Project acronym CLOUDMAP
Project Cloud Computing via Homomorphic Encryption and Multilinear Maps
Researcher (PI) Jean-Sebastien Coron
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE DU LUXEMBOURG
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE6, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary The past thirty years have seen cryptography move from arcane to commonplace: Internet, mobile phones, banking system, etc. Homomorphic cryptography now offers the tantalizing goal of being able to process sensitive information in encrypted form, without needing to compromise on the privacy and security of the citizens and organizations that provide the input data. More recently, cryptographic multilinear maps have revolutionized cryptography with the emergence of indistinguishability obfuscation (iO), which in theory can been used to realize numerous advanced cryptographic functionalities that previously seemed beyond reach. However the security of multilinear maps is still poorly understood, and many iO schemes have been broken; moreover all constructions of iO are currently unpractical.
The goal of the CLOUDMAP project is to make these advanced cryptographic tasks usable in practice, so that citizens do not have to compromise on the privacy and security of their input data. This goal can only be achieved by considering the mathematical foundations of these primitives, working "from first principles", rather than focusing on premature optimizations. To achieve this goal, our first objective will be to better understand the security of the underlying primitives of multilinear maps and iO schemes. Our second objective will be to develop new approaches to significantly improve their efficiency. Our third objective will be to build applications of multilinear maps and iO that can be implemented in practice.
Summary
The past thirty years have seen cryptography move from arcane to commonplace: Internet, mobile phones, banking system, etc. Homomorphic cryptography now offers the tantalizing goal of being able to process sensitive information in encrypted form, without needing to compromise on the privacy and security of the citizens and organizations that provide the input data. More recently, cryptographic multilinear maps have revolutionized cryptography with the emergence of indistinguishability obfuscation (iO), which in theory can been used to realize numerous advanced cryptographic functionalities that previously seemed beyond reach. However the security of multilinear maps is still poorly understood, and many iO schemes have been broken; moreover all constructions of iO are currently unpractical.
The goal of the CLOUDMAP project is to make these advanced cryptographic tasks usable in practice, so that citizens do not have to compromise on the privacy and security of their input data. This goal can only be achieved by considering the mathematical foundations of these primitives, working "from first principles", rather than focusing on premature optimizations. To achieve this goal, our first objective will be to better understand the security of the underlying primitives of multilinear maps and iO schemes. Our second objective will be to develop new approaches to significantly improve their efficiency. Our third objective will be to build applications of multilinear maps and iO that can be implemented in practice.
Max ERC Funding
2 491 266 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-10-01, End date: 2023-09-30
Project acronym CONCERTO
Project Intensity mapping of the atomic carbon CII line: the promise of a new observational probe of dusty star-formation in post-reionization and reionization epoch
Researcher (PI) Guilaine LAGACHE
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE D'AIX MARSEILLE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE9, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary I propose for funding to construct a spectrometer to map in 3-D the intensity due to line emission, a
technique known as Intensity Mapping. Instead of detecting individual galaxies, this emerging technique
measures signal fluctuations produced by the combined emission of the galaxy population on large regions
of the sky in a wide frequency (i.e. redshift) band, and thus increases sensitivity to faint sources.
Capitalizing on a recent technology breakthrough, our intensity mapping experiment will measure the 3-D
fluctuations of the [CII] line at redshifts 4.5<z<8.5. [CII] is one of the most valuable star formation tracers
at high redshift. My project will answer the outstanding questions of whether dusty star-formation
contributes to early galaxy evolution, and whether dusty galaxies play an important role in shaping cosmic
reionization.
My team will first build, test, and finally install the instrument on the APEX antenna following an
agreement with APEX partners. The spectrometer will be based on the state-of-the-art development of new
arrays in the millimeter using Kinetic Inductance Detectors. Spectra (200-360 GHz) will be obtained by a
fast Martin-Puplett interferometer. Then, we will observe with CONCERTO a few square degrees and offer
a straight forward alternative for probing star formation and dust build-up in the early Universe. Finally,
CONCERTO will set to music the various cosmic evolution probes. Cross-correlation of the signals will be
used in particular to capture the topology of the end of reionization era.
CONCERTO will be one of two instruments in the world to perform intensity mapping of the [CII] line in
the short term. The novel methodology is extremely promising as it targets an unexplored observable
touching on some of the fundamental processes building the early universe. In the flourishing of new ideas
in the intensity-mapping field, CONCERTO lies at the forefront.
Summary
I propose for funding to construct a spectrometer to map in 3-D the intensity due to line emission, a
technique known as Intensity Mapping. Instead of detecting individual galaxies, this emerging technique
measures signal fluctuations produced by the combined emission of the galaxy population on large regions
of the sky in a wide frequency (i.e. redshift) band, and thus increases sensitivity to faint sources.
Capitalizing on a recent technology breakthrough, our intensity mapping experiment will measure the 3-D
fluctuations of the [CII] line at redshifts 4.5<z<8.5. [CII] is one of the most valuable star formation tracers
at high redshift. My project will answer the outstanding questions of whether dusty star-formation
contributes to early galaxy evolution, and whether dusty galaxies play an important role in shaping cosmic
reionization.
My team will first build, test, and finally install the instrument on the APEX antenna following an
agreement with APEX partners. The spectrometer will be based on the state-of-the-art development of new
arrays in the millimeter using Kinetic Inductance Detectors. Spectra (200-360 GHz) will be obtained by a
fast Martin-Puplett interferometer. Then, we will observe with CONCERTO a few square degrees and offer
a straight forward alternative for probing star formation and dust build-up in the early Universe. Finally,
CONCERTO will set to music the various cosmic evolution probes. Cross-correlation of the signals will be
used in particular to capture the topology of the end of reionization era.
CONCERTO will be one of two instruments in the world to perform intensity mapping of the [CII] line in
the short term. The novel methodology is extremely promising as it targets an unexplored observable
touching on some of the fundamental processes building the early universe. In the flourishing of new ideas
in the intensity-mapping field, CONCERTO lies at the forefront.
Max ERC Funding
3 499 942 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31
Project acronym DAMIC-M
Project Unveiling the Hidden: A Search for Light Dark Matter with CCDs
Researcher (PI) Paolo PRIVITERA
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary Dark matter (DM) is a ubiquitous yet invisible presence in our universe. It dictated how galaxies formed in the first place, and now moves stars around them at puzzling speeds. The DM mass in the universe is known to be five times that of ordinary matter; yet its true nature remains elusive.
Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), relics from the early universe, are a compelling explanation chased by sensitive experiments in deep underground laboratories. However, searches for heavy WIMPs (≈100 times the proton mass), the most theoretically natural candidates, have been so far unsuccessful. Nor has evidence for such heavy particles yet been found at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Alternative scenarios are now under scrutiny, such as the existence of a hidden sector of lighter DM particles that interact, differently than WIMPs, also with electrons.
DAMIC-M (Dark Matter In CCDs at Modane) will search beyond the heavy WIMP paradigm by detecting nuclear recoils and electrons induced by light DM in charge-coupled devices (CCDs). The 0.5 kg detector will be installed at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane, France. In this novel and unconventional use of CCDs, which are commonly employed for digital imaging in astronomical telescopes, the ionization charge will be detected in the most massive CCDs ever built with exquisite spatial resolution (15 μm x 15 μm pixel). The crucial innovation in these devices is the non-destructive, repetitive measurement of the pixel charge, which results in the high-resolution detection of a single electron and unprecedented sensitivity to light DM (≈ eV energies are enough to free an electron in silicon). By counting individual charges in a detector with extremely low leakage current – a combination unmatched by any other DM experiment – DAMIC-M will take a leap forward of several orders of magnitude in the exploration of the hidden sector, a jump that may be rewarded by serendipitous discovery.
Summary
Dark matter (DM) is a ubiquitous yet invisible presence in our universe. It dictated how galaxies formed in the first place, and now moves stars around them at puzzling speeds. The DM mass in the universe is known to be five times that of ordinary matter; yet its true nature remains elusive.
Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), relics from the early universe, are a compelling explanation chased by sensitive experiments in deep underground laboratories. However, searches for heavy WIMPs (≈100 times the proton mass), the most theoretically natural candidates, have been so far unsuccessful. Nor has evidence for such heavy particles yet been found at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Alternative scenarios are now under scrutiny, such as the existence of a hidden sector of lighter DM particles that interact, differently than WIMPs, also with electrons.
DAMIC-M (Dark Matter In CCDs at Modane) will search beyond the heavy WIMP paradigm by detecting nuclear recoils and electrons induced by light DM in charge-coupled devices (CCDs). The 0.5 kg detector will be installed at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane, France. In this novel and unconventional use of CCDs, which are commonly employed for digital imaging in astronomical telescopes, the ionization charge will be detected in the most massive CCDs ever built with exquisite spatial resolution (15 μm x 15 μm pixel). The crucial innovation in these devices is the non-destructive, repetitive measurement of the pixel charge, which results in the high-resolution detection of a single electron and unprecedented sensitivity to light DM (≈ eV energies are enough to free an electron in silicon). By counting individual charges in a detector with extremely low leakage current – a combination unmatched by any other DM experiment – DAMIC-M will take a leap forward of several orders of magnitude in the exploration of the hidden sector, a jump that may be rewarded by serendipitous discovery.
Max ERC Funding
3 349 563 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-09-01, End date: 2023-08-31
Project acronym FOCUS
Project Fiber Optic Cable Use for Seafloor studies of earthquake hazard and deformation
Researcher (PI) Marc-André GUTSCHER
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE10, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary Two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by water and thus largely inaccessible to modern networks of seismological instruments. The FOCUS project is poised to revolutionize seismic monitoring of the seafloor through a novel use of fiber optic cables to improve hazard assessment and increase early warning capability. Laser reflectometry using BOTDR, commonly used for structural health monitoring of large-scale engineering structures (e.g. - bridges, dams, pipelines, etc.), can measure very small strains (< 1 mm) at very large distances (10 - 200 km). It has never been used to monitor deformation caused by active faults on the seafloor. The objective of the FOCUS project is to demonstrate that this technique can measure small (1 - 2 cm) displacements on a primary test site offshore Sicily where the 28 km long EMSO Catania cable crosses the recently mapped North Alfeo Fault. BOTDR observations must be calibrated by other independent measurements. Therefore, targeted marine geophysical surveys of the seafloor along the trace of the cable and faults are planned, with micro-bathymetry, high-resolution seismics, seafloor seismic stations and use of seafloor geodetic instruments to quantify fault displacement. Once the BOTDR fault-monitoring technique has been tested and calibrated offshore Sicily, the goal is to expand it to other fiber optic cable networks, either existing research networks in earthquake hazard zones (Japan, Cascadia) or to the Mediterranean region through access to retired telecommunication cables, or through the development of dual-use cables with industry partners, (two of the anticipated outcomes of the FOCUS project). The novel secondary use of fiber optic cables as described by FOCUS represents a potentially tremendous breakthrough in seismology, tectonics and natural hazard early warning capability, one that could turn Earth’s future undersea communication infrastructure into a seismological monitoring network of unprecedented scale.
Summary
Two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by water and thus largely inaccessible to modern networks of seismological instruments. The FOCUS project is poised to revolutionize seismic monitoring of the seafloor through a novel use of fiber optic cables to improve hazard assessment and increase early warning capability. Laser reflectometry using BOTDR, commonly used for structural health monitoring of large-scale engineering structures (e.g. - bridges, dams, pipelines, etc.), can measure very small strains (< 1 mm) at very large distances (10 - 200 km). It has never been used to monitor deformation caused by active faults on the seafloor. The objective of the FOCUS project is to demonstrate that this technique can measure small (1 - 2 cm) displacements on a primary test site offshore Sicily where the 28 km long EMSO Catania cable crosses the recently mapped North Alfeo Fault. BOTDR observations must be calibrated by other independent measurements. Therefore, targeted marine geophysical surveys of the seafloor along the trace of the cable and faults are planned, with micro-bathymetry, high-resolution seismics, seafloor seismic stations and use of seafloor geodetic instruments to quantify fault displacement. Once the BOTDR fault-monitoring technique has been tested and calibrated offshore Sicily, the goal is to expand it to other fiber optic cable networks, either existing research networks in earthquake hazard zones (Japan, Cascadia) or to the Mediterranean region through access to retired telecommunication cables, or through the development of dual-use cables with industry partners, (two of the anticipated outcomes of the FOCUS project). The novel secondary use of fiber optic cables as described by FOCUS represents a potentially tremendous breakthrough in seismology, tectonics and natural hazard early warning capability, one that could turn Earth’s future undersea communication infrastructure into a seismological monitoring network of unprecedented scale.
Max ERC Funding
3 487 911 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-10-01, End date: 2023-09-30
Project acronym FUNGRAPH
Project A New Foundation for Computer Graphics with Inherent Uncertainty
Researcher (PI) George DRETTAKIS
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE ENINFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE6, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary The use of Computer Graphics (CG) is constantly expanding, e.g., in Virtual and Augmented Reality, requiring realistic interactive renderings of complex virtual environments at a much wider scale than available today. CG has many limitations we must overcome to satisfy these demands. High-quality accurate rendering needs expensive simulation, while fast approximate rendering algorithms have no guarantee on accuracy; both need manually-designed expensive-to-create content. Capture (e.g., reconstruction from photos) can provide content, but it is uncertain (i.e., inaccurate and incomplete). Image-based rendering (IBR) can display such content, but lacks flexibility to modify the scene. These different rendering algorithms have incompatible but complementary tradeoffs in quality, speed and flexibility; they cannot currently be used together, and only IBR can directly use captured content. To address these problems
FunGraph will revisit the foundations of Computer Graphics, so these disparate methods can be used together, introducing the treatment of uncertainty to achieve this goal.
FunGraph introduces estimation of rendering uncertainty, quantifying the expected error of rendering components, and propagation of input uncertainty of captured content to the renderer. The ultimate goal is to define a unified renderer exploiting the advantages of each approach in a single algorithm. Our methodology builds on the use of extensive synthetic (and captured) “ground truth” data, the domain of Uncertainty Quantification adapted to our problems and recent advances in machine learning – Bayesian Deep Learning in particular.
FunGraph will fundamentally transform computer graphics, and rendering in particular, by proposing a principled methodology based on uncertainty to develop a new generation of algorithms that fully exploit the spectacular (but previously incompatible) advances in rendering, and fully benefit from the wealth offered by constantly improving captured content.
Summary
The use of Computer Graphics (CG) is constantly expanding, e.g., in Virtual and Augmented Reality, requiring realistic interactive renderings of complex virtual environments at a much wider scale than available today. CG has many limitations we must overcome to satisfy these demands. High-quality accurate rendering needs expensive simulation, while fast approximate rendering algorithms have no guarantee on accuracy; both need manually-designed expensive-to-create content. Capture (e.g., reconstruction from photos) can provide content, but it is uncertain (i.e., inaccurate and incomplete). Image-based rendering (IBR) can display such content, but lacks flexibility to modify the scene. These different rendering algorithms have incompatible but complementary tradeoffs in quality, speed and flexibility; they cannot currently be used together, and only IBR can directly use captured content. To address these problems
FunGraph will revisit the foundations of Computer Graphics, so these disparate methods can be used together, introducing the treatment of uncertainty to achieve this goal.
FunGraph introduces estimation of rendering uncertainty, quantifying the expected error of rendering components, and propagation of input uncertainty of captured content to the renderer. The ultimate goal is to define a unified renderer exploiting the advantages of each approach in a single algorithm. Our methodology builds on the use of extensive synthetic (and captured) “ground truth” data, the domain of Uncertainty Quantification adapted to our problems and recent advances in machine learning – Bayesian Deep Learning in particular.
FunGraph will fundamentally transform computer graphics, and rendering in particular, by proposing a principled methodology based on uncertainty to develop a new generation of algorithms that fully exploit the spectacular (but previously incompatible) advances in rendering, and fully benefit from the wealth offered by constantly improving captured content.
Max ERC Funding
2 497 161 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-10-01, End date: 2023-09-30
Project acronym G-Statistics
Project Foundations of Geometric Statistics and Their Application in the Life Sciences
Researcher (PI) Xavier Jean-Louis PENNEC
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE ENINFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE1, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary "Invariance under gauge transformation groups provides the natural structure explaining the laws of physics. In life sciences, new mathematical tools are needed to estimate approximate invariance and establish general but approximate laws. Rephrasing Poincaré: a geometry cannot be more true than another, it may just be more convenient, and statisticians must find the most convenient one for their data. At the crossing of geometry and statistics, G-Statistics aims at establishing the mathematical foundations of geometric statistics and exemplifying their impact on selected applications in the life sciences.
So far, mainly Riemannian manifolds and negatively curved metric spaces have been studied. Other geometric structures like quotient spaces, stratified spaces or affine connection spaces naturally arise in applications. G-Statistics will explore ways to unify statistical estimation theories, explaining how the statistical estimations diverges from the Euclidean case in the presence of curvature, singularities, stratification. Beyond classical manifolds, particular emphasis will be put on flags of subspaces in manifolds as they appear to be natural mathematical object to encode hierarchically embedded approximation spaces.
In order to establish geometric statistics as an effective discipline, G-Statistics will propose new mathematical structures and theorems to characterize their properties. It will also implement novel generic algorithms and illustrate the impact of some of their efficient specializations on selected applications in life sciences. Surveying the manifolds of anatomical shapes and forecasting their evolution from databases of medical images is a key problem in computational anatomy requiring dimension reduction in non-linear spaces and Lie groups. By inventing radically new principled estimations methods, we aim at illustrating the power of the methodology and strengthening the ""unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics"" for life sciences."
Summary
"Invariance under gauge transformation groups provides the natural structure explaining the laws of physics. In life sciences, new mathematical tools are needed to estimate approximate invariance and establish general but approximate laws. Rephrasing Poincaré: a geometry cannot be more true than another, it may just be more convenient, and statisticians must find the most convenient one for their data. At the crossing of geometry and statistics, G-Statistics aims at establishing the mathematical foundations of geometric statistics and exemplifying their impact on selected applications in the life sciences.
So far, mainly Riemannian manifolds and negatively curved metric spaces have been studied. Other geometric structures like quotient spaces, stratified spaces or affine connection spaces naturally arise in applications. G-Statistics will explore ways to unify statistical estimation theories, explaining how the statistical estimations diverges from the Euclidean case in the presence of curvature, singularities, stratification. Beyond classical manifolds, particular emphasis will be put on flags of subspaces in manifolds as they appear to be natural mathematical object to encode hierarchically embedded approximation spaces.
In order to establish geometric statistics as an effective discipline, G-Statistics will propose new mathematical structures and theorems to characterize their properties. It will also implement novel generic algorithms and illustrate the impact of some of their efficient specializations on selected applications in life sciences. Surveying the manifolds of anatomical shapes and forecasting their evolution from databases of medical images is a key problem in computational anatomy requiring dimension reduction in non-linear spaces and Lie groups. By inventing radically new principled estimations methods, we aim at illustrating the power of the methodology and strengthening the ""unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics"" for life sciences."
Max ERC Funding
2 183 584 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-09-01, End date: 2023-08-31
Project acronym GENESIS
Project GEnerating extreme NEutrons for achieving controlled r-process nucleosyntheSIS
Researcher (PI) julien FUCHS
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary The project aim is to perform the first direct measurements of neutron capture and beta-decay rates related to the “r-process” of nucleosynthesis. This process, based on squeezing at once multiple neutrons in a nucleus, is presently thought to be the main mechanism that forms the heaviest elements in our Solar System and in stars.
At present, there are large discrepancies between the observed element abundances in stars and those found from simulations. It is speculated that this problem stems from the uncertainties in nuclear parameters, particularly in the plasma environment. These nuclear parameters have not been experimentally verified due to the too-low flux of current neutron facilities and the lack of means to create on-site hot and dense plasmas.
Lasers are not the first thing that comes to mind as a neutron source, but with the upcoming ultra high-power laser facilities (Apollon in 2018 and ELI-NP in 2019), high-density and high-energy protons can be generated. Through spallation, these can then produce neutrons with the needed flux, a flux comparable to that found in Supernovae. To further emulate the astrophysical scenario, auxiliary lasers can be used to turn the target material into a plasma.
In practice, this project will aim to measure neutron capture and beta-decay rates, as well as yields and abundances of the products of nucleosynthesis obtained by exposing heavy-ion targets to laser-produced extreme neutron fluxes. These targets will be either in a plasma or a solid state. In plasmas, we will investigate the effect of excited nuclear states, created by the plasma photons and electrons, on neutron capture. In solid targets, we will take advantage of the unique possibility of generating on-site unstable nuclei, and then re-expose them to the neutron beam in order to measure double neutron capture.
Summary
The project aim is to perform the first direct measurements of neutron capture and beta-decay rates related to the “r-process” of nucleosynthesis. This process, based on squeezing at once multiple neutrons in a nucleus, is presently thought to be the main mechanism that forms the heaviest elements in our Solar System and in stars.
At present, there are large discrepancies between the observed element abundances in stars and those found from simulations. It is speculated that this problem stems from the uncertainties in nuclear parameters, particularly in the plasma environment. These nuclear parameters have not been experimentally verified due to the too-low flux of current neutron facilities and the lack of means to create on-site hot and dense plasmas.
Lasers are not the first thing that comes to mind as a neutron source, but with the upcoming ultra high-power laser facilities (Apollon in 2018 and ELI-NP in 2019), high-density and high-energy protons can be generated. Through spallation, these can then produce neutrons with the needed flux, a flux comparable to that found in Supernovae. To further emulate the astrophysical scenario, auxiliary lasers can be used to turn the target material into a plasma.
In practice, this project will aim to measure neutron capture and beta-decay rates, as well as yields and abundances of the products of nucleosynthesis obtained by exposing heavy-ion targets to laser-produced extreme neutron fluxes. These targets will be either in a plasma or a solid state. In plasmas, we will investigate the effect of excited nuclear states, created by the plasma photons and electrons, on neutron capture. In solid targets, we will take advantage of the unique possibility of generating on-site unstable nuclei, and then re-expose them to the neutron beam in order to measure double neutron capture.
Max ERC Funding
3 494 784 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31
Project acronym HUMAN TEXTILES
Project Human, Woven, Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessels (TEBV) Exclusively from Cell-Assembled Extracellular Matrix (CAM).
Researcher (PI) Nicolas L'HEUREUX
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE ET DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE8, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary "Synthetic vascular grafts perform very poorly in small diameter applications (coronary/peripheral bypass) and for dialysis access. Better vascular conduits for these applications would be life and limb-saving for a very large patient population. A biological, human, tissue-engineered blood vessel (TEBV) may be such a device. We have developed a method to produce robust sheets of cell-assembled extracellular matrix (CAM) from normal, adult, human fibroblasts in vitro. These have been rolled into TEBV and shown promising clinical results. However, this initial rolling approach is very costly, time consuming and has limited mechanical design potential. Here, we propose a new textile-based assembly method that can lift all these limitations.
Task#1 will aim at processing CAM sheets into various types of yarns (human and large animal) and characterizing composition, organization, and mechanical properties. Task#2 will aim at quantifying the in vivo remodeling of the various yarns in nude rats (human yarn) and in an allogeneic recipient (large animal) as subcutaneous implants. This screening process will identify yarns with the best biological response and mechanical profiles. Task#3 will aim at weaving human and animal, non-living, TEBVs with clinically relevant biological and mechanical properties. Task#4 will evaluate the long-term (1 year) performance of the animal TEBV in an allogeneic setting.
This study will provide:
1) in-depth understanding of the immune reactivity of this CAM, both from the innate and specific immune system.
2) long-term performance data of a woven, CAM-based, TEBV in an allogeneic setting (animal).
3) a human woven TEBV with clinically relevant mechanical properties ready for in vivo testing.
This “next generation” assembly method will reduce TEBV production time/cost 3-fold and represents a more versatile, reliable and highly tunable approach. HUMAN TEXTILES will provide a COMPLETELY NEW TYPE OF SCAFFOLD for engineering a variety of organs."
Summary
"Synthetic vascular grafts perform very poorly in small diameter applications (coronary/peripheral bypass) and for dialysis access. Better vascular conduits for these applications would be life and limb-saving for a very large patient population. A biological, human, tissue-engineered blood vessel (TEBV) may be such a device. We have developed a method to produce robust sheets of cell-assembled extracellular matrix (CAM) from normal, adult, human fibroblasts in vitro. These have been rolled into TEBV and shown promising clinical results. However, this initial rolling approach is very costly, time consuming and has limited mechanical design potential. Here, we propose a new textile-based assembly method that can lift all these limitations.
Task#1 will aim at processing CAM sheets into various types of yarns (human and large animal) and characterizing composition, organization, and mechanical properties. Task#2 will aim at quantifying the in vivo remodeling of the various yarns in nude rats (human yarn) and in an allogeneic recipient (large animal) as subcutaneous implants. This screening process will identify yarns with the best biological response and mechanical profiles. Task#3 will aim at weaving human and animal, non-living, TEBVs with clinically relevant biological and mechanical properties. Task#4 will evaluate the long-term (1 year) performance of the animal TEBV in an allogeneic setting.
This study will provide:
1) in-depth understanding of the immune reactivity of this CAM, both from the innate and specific immune system.
2) long-term performance data of a woven, CAM-based, TEBV in an allogeneic setting (animal).
3) a human woven TEBV with clinically relevant mechanical properties ready for in vivo testing.
This “next generation” assembly method will reduce TEBV production time/cost 3-fold and represents a more versatile, reliable and highly tunable approach. HUMAN TEXTILES will provide a COMPLETELY NEW TYPE OF SCAFFOLD for engineering a variety of organs."
Max ERC Funding
2 491 543 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-11-01, End date: 2023-10-31
Project acronym MOLUSC
Project Molecules under Light-Matter Strong Coupling
Researcher (PI) Thomas EBBESEN
Host Institution (HI) CENTRE INTERNATIONAL DE RECHERCHE AUX FRONTIERES DE LA CHIMIE FONDATION
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE4, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary When molecules or molecular materials are placed in the confined field of an optical mode which is resonant with a molecular transition, new hybrid light-matter states can be formed through strong coupling. This can occur even in the dark due to strong coupling with the vacuum electromagnetic field. The hybrid light-matter states are collective states involving a large number of molecules and they strongly modify the energy levels of the system. While light-matter strong coupling has been extensively studied in optics and quantum physics, the consequences for chemistry and molecular material properties are just beginning to be investigated. The overall aim of this proposal is understand in greater detail the fundamental properties of the hybrid light-matter states and to investigate the implications for the properties of molecules and materials. More specific objectives are:
1) Deepen our understanding of the hybrid light-matter states from a physical chemistry perspective, including the dynamics and the thermodynamics. This is absolutely essential to develop this subject into a useful tool for chemists and materials scientists.
2) Demonstrate that the chemical reactions, including enzymatic ones, in the ground state can be modified by selectively coupling individual vibrational modes involved in the chemistry. This could have consequences for site selective chemistry, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis among others.
3) To further enhance molecular material properties, in particular functional solid state materials such as for organic electronics and photovoltaics. Here the key property is the extended nature of the hybrid light-matter state and the associated change in energy levels which modifies the absorption spectrum.
4) Explore the possibilities of modifying phase transitions of materials under strong coupling and of playing with the quantum features of the hybrid states such as their entanglement to study molecular processes with entangled molecules
Summary
When molecules or molecular materials are placed in the confined field of an optical mode which is resonant with a molecular transition, new hybrid light-matter states can be formed through strong coupling. This can occur even in the dark due to strong coupling with the vacuum electromagnetic field. The hybrid light-matter states are collective states involving a large number of molecules and they strongly modify the energy levels of the system. While light-matter strong coupling has been extensively studied in optics and quantum physics, the consequences for chemistry and molecular material properties are just beginning to be investigated. The overall aim of this proposal is understand in greater detail the fundamental properties of the hybrid light-matter states and to investigate the implications for the properties of molecules and materials. More specific objectives are:
1) Deepen our understanding of the hybrid light-matter states from a physical chemistry perspective, including the dynamics and the thermodynamics. This is absolutely essential to develop this subject into a useful tool for chemists and materials scientists.
2) Demonstrate that the chemical reactions, including enzymatic ones, in the ground state can be modified by selectively coupling individual vibrational modes involved in the chemistry. This could have consequences for site selective chemistry, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis among others.
3) To further enhance molecular material properties, in particular functional solid state materials such as for organic electronics and photovoltaics. Here the key property is the extended nature of the hybrid light-matter state and the associated change in energy levels which modifies the absorption spectrum.
4) Explore the possibilities of modifying phase transitions of materials under strong coupling and of playing with the quantum features of the hybrid states such as their entanglement to study molecular processes with entangled molecules
Max ERC Funding
2 468 750 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-10-01, End date: 2023-09-30
Project acronym NEMO
Project Network Motion
Researcher (PI) FRANCOIS BACCELLI
Host Institution (HI) INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE ENINFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE7, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary NEMO, NEtwork MOtion, is an inter-disciplinary proposal centered on network dynamics. The inter-disciplinarity spans from communication engineering to mathematics, with an innovative interplay between the two.
NEMO’s focus is on stochastic geometry. This emerges as one of the most important new conceptual and operational tools of the last 10 years in wireless networking, with a major academic and industrial impact on architecture, protocol design, planning and economic analysis.
Nevertheless, the state of the art is unable to cope with the dynamics introduced in recent and future network functionalities. NEMO’s aim is to introduce dynamics in wireless stochastic geometry. The dynamic versions of stochastic geometry to be developed will capture these new functionalities and specifically tackle two core promises and challenges of the future of wireless networking: that of ultra-low latency networking, required for enabling the unfolding of future real time interactions, and that of draining to the Internet the unprecedented amount and structure of data stemming from
the Internet of Things.
Several fundamental types of random network dynamics underpinning these functionalities are identified. General mathematical tools combining stochastic geometry, random graph theory, and the theory of dynamical systems will be developed to analyze them. This will provide parametric models mastering the complexity of such networks, which will be instrumental in addressing the above challenges. The aim is to have, through these dynamical versions, the same academic and industrial impact on wireless networks as static stochastic geometry has today.
NEMO will leverage structural interactions of INRIA with Ecole Normale Supérieure on the mathematical side, and with Nokia Bell Labs and Orange on the engineering side. This will create in Europe a group focused on this mathematics-communication engineering interface, and to become the top innovation group of the field worldwide.
Summary
NEMO, NEtwork MOtion, is an inter-disciplinary proposal centered on network dynamics. The inter-disciplinarity spans from communication engineering to mathematics, with an innovative interplay between the two.
NEMO’s focus is on stochastic geometry. This emerges as one of the most important new conceptual and operational tools of the last 10 years in wireless networking, with a major academic and industrial impact on architecture, protocol design, planning and economic analysis.
Nevertheless, the state of the art is unable to cope with the dynamics introduced in recent and future network functionalities. NEMO’s aim is to introduce dynamics in wireless stochastic geometry. The dynamic versions of stochastic geometry to be developed will capture these new functionalities and specifically tackle two core promises and challenges of the future of wireless networking: that of ultra-low latency networking, required for enabling the unfolding of future real time interactions, and that of draining to the Internet the unprecedented amount and structure of data stemming from
the Internet of Things.
Several fundamental types of random network dynamics underpinning these functionalities are identified. General mathematical tools combining stochastic geometry, random graph theory, and the theory of dynamical systems will be developed to analyze them. This will provide parametric models mastering the complexity of such networks, which will be instrumental in addressing the above challenges. The aim is to have, through these dynamical versions, the same academic and industrial impact on wireless networks as static stochastic geometry has today.
NEMO will leverage structural interactions of INRIA with Ecole Normale Supérieure on the mathematical side, and with Nokia Bell Labs and Orange on the engineering side. This will create in Europe a group focused on this mathematics-communication engineering interface, and to become the top innovation group of the field worldwide.
Max ERC Funding
2 498 529 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-01-01, End date: 2023-12-31
