for fault-tolerant universal quantum computing and a quantum annealer based on superconducting quantum bits, qubits, is already commercially available. However, several fundamental questions on the way to efficient large-scale quantum computing have to be answered: qubit initialization, extreme gate accuracy, and quantum-level power consumption.
This project, QUESS, aims for a breakthrough in the realization and control of dissipative environments for quantum devices. Based on novel concepts for normal-metal components integrated with superconducting quantum nanoelectronics, we experimentally realize in-situ-tunable low-temperature environments for superconducting qubits. These environments can be used to precisely reset qubits at will, thus providing an ideal initialization scheme for the quantum computer. The environment can also be well decoupled from the qubit to allow for coherent quantum computing. Utilizing this base technology, we find fundamental quantum-mechanical limitations to the accuracy and power consumption in quantum control, and realize optimal strategies to achieve these limits in practice. Finally, we build a concept of a universal quantum simulator for non-Markovian open quantum systems and experimentally realize its basic building blocks.
This proposal provides key missing ingredients in realizing efficient large-scale quantum computers ultimately leading to a quantum technological revolution, with envisioned practical applications in materials and drug design, energy harvesting, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, and internet of things. Furthermore, this project opens fruitful horizons for tunable environments in quantum technology beyond the superconducting quantum computer, for applications of quantum-limited control, for quantum annealing, and for simulators of non-Markovian open quantum systems.
Summary
The superconducting quantum computer has very recently reached the theoretical thresholds for fault-tolerant universal quantum computing and a quantum annealer based on superconducting quantum bits, qubits, is already commercially available. However, several fundamental questions on the way to efficient large-scale quantum computing have to be answered: qubit initialization, extreme gate accuracy, and quantum-level power consumption.
This project, QUESS, aims for a breakthrough in the realization and control of dissipative environments for quantum devices. Based on novel concepts for normal-metal components integrated with superconducting quantum nanoelectronics, we experimentally realize in-situ-tunable low-temperature environments for superconducting qubits. These environments can be used to precisely reset qubits at will, thus providing an ideal initialization scheme for the quantum computer. The environment can also be well decoupled from the qubit to allow for coherent quantum computing. Utilizing this base technology, we find fundamental quantum-mechanical limitations to the accuracy and power consumption in quantum control, and realize optimal strategies to achieve these limits in practice. Finally, we build a concept of a universal quantum simulator for non-Markovian open quantum systems and experimentally realize its basic building blocks.
This proposal provides key missing ingredients in realizing efficient large-scale quantum computers ultimately leading to a quantum technological revolution, with envisioned practical applications in materials and drug design, energy harvesting, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, and internet of things. Furthermore, this project opens fruitful horizons for tunable environments in quantum technology beyond the superconducting quantum computer, for applications of quantum-limited control, for quantum annealing, and for simulators of non-Markovian open quantum systems.
Max ERC Funding
1 949 570 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-01-01, End date: 2021-12-31
Project acronym TOPO-NW
Project VISUALIZATION OF TOPOLGICAL STATES IN PRISTINE NANOWIRES
Researcher (PI) Haim Beidenkopf
Host Institution (HI) WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE3, ERC-2015-STG
Summary Topological phases of matter have been at the center of intense scientific research. Over the past decade this has led to the discovery of dozens of topological materials with exotic boundary states. In three dimensional topological phases, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been instrumental in unveiling the unusual properties of these surface states. This success, however, did not encompass lower dimensional topological systems. The main reason is surface contamination which is disruptive both for STM and for the fragile electronic states. We propose to study topological states of matter in pristine epitaxial nanowires by combining growth, fabrication and STM, all in a single modular ultra-high vacuum space. This platform will uniquely allow us to observe well anticipated topological phenomena in one dimension such as the Majorana end-modes in semiconducting nanowires. On a broader view, the nanowire configuration intertwines dimensionality and geometry with topology giving rise to novel topological systems with high tunability. A vivid instance is given by topological crystalline insulator nanowires in which the topological symmetry protection can be broken by a variety of perturbations. We will selectively tune the surface states band structure and study the local response of massless and massive surface Dirac electrons. Tunability provides a higher degree of control. We will utilize this to realize topological nanowire-based electronic and spintronic devices such as a Z2 pump and spin-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer for Dirac electrons. The low dimensionality of the nanowire alongside various singularities in the electronic spectra of different topological phases enhance interaction effects, serving as a cradle for novel correlated topological states. This new paradigm of topological nanowires will allow us to elucidate deep notions in topological matter as well as to explore new concepts and novel states, thus providing ample experimental prospects.
Summary
Topological phases of matter have been at the center of intense scientific research. Over the past decade this has led to the discovery of dozens of topological materials with exotic boundary states. In three dimensional topological phases, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been instrumental in unveiling the unusual properties of these surface states. This success, however, did not encompass lower dimensional topological systems. The main reason is surface contamination which is disruptive both for STM and for the fragile electronic states. We propose to study topological states of matter in pristine epitaxial nanowires by combining growth, fabrication and STM, all in a single modular ultra-high vacuum space. This platform will uniquely allow us to observe well anticipated topological phenomena in one dimension such as the Majorana end-modes in semiconducting nanowires. On a broader view, the nanowire configuration intertwines dimensionality and geometry with topology giving rise to novel topological systems with high tunability. A vivid instance is given by topological crystalline insulator nanowires in which the topological symmetry protection can be broken by a variety of perturbations. We will selectively tune the surface states band structure and study the local response of massless and massive surface Dirac electrons. Tunability provides a higher degree of control. We will utilize this to realize topological nanowire-based electronic and spintronic devices such as a Z2 pump and spin-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer for Dirac electrons. The low dimensionality of the nanowire alongside various singularities in the electronic spectra of different topological phases enhance interaction effects, serving as a cradle for novel correlated topological states. This new paradigm of topological nanowires will allow us to elucidate deep notions in topological matter as well as to explore new concepts and novel states, thus providing ample experimental prospects.
Max ERC Funding
1 750 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-01-01, End date: 2020-12-31
Project acronym TOPVAC
Project From Topological Matter to Relativistic Quantum Vacuum
Researcher (PI) Grigory VOLOVIK
Host Institution (HI) AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE3, ERC-2015-AdG
Summary The structure of relativistic quantum vacuum (RQV) in our Universe is one of the main challenges in modern physics. We plan to advance our understanding of the vacuum structure and on this basis treat the most important unsolved problems in physics, such as the cosmological constant problem (why the measured vacuum energy is 120 orders of magnitude smaller than estimates from the zero point motion) and the hierarchy problem (why the masses of the known particles in the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics are much smaller than the Planck energy). The quantum vacuum shares many common properties with topological matter. The goal of the proposal is to concentrate both theoretical and experimental efforts in the investigation of connections between the topological quantum matter and RQV, to enhance understanding of topological condensed-matter systems especially in the ultra-low-temperature regime, and to apply this experience to solution of problems in SM & cosmology. As a condensed-matter system we shall use superfluid phases of liquid 3He – unique topological materials, which are the most close to SM and gravity: Superfluid 3He-A, where the low-energy excitations are topologically protected Weyl fermions, gauge bosons, and gravitons, is similar to the vacuum of SM above the electroweak transition. The fully gapped topological superfluid 3He-B with its Higgs bosons is the counterpart of SM vacuum in its broken symmetry phase. In particular, theory of relaxation of dark energy will be accompanied by experimental study of resonant decay of coherent states of non-equilibrium superfluid vacuum. Determination of the topological classes of the quantum vacua of SM including the vacua with Majorana fermions will be accompanied by experimental studies of Majorana fermions on the boundaries of topological superfluids and in cores of quantized vortices. Theory of extra Higgs bosons in SM will be accompanied by experimental study of light and heavy Higgs modes in 3He-B.
Summary
The structure of relativistic quantum vacuum (RQV) in our Universe is one of the main challenges in modern physics. We plan to advance our understanding of the vacuum structure and on this basis treat the most important unsolved problems in physics, such as the cosmological constant problem (why the measured vacuum energy is 120 orders of magnitude smaller than estimates from the zero point motion) and the hierarchy problem (why the masses of the known particles in the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics are much smaller than the Planck energy). The quantum vacuum shares many common properties with topological matter. The goal of the proposal is to concentrate both theoretical and experimental efforts in the investigation of connections between the topological quantum matter and RQV, to enhance understanding of topological condensed-matter systems especially in the ultra-low-temperature regime, and to apply this experience to solution of problems in SM & cosmology. As a condensed-matter system we shall use superfluid phases of liquid 3He – unique topological materials, which are the most close to SM and gravity: Superfluid 3He-A, where the low-energy excitations are topologically protected Weyl fermions, gauge bosons, and gravitons, is similar to the vacuum of SM above the electroweak transition. The fully gapped topological superfluid 3He-B with its Higgs bosons is the counterpart of SM vacuum in its broken symmetry phase. In particular, theory of relaxation of dark energy will be accompanied by experimental study of resonant decay of coherent states of non-equilibrium superfluid vacuum. Determination of the topological classes of the quantum vacua of SM including the vacua with Majorana fermions will be accompanied by experimental studies of Majorana fermions on the boundaries of topological superfluids and in cores of quantized vortices. Theory of extra Higgs bosons in SM will be accompanied by experimental study of light and heavy Higgs modes in 3He-B.
Max ERC Funding
2 159 191 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-10-01, End date: 2021-09-30
