Project acronym 3D2DPrint
Project 3D Printing of Novel 2D Nanomaterials: Adding Advanced 2D Functionalities to Revolutionary Tailored 3D Manufacturing
Researcher (PI) Valeria Nicolosi
Host Institution (HI) THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE8, ERC-2015-CoG
Summary My vision is to establish, within the framework of an ERC CoG, a multidisciplinary group which will work in concert towards pioneering the integration of novel 2-Dimensional nanomaterials with novel additive fabrication techniques to develop a unique class of energy storage devices.
Batteries and supercapacitors are two very complementary types of energy storage devices. Batteries store much higher energy densities; supercapacitors, on the other hand, hold one tenth of the electricity per unit of volume or weight as compared to batteries but can achieve much higher power densities. Technology is currently striving to improve the power density of batteries and the energy density of supercapacitors. To do so it is imperative to develop new materials, chemistries and manufacturing strategies.
3D2DPrint aims to develop micro-energy devices (both supercapacitors and batteries), technologies particularly relevant in the context of the emergent industry of micro-electro-mechanical systems and constantly downsized electronics. We plan to use novel two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials obtained by liquid-phase exfoliation. This method offers a new, economic and easy way to prepare ink of a variety of 2D systems, allowing to produce wide device performance window through elegant and simple constituent control at the point of fabrication. 3D2DPrint will use our expertise and know-how to allow development of advanced AM methods to integrate dissimilar nanomaterial blends and/or “hybrids” into fully embedded 3D printed energy storage devices, with the ultimate objective to realise a range of products that contain the above described nanomaterials subcomponent devices, electrical connections and traditional micro-fabricated subcomponents (if needed) ideally using a single tool.
Summary
My vision is to establish, within the framework of an ERC CoG, a multidisciplinary group which will work in concert towards pioneering the integration of novel 2-Dimensional nanomaterials with novel additive fabrication techniques to develop a unique class of energy storage devices.
Batteries and supercapacitors are two very complementary types of energy storage devices. Batteries store much higher energy densities; supercapacitors, on the other hand, hold one tenth of the electricity per unit of volume or weight as compared to batteries but can achieve much higher power densities. Technology is currently striving to improve the power density of batteries and the energy density of supercapacitors. To do so it is imperative to develop new materials, chemistries and manufacturing strategies.
3D2DPrint aims to develop micro-energy devices (both supercapacitors and batteries), technologies particularly relevant in the context of the emergent industry of micro-electro-mechanical systems and constantly downsized electronics. We plan to use novel two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials obtained by liquid-phase exfoliation. This method offers a new, economic and easy way to prepare ink of a variety of 2D systems, allowing to produce wide device performance window through elegant and simple constituent control at the point of fabrication. 3D2DPrint will use our expertise and know-how to allow development of advanced AM methods to integrate dissimilar nanomaterial blends and/or “hybrids” into fully embedded 3D printed energy storage devices, with the ultimate objective to realise a range of products that contain the above described nanomaterials subcomponent devices, electrical connections and traditional micro-fabricated subcomponents (if needed) ideally using a single tool.
Max ERC Funding
2 499 942 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-10-01, End date: 2021-09-30
Project acronym 3MC
Project 3D Model Catalysts to explore new routes to sustainable fuels
Researcher (PI) Petra Elisabeth De jongh
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE4, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary Currently fuels, plastics, and drugs are predominantly manufactured from oil. A transition towards renewable resources critically depends on new catalysts, for instance to convert small molecules (such as solar or biomass derived hydrogen, carbon monoxide, water and carbon dioxide) into more complex ones (such as oxygenates, containing oxygen atoms in their structure). Catalyst development now often depends on trial and error rather than rational design, as the heterogeneity of these composite systems hampers detailed understanding of the role of each of the components.
I propose 3D model catalysts as a novel enabling tool to overcome this problem. Their well-defined nature allows unprecedented precision in the variation of structural parameters (morphology, spatial distribution) of the individual components, while at the same time they mimic real catalysts closely enough to allow testing under industrially relevant conditions. Using this approach I will address fundamental questions, such as:
* What are the mechanisms (structural, electronic, chemical) by which non-metal promoters influence the functionality of copper-based catalysts?
* Which nanoalloys can be formed, how does their composition influence the surface active sites and catalytic functionality under reaction conditions?
* Which size and interface effects occur, and how can we use them to tune the actitivity and selectivity towards desired products?
Our 3D model catalysts will be assembled from ordered mesoporous silica and carbon support materials and Cu-based promoted and bimetallic nanoparticles. The combination with high resolution characterization and testing under realistic conditions allows detailed insight into the role of the different components; critical for the rational design of novel catalysts for a future more sustainable production of chemicals and fuels from renewable resources.
Summary
Currently fuels, plastics, and drugs are predominantly manufactured from oil. A transition towards renewable resources critically depends on new catalysts, for instance to convert small molecules (such as solar or biomass derived hydrogen, carbon monoxide, water and carbon dioxide) into more complex ones (such as oxygenates, containing oxygen atoms in their structure). Catalyst development now often depends on trial and error rather than rational design, as the heterogeneity of these composite systems hampers detailed understanding of the role of each of the components.
I propose 3D model catalysts as a novel enabling tool to overcome this problem. Their well-defined nature allows unprecedented precision in the variation of structural parameters (morphology, spatial distribution) of the individual components, while at the same time they mimic real catalysts closely enough to allow testing under industrially relevant conditions. Using this approach I will address fundamental questions, such as:
* What are the mechanisms (structural, electronic, chemical) by which non-metal promoters influence the functionality of copper-based catalysts?
* Which nanoalloys can be formed, how does their composition influence the surface active sites and catalytic functionality under reaction conditions?
* Which size and interface effects occur, and how can we use them to tune the actitivity and selectivity towards desired products?
Our 3D model catalysts will be assembled from ordered mesoporous silica and carbon support materials and Cu-based promoted and bimetallic nanoparticles. The combination with high resolution characterization and testing under realistic conditions allows detailed insight into the role of the different components; critical for the rational design of novel catalysts for a future more sustainable production of chemicals and fuels from renewable resources.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 625 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-09-01, End date: 2020-08-31
Project acronym Active-DNA
Project Computationally Active DNA Nanostructures
Researcher (PI) Damien WOODS
Host Institution (HI) NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND MAYNOOTH
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE6, ERC-2017-COG
Summary During the 20th century computer technology evolved from bulky, slow, special purpose mechanical engines to the now ubiquitous silicon chips and software that are one of the pinnacles of human ingenuity. The goal of the field of molecular programming is to take the next leap and build a new generation of matter-based computers using DNA, RNA and proteins. This will be accomplished by computer scientists, physicists and chemists designing molecules to execute ``wet'' nanoscale programs in test tubes. The workflow includes proposing theoretical models, mathematically proving their computational properties, physical modelling and implementation in the wet-lab.
The past decade has seen remarkable progress at building static 2D and 3D DNA nanostructures. However, unlike biological macromolecules and complexes that are built via specified self-assembly pathways, that execute robotic-like movements, and that undergo evolution, the activity of human-engineered nanostructures is severely limited. We will need sophisticated algorithmic ideas to build structures that rival active living systems. Active-DNA, aims to address this challenge by achieving a number of objectives on computation, DNA-based self-assembly and molecular robotics. Active-DNA research work will range from defining models and proving theorems that characterise the computational and expressive capabilities of such active programmable materials to experimental work implementing active DNA nanostructures in the wet-lab.
Summary
During the 20th century computer technology evolved from bulky, slow, special purpose mechanical engines to the now ubiquitous silicon chips and software that are one of the pinnacles of human ingenuity. The goal of the field of molecular programming is to take the next leap and build a new generation of matter-based computers using DNA, RNA and proteins. This will be accomplished by computer scientists, physicists and chemists designing molecules to execute ``wet'' nanoscale programs in test tubes. The workflow includes proposing theoretical models, mathematically proving their computational properties, physical modelling and implementation in the wet-lab.
The past decade has seen remarkable progress at building static 2D and 3D DNA nanostructures. However, unlike biological macromolecules and complexes that are built via specified self-assembly pathways, that execute robotic-like movements, and that undergo evolution, the activity of human-engineered nanostructures is severely limited. We will need sophisticated algorithmic ideas to build structures that rival active living systems. Active-DNA, aims to address this challenge by achieving a number of objectives on computation, DNA-based self-assembly and molecular robotics. Active-DNA research work will range from defining models and proving theorems that characterise the computational and expressive capabilities of such active programmable materials to experimental work implementing active DNA nanostructures in the wet-lab.
Max ERC Funding
2 349 603 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-11-01, End date: 2023-10-31
Project acronym ACUITY
Project Algorithms for coping with uncertainty and intractability
Researcher (PI) Nikhil Bansal
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVEN
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE6, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary The two biggest challenges in solving practical optimization problems are computational intractability, and the presence
of uncertainty: most problems are either NP-hard, or have incomplete input data which
makes an exact computation impossible.
Recently, there has been a huge progress in our understanding of intractability, based on spectacular algorithmic and lower bound techniques. For several problems, especially those with only local constraints, we can design optimum
approximation algorithms that are provably the best possible.
However, typical optimization problems usually involve complex global constraints and are much less understood. The situation is even worse for coping with uncertainty. Most of the algorithms are based on ad-hoc techniques and there is no deeper understanding of what makes various problems easy or hard.
This proposal describes several new directions, together with concrete intermediate goals, that will break important new ground in the theory of approximation and online algorithms. The particular directions we consider are (i) extend the primal dual method to systematically design online algorithms, (ii) build a structural theory of online problems based on work functions, (iii) develop new tools to use the power of strong convex relaxations and (iv) design new algorithmic approaches based on non-constructive proof techniques.
The proposed research is at the
cutting edge of algorithm design, and builds upon the recent success of the PI in resolving several longstanding questions in these areas. Any progress is likely to be a significant contribution to theoretical
computer science and combinatorial optimization.
Summary
The two biggest challenges in solving practical optimization problems are computational intractability, and the presence
of uncertainty: most problems are either NP-hard, or have incomplete input data which
makes an exact computation impossible.
Recently, there has been a huge progress in our understanding of intractability, based on spectacular algorithmic and lower bound techniques. For several problems, especially those with only local constraints, we can design optimum
approximation algorithms that are provably the best possible.
However, typical optimization problems usually involve complex global constraints and are much less understood. The situation is even worse for coping with uncertainty. Most of the algorithms are based on ad-hoc techniques and there is no deeper understanding of what makes various problems easy or hard.
This proposal describes several new directions, together with concrete intermediate goals, that will break important new ground in the theory of approximation and online algorithms. The particular directions we consider are (i) extend the primal dual method to systematically design online algorithms, (ii) build a structural theory of online problems based on work functions, (iii) develop new tools to use the power of strong convex relaxations and (iv) design new algorithmic approaches based on non-constructive proof techniques.
The proposed research is at the
cutting edge of algorithm design, and builds upon the recent success of the PI in resolving several longstanding questions in these areas. Any progress is likely to be a significant contribution to theoretical
computer science and combinatorial optimization.
Max ERC Funding
1 519 285 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-05-01, End date: 2019-04-30
Project acronym ALDof 2DTMDs
Project Atomic layer deposition of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide nanolayers
Researcher (PI) Ageeth Bol
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVEN
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE5, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D-TMDs) are an exciting class of new materials. Their ultrathin body, optical band gap and unusual spin and valley polarization physics make them very promising candidates for a vast new range of (opto-)electronic applications. So far, most experimental work on 2D-TMDs has been performed on exfoliated flakes made by the ‘Scotch tape’ technique. The major next challenge is the large-area synthesis of 2D-TMDs by a technique that ultimately can be used for commercial device fabrication.
Building upon pure 2D-TMDs, even more functionalities can be gained from 2D-TMD alloys and heterostructures. Theoretical work on these derivates reveals exciting new phenomena, but experimentally this field is largely unexplored due to synthesis technique limitations.
The goal of this proposal is to combine atomic layer deposition with plasma chemistry to create a novel surface-controlled, industry-compatible synthesis technique that will make large area 2D-TMDs, 2D-TMD alloys and 2D-TMD heterostructures a reality. This innovative approach will enable systematic layer dependent studies, likely revealing exciting new properties, and provide integration pathways for a multitude of applications.
Atomistic simulations will guide the process development and, together with in- and ex-situ analysis, increase the understanding of the surface chemistry involved. State-of-the-art high resolution transmission electron microscopy will be used to study the alloying process and the formation of heterostructures. Luminescence spectroscopy and electrical characterization will reveal the potential of the synthesized materials for (opto)-electronic applications.
The synergy between the excellent background of the PI in 2D materials for nanoelectronics and the group’s leading expertise in ALD and plasma science is unique and provides an ideal stepping stone to develop the synthesis of large-area 2D-TMDs and derivatives.
Summary
Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D-TMDs) are an exciting class of new materials. Their ultrathin body, optical band gap and unusual spin and valley polarization physics make them very promising candidates for a vast new range of (opto-)electronic applications. So far, most experimental work on 2D-TMDs has been performed on exfoliated flakes made by the ‘Scotch tape’ technique. The major next challenge is the large-area synthesis of 2D-TMDs by a technique that ultimately can be used for commercial device fabrication.
Building upon pure 2D-TMDs, even more functionalities can be gained from 2D-TMD alloys and heterostructures. Theoretical work on these derivates reveals exciting new phenomena, but experimentally this field is largely unexplored due to synthesis technique limitations.
The goal of this proposal is to combine atomic layer deposition with plasma chemistry to create a novel surface-controlled, industry-compatible synthesis technique that will make large area 2D-TMDs, 2D-TMD alloys and 2D-TMD heterostructures a reality. This innovative approach will enable systematic layer dependent studies, likely revealing exciting new properties, and provide integration pathways for a multitude of applications.
Atomistic simulations will guide the process development and, together with in- and ex-situ analysis, increase the understanding of the surface chemistry involved. State-of-the-art high resolution transmission electron microscopy will be used to study the alloying process and the formation of heterostructures. Luminescence spectroscopy and electrical characterization will reveal the potential of the synthesized materials for (opto)-electronic applications.
The synergy between the excellent background of the PI in 2D materials for nanoelectronics and the group’s leading expertise in ALD and plasma science is unique and provides an ideal stepping stone to develop the synthesis of large-area 2D-TMDs and derivatives.
Max ERC Funding
1 968 709 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-08-01, End date: 2020-07-31
Project acronym ALERT
Project ALERT - The Apertif-LOFAR Exploration of the Radio Transient Sky
Researcher (PI) Albert Van Leeuwen
Host Institution (HI) STICHTING ASTRON, NETHERLANDS INSTITUTE FOR RADIO ASTRONOMY
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE9, ERC-2013-CoG
Summary "In our largely unchanging radio Universe, a highly dynamic component was recently discovered: flashes of bright radio emission that last only milliseconds but appear all over the sky. Some of these radio bursts can be traced to intermittently pulsating neutron stars. Other bursts however, apparently originate far outside our Galaxy. Due to great observational challenges, the evolution of the neutron stars is not understood, while more importantly, the nature of the extragalactic bursts remains an outright mystery.
My overall aim is to understand the physics that drives both kinds of brief and luminous bursts.
My primary goal is to identify the highly compact astrophysical explosions powering the extragalactic bursts. My previous surveys are the state of the art in fast-transient detection; I will now increase by a factor of 10 this exploration volume. In real-time I will provide arcsec positions, 10,000-fold more accurate than currently possible, to localize such extragalactic bursts for the first time and understand their origin.
My secondary goal is to unravel the unexplained evolution of intermittently pulsating neutron stars (building on e.g., my recent papers in Science, 2013), by doubling their number and modeling their population.
To achieve these goals, I will carry out a highly innovative survey: the Apertif-LOFAR Exploration of the Radio Transient Sky. ALERT is over an order of magnitude more sensitive than all current state-of-the art fast-transient surveys.
Through its novel, extremely wide field-of-view, Westerbork/Apertif will detect many tens of extragalactic bursts. Through real-time triggers to LOFAR I will next provide the precise localisation that is essential for radio, optical and high-energy follow-up to, for the first time, shed light on the physics and objects driving these bursts – evaporating primordial black holes; explosions in host galaxies; or, the unknown?"
Summary
"In our largely unchanging radio Universe, a highly dynamic component was recently discovered: flashes of bright radio emission that last only milliseconds but appear all over the sky. Some of these radio bursts can be traced to intermittently pulsating neutron stars. Other bursts however, apparently originate far outside our Galaxy. Due to great observational challenges, the evolution of the neutron stars is not understood, while more importantly, the nature of the extragalactic bursts remains an outright mystery.
My overall aim is to understand the physics that drives both kinds of brief and luminous bursts.
My primary goal is to identify the highly compact astrophysical explosions powering the extragalactic bursts. My previous surveys are the state of the art in fast-transient detection; I will now increase by a factor of 10 this exploration volume. In real-time I will provide arcsec positions, 10,000-fold more accurate than currently possible, to localize such extragalactic bursts for the first time and understand their origin.
My secondary goal is to unravel the unexplained evolution of intermittently pulsating neutron stars (building on e.g., my recent papers in Science, 2013), by doubling their number and modeling their population.
To achieve these goals, I will carry out a highly innovative survey: the Apertif-LOFAR Exploration of the Radio Transient Sky. ALERT is over an order of magnitude more sensitive than all current state-of-the art fast-transient surveys.
Through its novel, extremely wide field-of-view, Westerbork/Apertif will detect many tens of extragalactic bursts. Through real-time triggers to LOFAR I will next provide the precise localisation that is essential for radio, optical and high-energy follow-up to, for the first time, shed light on the physics and objects driving these bursts – evaporating primordial black holes; explosions in host galaxies; or, the unknown?"
Max ERC Funding
1 999 823 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-12-01, End date: 2019-11-30
Project acronym ARTECHNE
Project Technique in the Arts. Concepts, Practices, Expertise (1500-1950)
Researcher (PI) Sven Georges Mathieu Dupré
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), SH5, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary The transmission of ‘technique’ in art has been a conspicuous ‘black box’ resisting analysis. The tools of the humanities used to study the transmission of ideas and concepts are insufficient when it comes to understanding the transmission of something as non-propositional and non-verbal as ‘technique’. The insights of the neurosciences in, for example, the acquisition and transmission of drawing skills are not yet sufficiently advanced to be historically restrictive. However, only in the most recent years, the history of science and technology has turned to how-to instructions as given in recipes. This project proposes to undertake the experimental reconstruction of historical recipes to finally open the black box of the transmission of technique in the visual and decorative arts. Considering ‘technique’ as a textual, material and social practice, this project will write a long-term history of the theory and practice of the study of ‘technique’ in the visual and decorative arts between 1500 and 1950. The three central research questions here are: (1) what is technique in the visual and decorative arts, (2) how is technique transmitted and studied, and (3) who is considered expert in technique, and why? This project will make a breakthrough in our understanding of the transmission of technique in the arts by integrating methodologies typical for the humanities and historical disciplines with laboratory work. Also, by providing a history of technique in the arts, this project lays the historical foundations of the epistemologies of conservation, restoration and technical art history precisely at a moment of greatest urgency. The connection between the history of science and technology and the expertise in conservation, restoration and technical art history (in the Ateliergebouw in Amsterdam) this project envisions builds the intellectual infrastructure of a new field of interdisciplinary research, unique in Europe.
Summary
The transmission of ‘technique’ in art has been a conspicuous ‘black box’ resisting analysis. The tools of the humanities used to study the transmission of ideas and concepts are insufficient when it comes to understanding the transmission of something as non-propositional and non-verbal as ‘technique’. The insights of the neurosciences in, for example, the acquisition and transmission of drawing skills are not yet sufficiently advanced to be historically restrictive. However, only in the most recent years, the history of science and technology has turned to how-to instructions as given in recipes. This project proposes to undertake the experimental reconstruction of historical recipes to finally open the black box of the transmission of technique in the visual and decorative arts. Considering ‘technique’ as a textual, material and social practice, this project will write a long-term history of the theory and practice of the study of ‘technique’ in the visual and decorative arts between 1500 and 1950. The three central research questions here are: (1) what is technique in the visual and decorative arts, (2) how is technique transmitted and studied, and (3) who is considered expert in technique, and why? This project will make a breakthrough in our understanding of the transmission of technique in the arts by integrating methodologies typical for the humanities and historical disciplines with laboratory work. Also, by providing a history of technique in the arts, this project lays the historical foundations of the epistemologies of conservation, restoration and technical art history precisely at a moment of greatest urgency. The connection between the history of science and technology and the expertise in conservation, restoration and technical art history (in the Ateliergebouw in Amsterdam) this project envisions builds the intellectual infrastructure of a new field of interdisciplinary research, unique in Europe.
Max ERC Funding
1 907 944 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-09-01, End date: 2020-08-31
Project acronym ASICA
Project New constraints on the Amazonian carbon balance from airborne observations of the stable isotopes of CO2
Researcher (PI) Wouter Peters
Host Institution (HI) WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2014-CoG
Summary Severe droughts in Amazonia in 2005 and 2010 caused widespread loss of carbon from the terrestrial biosphere. This loss, almost twice the annual fossil fuel CO2 emissions in the EU, suggests a large sensitivity of the Amazonian carbon balance to a predicted more intense drought regime in the next decades. This is a dangerous inference though, as there is no scientific consensus on the most basic metrics of Amazonian carbon exchange: the gross primary production (GPP) and its response to moisture deficits in the soil and atmosphere. Measuring them on scales that span the whole Amazon forest was thus far impossible, but in this project I aim to deliver the first observation-based estimate of pan-Amazonian GPP and its drought induced variations.
My program builds on two recent breakthroughs in our use of stable isotopes (13C, 17O, 18O) in atmospheric CO2: (1) Our discovery that observed δ¹³C in CO2 in the atmosphere is a quantitative measure for vegetation water-use efficiency over millions of square kilometers, integrating the drought response of individual plants. (2) The possibility to precisely measure the relative ratios of 18O/16O and 17O/16O in CO2, called Δ17O. Anomalous Δ17O values are present in air coming down from the stratosphere, but this anomaly is removed upon contact of CO2 with leaf water inside plant stomata. Hence, observed Δ17O values depend directly on the magnitude of GPP. Both δ¹³C and Δ17O measurements are scarce over the Amazon-basin, and I propose more than 7000 new measurements leveraging an established aircraft monitoring program in Brazil. Quantitative interpretation of these observations will break new ground in our use of stable isotopes to understand climate variations, and is facilitated by our renowned numerical modeling system “CarbonTracker”. My program will answer two burning question in carbon cycle science today: (a) What is the magnitude of GPP in Amazonia? And (b) How does it vary over different intensities of drought?
Summary
Severe droughts in Amazonia in 2005 and 2010 caused widespread loss of carbon from the terrestrial biosphere. This loss, almost twice the annual fossil fuel CO2 emissions in the EU, suggests a large sensitivity of the Amazonian carbon balance to a predicted more intense drought regime in the next decades. This is a dangerous inference though, as there is no scientific consensus on the most basic metrics of Amazonian carbon exchange: the gross primary production (GPP) and its response to moisture deficits in the soil and atmosphere. Measuring them on scales that span the whole Amazon forest was thus far impossible, but in this project I aim to deliver the first observation-based estimate of pan-Amazonian GPP and its drought induced variations.
My program builds on two recent breakthroughs in our use of stable isotopes (13C, 17O, 18O) in atmospheric CO2: (1) Our discovery that observed δ¹³C in CO2 in the atmosphere is a quantitative measure for vegetation water-use efficiency over millions of square kilometers, integrating the drought response of individual plants. (2) The possibility to precisely measure the relative ratios of 18O/16O and 17O/16O in CO2, called Δ17O. Anomalous Δ17O values are present in air coming down from the stratosphere, but this anomaly is removed upon contact of CO2 with leaf water inside plant stomata. Hence, observed Δ17O values depend directly on the magnitude of GPP. Both δ¹³C and Δ17O measurements are scarce over the Amazon-basin, and I propose more than 7000 new measurements leveraging an established aircraft monitoring program in Brazil. Quantitative interpretation of these observations will break new ground in our use of stable isotopes to understand climate variations, and is facilitated by our renowned numerical modeling system “CarbonTracker”. My program will answer two burning question in carbon cycle science today: (a) What is the magnitude of GPP in Amazonia? And (b) How does it vary over different intensities of drought?
Max ERC Funding
2 269 689 €
Duration
Start date: 2015-09-01, End date: 2020-08-31
Project acronym ASTROFLOW
Project The influence of stellar outflows on exoplanetary mass loss
Researcher (PI) Aline VIDOTTO
Host Institution (HI) THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE9, ERC-2018-COG
Summary ASTROFLOW aims to make ground-breaking progress in our physical understanding of exoplanetary mass loss, by quantifying the influence of stellar outflows on atmospheric escape of close-in exoplanets. Escape plays a key role in planetary evolution, population, and potential to develop life. Stellar irradiation and outflows affect planetary mass loss: irradiation heats planetary atmospheres, which inflate and more likely escape; outflows cause pressure confinement around otherwise freely escaping atmospheres. This external pressure can increase, reduce or even suppress escape rates; its effects on exoplanetary mass loss remain largely unexplored due to the complexity of such interactions. I will fill this knowledge gap by developing a novel modelling framework of atmospheric escape that will, for the first time, consider the effects of realistic stellar outflows on exoplanetary mass loss. My expertise in stellar wind theory and 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations is crucial for producing the next-generation models of planetary escape. My framework will consist of state-of-the-art, time-dependent, 3D simulations of stellar outflows (Method 1), which will be coupled to novel 3D simulations of atmospheric escape (Method 2). My models will account for the major underlying physical processes of mass loss. With this, I will determine the response of planetary mass loss to realistic stellar particle, magnetic and radiation environments and will characterise the physical conditions of the escaping material. I will compute how its extinction varies during transit and compare synthetic line profiles to atmospheric escape observations from, eg, Hubble and our NASA cubesat CUTE. Strong synergy with upcoming observations (JWST, TESS, SPIRou, CARMENES) also exists. Determining the lifetime of planetary atmospheres is essential to understanding populations of exoplanets. ASTROFLOW’s work will be the foundation for future research of how exoplanets evolve under mass-loss processes.
Summary
ASTROFLOW aims to make ground-breaking progress in our physical understanding of exoplanetary mass loss, by quantifying the influence of stellar outflows on atmospheric escape of close-in exoplanets. Escape plays a key role in planetary evolution, population, and potential to develop life. Stellar irradiation and outflows affect planetary mass loss: irradiation heats planetary atmospheres, which inflate and more likely escape; outflows cause pressure confinement around otherwise freely escaping atmospheres. This external pressure can increase, reduce or even suppress escape rates; its effects on exoplanetary mass loss remain largely unexplored due to the complexity of such interactions. I will fill this knowledge gap by developing a novel modelling framework of atmospheric escape that will, for the first time, consider the effects of realistic stellar outflows on exoplanetary mass loss. My expertise in stellar wind theory and 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations is crucial for producing the next-generation models of planetary escape. My framework will consist of state-of-the-art, time-dependent, 3D simulations of stellar outflows (Method 1), which will be coupled to novel 3D simulations of atmospheric escape (Method 2). My models will account for the major underlying physical processes of mass loss. With this, I will determine the response of planetary mass loss to realistic stellar particle, magnetic and radiation environments and will characterise the physical conditions of the escaping material. I will compute how its extinction varies during transit and compare synthetic line profiles to atmospheric escape observations from, eg, Hubble and our NASA cubesat CUTE. Strong synergy with upcoming observations (JWST, TESS, SPIRou, CARMENES) also exists. Determining the lifetime of planetary atmospheres is essential to understanding populations of exoplanets. ASTROFLOW’s work will be the foundation for future research of how exoplanets evolve under mass-loss processes.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 956 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-09-01, End date: 2024-08-31
Project acronym ATUNE
Project Attenuation Tomography Using Novel observations of Earth's free oscillations
Researcher (PI) Arwen Fedora Deuss
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE10, ERC-2015-CoG
Summary Tectonic phenomena at the Earth's surface, like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes,are driven by convection deep in the mantle. Seismic tomography has been very successful in elucidating the Earth's internal velocity structure. However, seismic velocity is insufficient to obtain robust estimates of temperature and composition, and make direct links with mantle convection. Thus, fundamental questions remain unanswered: Do subducting slabs bring water into the lower mantle? Are the large low-shear velocity provinces under the Pacific and Africa mainly thermal or compositional? Is there any partial melt or water near the mantle transition zone or core mantle boundary?
Seismic attenuation, or loss of energy, is key to mapping melt, water and temperature variations, and answering these questions. Unfortunately, attenuation has only been imaged using short- and intermediate-period seismic data, showing little similarity even for the upper mantle and no reliable lower mantle models exist. The aim of ATUNE is to develop novel full-spectrum techniques and apply them to Earth's long period free oscillations to observe global-scale regional variations in seismic attenuation from the lithosphere to the core mantle boundary. Scattering and focussing - problematic for shorter period techniques - are easily included using cross-coupling (or resonance) between free oscillations not requiring approximations. The recent occurrence of large earthquakes, increase in computer power and my world-leading expertise in free oscillations now make it possible to increase the frequency dependence of attenuation to a much wider frequency band, allowing us to distinguish between scattering (redistribution of energy) versus intrinsic attenuation. ATUNE will deliver the first ever full-waveform global tomographic model of 3D attenuation variations in the lower mantle, providing essential constraints on melt, water and temperature for understanding the complex dynamics of our planet.
Summary
Tectonic phenomena at the Earth's surface, like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes,are driven by convection deep in the mantle. Seismic tomography has been very successful in elucidating the Earth's internal velocity structure. However, seismic velocity is insufficient to obtain robust estimates of temperature and composition, and make direct links with mantle convection. Thus, fundamental questions remain unanswered: Do subducting slabs bring water into the lower mantle? Are the large low-shear velocity provinces under the Pacific and Africa mainly thermal or compositional? Is there any partial melt or water near the mantle transition zone or core mantle boundary?
Seismic attenuation, or loss of energy, is key to mapping melt, water and temperature variations, and answering these questions. Unfortunately, attenuation has only been imaged using short- and intermediate-period seismic data, showing little similarity even for the upper mantle and no reliable lower mantle models exist. The aim of ATUNE is to develop novel full-spectrum techniques and apply them to Earth's long period free oscillations to observe global-scale regional variations in seismic attenuation from the lithosphere to the core mantle boundary. Scattering and focussing - problematic for shorter period techniques - are easily included using cross-coupling (or resonance) between free oscillations not requiring approximations. The recent occurrence of large earthquakes, increase in computer power and my world-leading expertise in free oscillations now make it possible to increase the frequency dependence of attenuation to a much wider frequency band, allowing us to distinguish between scattering (redistribution of energy) versus intrinsic attenuation. ATUNE will deliver the first ever full-waveform global tomographic model of 3D attenuation variations in the lower mantle, providing essential constraints on melt, water and temperature for understanding the complex dynamics of our planet.
Max ERC Funding
2 000 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-06-01, End date: 2021-05-31
