Project acronym ANYONIC
Project Statistics of Exotic Fractional Hall States
Researcher (PI) Mordehai HEIBLUM
Host Institution (HI) WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE3, ERC-2018-ADG
Summary Since their discovery, Quantum Hall Effects have unfolded intriguing avenues of research, exhibiting a multitude of unexpected exotic states: accurate quantized conductance states; particle-like and hole-conjugate fractional states; counter-propagating charge and neutral edge modes; and fractionally charged quasiparticles - abelian and (predicted) non-abelian. Since the sought-after anyonic statistics of fractional states is yet to be verified, I propose to launch a thorough search for it employing new means. I believe that our studies will serve the expanding field of the emerging family of topological materials.
Our on-going attempts to observe quasiparticles (qp’s) interference, in order to uncover their exchange statistics (under ERC), taught us that spontaneous, non-topological, ‘neutral edge modes’ are the main culprit responsible for qp’s dephasing. In an effort to quench the neutral modes, we plan to develop a new class of micro-size interferometers, based on synthetically engineered fractional modes. Flowing away from the fixed physical edge, their local environment can be controlled, making it less hospitable for the neutral modes.
Having at hand our synthetized helical-type fractional modes, it is highly tempting to employ them to form localize para-fermions, which will extend the family of exotic states. This can be done by proximitizing them to a superconductor, or gapping them via inter-mode coupling.
The less familiar thermal conductance measurements, which we recently developed (under ERC), will be applied throughout our work to identify ‘topological orders’ of exotic states; namely, distinguishing between abelian and non-abelian fractional states.
The proposal is based on an intensive and continuous MBE effort, aimed at developing extremely high purity, GaAs based, structures. Among them, structures that support our new synthetic modes that are amenable to manipulation, and others that host rare exotic states, such as v=5/2, 12/5, 19/8, and 35/16.
Summary
Since their discovery, Quantum Hall Effects have unfolded intriguing avenues of research, exhibiting a multitude of unexpected exotic states: accurate quantized conductance states; particle-like and hole-conjugate fractional states; counter-propagating charge and neutral edge modes; and fractionally charged quasiparticles - abelian and (predicted) non-abelian. Since the sought-after anyonic statistics of fractional states is yet to be verified, I propose to launch a thorough search for it employing new means. I believe that our studies will serve the expanding field of the emerging family of topological materials.
Our on-going attempts to observe quasiparticles (qp’s) interference, in order to uncover their exchange statistics (under ERC), taught us that spontaneous, non-topological, ‘neutral edge modes’ are the main culprit responsible for qp’s dephasing. In an effort to quench the neutral modes, we plan to develop a new class of micro-size interferometers, based on synthetically engineered fractional modes. Flowing away from the fixed physical edge, their local environment can be controlled, making it less hospitable for the neutral modes.
Having at hand our synthetized helical-type fractional modes, it is highly tempting to employ them to form localize para-fermions, which will extend the family of exotic states. This can be done by proximitizing them to a superconductor, or gapping them via inter-mode coupling.
The less familiar thermal conductance measurements, which we recently developed (under ERC), will be applied throughout our work to identify ‘topological orders’ of exotic states; namely, distinguishing between abelian and non-abelian fractional states.
The proposal is based on an intensive and continuous MBE effort, aimed at developing extremely high purity, GaAs based, structures. Among them, structures that support our new synthetic modes that are amenable to manipulation, and others that host rare exotic states, such as v=5/2, 12/5, 19/8, and 35/16.
Max ERC Funding
1 801 094 €
Duration
Start date: 2019-05-01, End date: 2024-04-30
Project acronym ARITHQUANTUMCHAOS
Project Arithmetic and Quantum Chaos
Researcher (PI) Zeev Rudnick
Host Institution (HI) TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE1, ERC-2012-ADG_20120216
Summary Quantum Chaos is an emerging discipline which is crossing over from Physics into Pure Mathematics. The recent crossover is driven in part by a connection with Number Theory. This project explores several aspects of this interrelationship and is composed of a number of sub-projects. The sub-projects deal with: statistics of energy levels and wave functions of pseudo-integrable systems, a hitherto unexplored subject in the mathematical community which is not well understood in the physics community; with statistics of zeros of zeta functions over function fields, a purely number theoretic topic which is linked to the subproject on Quantum Chaos through the mysterious connections to Random Matrix Theory and an analogy between energy levels and zeta zeros; and with spatial statistics in arithmetic.
Summary
Quantum Chaos is an emerging discipline which is crossing over from Physics into Pure Mathematics. The recent crossover is driven in part by a connection with Number Theory. This project explores several aspects of this interrelationship and is composed of a number of sub-projects. The sub-projects deal with: statistics of energy levels and wave functions of pseudo-integrable systems, a hitherto unexplored subject in the mathematical community which is not well understood in the physics community; with statistics of zeros of zeta functions over function fields, a purely number theoretic topic which is linked to the subproject on Quantum Chaos through the mysterious connections to Random Matrix Theory and an analogy between energy levels and zeta zeros; and with spatial statistics in arithmetic.
Max ERC Funding
1 714 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-02-01, End date: 2019-01-31
Project acronym BACNK
Project Recognition of bacteria by NK cells
Researcher (PI) Ofer Mandelboim
Host Institution (HI) THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), LS6, ERC-2012-ADG_20120314
Summary NK cells that are well known by their ability to recognize and eliminate virus infected and tumor cells were also implicated in the defence against bacteria. However, the recognition of bacteria by NK cells is only poorly understood. we do not know how bacteria are recognized and the functional consequences of such recognition are also weakly understood. In the current proposal we aimed at determining the “NK cell receptor-bacterial interactome”. We will examine the hypothesis that NK inhibitory and activating receptors are directly involved in bacterial recognition. This ground breaking hypothesis is based on our preliminary results in which we show that several NK cell receptors directly recognize various bacterial strains as well as on a few other publications. We will generate various mice knockouts for NCR1 (a major NK killer receptor) and determine their microbiota to understand the physiological function of NCR1 and whether certain bacterial strains affects its activity. We will use different human and mouse NK killer and inhibitory receptors fused to IgG1 to pull-down bacteria from saliva and fecal samples and then use 16S rRNA analysis and next generation sequencing to determine the nature of the bacteria species isolated. We will identify the bacterial ligands that are recognized by the relevant NK cell receptors, using bacterial random transposon insertion mutagenesis approach. We will end this research with functional assays. In the wake of the emerging threat of bacterial drug resistance and the involvement of bacteria in the pathogenesis of many different chronic diseases and in shaping the immune response, the completion of this study will open a new field of research; the direct recognition of bacteria by NK cell receptors.
Summary
NK cells that are well known by their ability to recognize and eliminate virus infected and tumor cells were also implicated in the defence against bacteria. However, the recognition of bacteria by NK cells is only poorly understood. we do not know how bacteria are recognized and the functional consequences of such recognition are also weakly understood. In the current proposal we aimed at determining the “NK cell receptor-bacterial interactome”. We will examine the hypothesis that NK inhibitory and activating receptors are directly involved in bacterial recognition. This ground breaking hypothesis is based on our preliminary results in which we show that several NK cell receptors directly recognize various bacterial strains as well as on a few other publications. We will generate various mice knockouts for NCR1 (a major NK killer receptor) and determine their microbiota to understand the physiological function of NCR1 and whether certain bacterial strains affects its activity. We will use different human and mouse NK killer and inhibitory receptors fused to IgG1 to pull-down bacteria from saliva and fecal samples and then use 16S rRNA analysis and next generation sequencing to determine the nature of the bacteria species isolated. We will identify the bacterial ligands that are recognized by the relevant NK cell receptors, using bacterial random transposon insertion mutagenesis approach. We will end this research with functional assays. In the wake of the emerging threat of bacterial drug resistance and the involvement of bacteria in the pathogenesis of many different chronic diseases and in shaping the immune response, the completion of this study will open a new field of research; the direct recognition of bacteria by NK cell receptors.
Max ERC Funding
2 499 800 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-03-01, End date: 2018-02-28
Project acronym BACTERIAL RESPONSE
Project New Concepts in Bacterial Response to their Surroundings
Researcher (PI) Sigal Ben-Yehuda
Host Institution (HI) THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), LS6, ERC-2013-ADG
Summary Bacteria in nature exhibit remarkable capacity to sense their surroundings and rapidly adapt to diverse conditions by gaining new beneficial traits. This extraordinary feature facilitates their survival when facing extreme environments. Utilizing Bacillus subtilis as our primary model organism, we propose to study two facets of this vital bacterial attribute: communication via extracellular nanotubes, and persistence as resilient spores while maintaining the potential to revive. Exploring these fascinating aspects of bacterial physiology is likely to change our view as to how bacteria sense, respond, endure and communicate with their extracellular environment.
We have recently discovered a previously uncharacterized mode of bacterial communication, mediated by tubular extensions (nanotubes) that bridge neighboring cells, providing a route for exchange of intracellular molecules. Nanotube-mediated molecular sharing may represent a key form of bacterial communication in nature, allowing for the emergence of new phenotypes and increasing survival in fluctuating environments. Here we propose to develop strategies for observing nanotube formation and molecular exchange in living bacterial cells, and to characterize the molecular composition of nanotubes. We will explore the premise that nanotubes serve as a strategy to expand the cell surface, and will determine whether nanotubes provide a conduit for phage infection and spreading. Furthermore, the formation and functionality of interspecies nanotubes will be explored. An additional mode employed by bacteria to achieve extreme robustness is the ability to reside as long lasting spores. Previously held views considered the spore to be dormant and metabolically inert. However, we have recently shown that at least one week following spore formation, during an adaptive period, the spore senses and responds to environmental cues and undergoes corresponding molecular changes, influencing subsequent emergence from quiescence.
Summary
Bacteria in nature exhibit remarkable capacity to sense their surroundings and rapidly adapt to diverse conditions by gaining new beneficial traits. This extraordinary feature facilitates their survival when facing extreme environments. Utilizing Bacillus subtilis as our primary model organism, we propose to study two facets of this vital bacterial attribute: communication via extracellular nanotubes, and persistence as resilient spores while maintaining the potential to revive. Exploring these fascinating aspects of bacterial physiology is likely to change our view as to how bacteria sense, respond, endure and communicate with their extracellular environment.
We have recently discovered a previously uncharacterized mode of bacterial communication, mediated by tubular extensions (nanotubes) that bridge neighboring cells, providing a route for exchange of intracellular molecules. Nanotube-mediated molecular sharing may represent a key form of bacterial communication in nature, allowing for the emergence of new phenotypes and increasing survival in fluctuating environments. Here we propose to develop strategies for observing nanotube formation and molecular exchange in living bacterial cells, and to characterize the molecular composition of nanotubes. We will explore the premise that nanotubes serve as a strategy to expand the cell surface, and will determine whether nanotubes provide a conduit for phage infection and spreading. Furthermore, the formation and functionality of interspecies nanotubes will be explored. An additional mode employed by bacteria to achieve extreme robustness is the ability to reside as long lasting spores. Previously held views considered the spore to be dormant and metabolically inert. However, we have recently shown that at least one week following spore formation, during an adaptive period, the spore senses and responds to environmental cues and undergoes corresponding molecular changes, influencing subsequent emergence from quiescence.
Max ERC Funding
1 497 800 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-04-01, End date: 2019-03-31
Project acronym BEAMING
Project Detecting massive-planet/brown-dwarf/low-mass-stellar companions with the beaming effect
Researcher (PI) Moshe Zvi Mazeh
Host Institution (HI) TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE9, ERC-2011-ADG_20110209
Summary "I propose to lead an international observational effort to characterize the population of massive planets, brown dwarf and stellar secondaries orbiting their parent stars with short periods, up to 10-30 days. The effort will utilize the superb, accurate, continuous lightcurves of more than hundred thousand stars obtained recently by two space missions – CoRoT and Kepler. I propose to use these lightcurves to detect non-transiting low-mass companions with a new algorithm, BEER, which I developed recently together with Simchon Faigler. BEER searches for the beaming effect, which causes the stellar intensity to increase if the star is moving towards the observer. The combination of the beaming effect with other modulations induced by a low-mass companion produces periodic modulation with a specific signature, which is used to detect small non-transiting companions. The accuracy of the space mission lightcurves is enough to detect massive planets with short periods. The proposed project is equivalent to a radial-velocity survey of tens of thousands of stars, instead of the presently active surveys which observe only hundreds of stars.
We will use an assortment of telescopes to perform radial velocity follow-up observations in order to confirm the existence of the detected companions, and to derive their masses and orbital eccentricities. We will discover many tens, if not hundreds, of new massive planets and brown dwarfs with short periods, and many thousands of new binaries. The findings will enable us to map the mass, period, and eccentricity distributions of planets and stellar companions, determine the upper mass of planets, understand the nature of the brown-dwarf desert, and put strong constrains on the theory of planet and binary formation and evolution."
Summary
"I propose to lead an international observational effort to characterize the population of massive planets, brown dwarf and stellar secondaries orbiting their parent stars with short periods, up to 10-30 days. The effort will utilize the superb, accurate, continuous lightcurves of more than hundred thousand stars obtained recently by two space missions – CoRoT and Kepler. I propose to use these lightcurves to detect non-transiting low-mass companions with a new algorithm, BEER, which I developed recently together with Simchon Faigler. BEER searches for the beaming effect, which causes the stellar intensity to increase if the star is moving towards the observer. The combination of the beaming effect with other modulations induced by a low-mass companion produces periodic modulation with a specific signature, which is used to detect small non-transiting companions. The accuracy of the space mission lightcurves is enough to detect massive planets with short periods. The proposed project is equivalent to a radial-velocity survey of tens of thousands of stars, instead of the presently active surveys which observe only hundreds of stars.
We will use an assortment of telescopes to perform radial velocity follow-up observations in order to confirm the existence of the detected companions, and to derive their masses and orbital eccentricities. We will discover many tens, if not hundreds, of new massive planets and brown dwarfs with short periods, and many thousands of new binaries. The findings will enable us to map the mass, period, and eccentricity distributions of planets and stellar companions, determine the upper mass of planets, understand the nature of the brown-dwarf desert, and put strong constrains on the theory of planet and binary formation and evolution."
Max ERC Funding
1 737 600 €
Duration
Start date: 2012-01-01, End date: 2016-12-31
Project acronym BioMet
Project Selective Functionalization of Saturated Hydrocarbons
Researcher (PI) Ilan MAREK
Host Institution (HI) TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE5, ERC-2017-ADG
Summary Despite that C–H functionalization represents a paradigm shift from the standard logic of organic synthesis, the selective activation of non-functionalized alkanes has puzzled chemists for centuries and is always referred to one of the remaining major challenges in chemical sciences. Alkanes are inert compounds representing the major constituents of natural gas and petroleum. Converting these cheap and widely available hydrocarbon feedstocks into added-value intermediates would tremendously affect the field of chemistry. For long saturated hydrocarbons, one must distinguish between non-equivalent but chemically very similar alkane substrate C−H bonds, and for functionalization at the terminus position, one must favor activation of the stronger, primary C−H bonds at the expense of weaker and numerous secondary C-H bonds. The goal of this work is to develop a general principle in organic synthesis for the preparation of a wide variety of more complex molecular architectures from saturated hydrocarbons. In our approach, the alkane will first be transformed into an alkene that will subsequently be engaged in a metal-catalyzed hydrometalation/migration sequence. The first step of the sequence, ideally represented by the removal of two hydrogen atoms, will be performed by the use of a mutated strain of Rhodococcus. The position and geometry of the formed double bond has no effect on the second step of the reaction as the metal-catalyzed hydrometalation/migration will isomerize the double bond along the carbon skeleton to selectively produce the primary organometallic species. Trapping the resulting organometallic derivatives with a large variety of electrophiles will provide the desired functionalized alkane. This work will lead to the invention of new, selective and efficient processes for the utilization of simple hydrocarbons and valorize the synthetic potential of raw hydrocarbon feedstock for the environmentally benign production of new compounds and new materials.
Summary
Despite that C–H functionalization represents a paradigm shift from the standard logic of organic synthesis, the selective activation of non-functionalized alkanes has puzzled chemists for centuries and is always referred to one of the remaining major challenges in chemical sciences. Alkanes are inert compounds representing the major constituents of natural gas and petroleum. Converting these cheap and widely available hydrocarbon feedstocks into added-value intermediates would tremendously affect the field of chemistry. For long saturated hydrocarbons, one must distinguish between non-equivalent but chemically very similar alkane substrate C−H bonds, and for functionalization at the terminus position, one must favor activation of the stronger, primary C−H bonds at the expense of weaker and numerous secondary C-H bonds. The goal of this work is to develop a general principle in organic synthesis for the preparation of a wide variety of more complex molecular architectures from saturated hydrocarbons. In our approach, the alkane will first be transformed into an alkene that will subsequently be engaged in a metal-catalyzed hydrometalation/migration sequence. The first step of the sequence, ideally represented by the removal of two hydrogen atoms, will be performed by the use of a mutated strain of Rhodococcus. The position and geometry of the formed double bond has no effect on the second step of the reaction as the metal-catalyzed hydrometalation/migration will isomerize the double bond along the carbon skeleton to selectively produce the primary organometallic species. Trapping the resulting organometallic derivatives with a large variety of electrophiles will provide the desired functionalized alkane. This work will lead to the invention of new, selective and efficient processes for the utilization of simple hydrocarbons and valorize the synthetic potential of raw hydrocarbon feedstock for the environmentally benign production of new compounds and new materials.
Max ERC Funding
2 499 375 €
Duration
Start date: 2018-11-01, End date: 2023-10-31
Project acronym CAP
Project Computers Arguing with People
Researcher (PI) Sarit Kraus
Host Institution (HI) BAR ILAN UNIVERSITY
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE6, ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
Summary An important form of negotiation is argumentation. This is the ability to argue and to persuade the other party to accept a desired agreement, to acquire or give information, to coordinate goals and actions, and to find and verify evidence. This is a key capability in negotiating with humans.
While automated negotiations between software agents can often exchange offers and counteroffers, humans require persuasion. This challenges the design of agents arguing with people, with the objective that the outcome of the negotiation will meet the preferences of the arguer agent.
CAP’s objective is to enable automated agents to argue and persuade humans.
To achieve this, we intend to develop the following key components:
1) The extension of current game theory models of persuasion and bargaining to more realistic settings, 2) Algorithms and heuristics for generation and evaluation of arguments during negotiation with people, 3) Algorithms and heuristics for managing inconsistent views of the negotiation environment, and decision procedures for revelation, signalling, and requesting information, 4) The revision and update of the agent’s mental state and incorporation of social context, 5) Identifying strategies for expressing emotions in negotiations, 6) Technology for general opponent modelling from sparse and noisy data.
To demonstrate the developed methods, we will implement two training systems for people to improve their interviewing capabilities, and for training negotiators in inter-culture negotiations.
CAP will revolutionise the state of the art of automated systems negotiating with people. It will also create breakthroughs in the research of multi-agent systems in general, and will change paradigms by providing new directions for the way computers interact with people.
Summary
An important form of negotiation is argumentation. This is the ability to argue and to persuade the other party to accept a desired agreement, to acquire or give information, to coordinate goals and actions, and to find and verify evidence. This is a key capability in negotiating with humans.
While automated negotiations between software agents can often exchange offers and counteroffers, humans require persuasion. This challenges the design of agents arguing with people, with the objective that the outcome of the negotiation will meet the preferences of the arguer agent.
CAP’s objective is to enable automated agents to argue and persuade humans.
To achieve this, we intend to develop the following key components:
1) The extension of current game theory models of persuasion and bargaining to more realistic settings, 2) Algorithms and heuristics for generation and evaluation of arguments during negotiation with people, 3) Algorithms and heuristics for managing inconsistent views of the negotiation environment, and decision procedures for revelation, signalling, and requesting information, 4) The revision and update of the agent’s mental state and incorporation of social context, 5) Identifying strategies for expressing emotions in negotiations, 6) Technology for general opponent modelling from sparse and noisy data.
To demonstrate the developed methods, we will implement two training systems for people to improve their interviewing capabilities, and for training negotiators in inter-culture negotiations.
CAP will revolutionise the state of the art of automated systems negotiating with people. It will also create breakthroughs in the research of multi-agent systems in general, and will change paradigms by providing new directions for the way computers interact with people.
Max ERC Funding
2 334 057 €
Duration
Start date: 2011-07-01, End date: 2016-06-30
Project acronym CartiLube
Project Lubricating Cartilage: exploring the relation between lubrication and gene-regulation to alleviate osteoarthritis
Researcher (PI) Jacob KLEIN
Host Institution (HI) WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE4, ERC-2016-ADG
Summary Can we exploit insights from the remarkably lubricated surfaces of articular cartilage, to create lubricants that may alleviate osteoarthritis (OA), the most widespread joint disease, affecting millions? These, succinctly, are the challenges of the present proposal. They are driven by our recent finding that lubrication of destabilised joints leads to changes in gene-regulation of the cartilage-embedded chondrocytes to protect against development of the disease. OA alleviation is known to arise through orthopedically suppressing shear-stresses on the cartilage, and a central premise of this project is that, by reducing friction at the articulating cartilage through suitable lubrication, we may achieve the same beneficial effect on the disease. The objectives of this project are to better understand the origins of cartilage boundary lubrication through examination of friction-reduction by its main molecular components, and exploit that understanding to create lubricants that, on intra-articular injection, will lubricate cartilage sufficiently well to achieve alleviation of OA via gene regulation. The project will examine, via both nanotribometric and macroscopic measurements, how the main molecular species implicated in cartilage lubrication, lipids, hyaluronan and lubricin, and their combinations, act together to form optimally lubricating boundary layers on model surfaces as well as on excised cartilage. Based on this, we shall develop suitable materials to lubricate cartilage in joints, using mouse models. Lubricants will further be optimized with respect to their retention in the joint and cartilage targeting, both in model studies and in vivo. The effect of the lubricants in regulating gene expression, in reducing pain and cartilage degradation, and in promoting stem-cell adhesion to the cartilage will be studied in a mouse model in which OA has been induced. Our results will have implications for treatment of a common, debilitating disease.
Summary
Can we exploit insights from the remarkably lubricated surfaces of articular cartilage, to create lubricants that may alleviate osteoarthritis (OA), the most widespread joint disease, affecting millions? These, succinctly, are the challenges of the present proposal. They are driven by our recent finding that lubrication of destabilised joints leads to changes in gene-regulation of the cartilage-embedded chondrocytes to protect against development of the disease. OA alleviation is known to arise through orthopedically suppressing shear-stresses on the cartilage, and a central premise of this project is that, by reducing friction at the articulating cartilage through suitable lubrication, we may achieve the same beneficial effect on the disease. The objectives of this project are to better understand the origins of cartilage boundary lubrication through examination of friction-reduction by its main molecular components, and exploit that understanding to create lubricants that, on intra-articular injection, will lubricate cartilage sufficiently well to achieve alleviation of OA via gene regulation. The project will examine, via both nanotribometric and macroscopic measurements, how the main molecular species implicated in cartilage lubrication, lipids, hyaluronan and lubricin, and their combinations, act together to form optimally lubricating boundary layers on model surfaces as well as on excised cartilage. Based on this, we shall develop suitable materials to lubricate cartilage in joints, using mouse models. Lubricants will further be optimized with respect to their retention in the joint and cartilage targeting, both in model studies and in vivo. The effect of the lubricants in regulating gene expression, in reducing pain and cartilage degradation, and in promoting stem-cell adhesion to the cartilage will be studied in a mouse model in which OA has been induced. Our results will have implications for treatment of a common, debilitating disease.
Max ERC Funding
2 499 944 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-09-01, End date: 2022-08-31
Project acronym CISS
Project Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity
Researcher (PI) Ron Naaman
Host Institution (HI) WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE4, ERC-2013-ADG
Summary The overall objective is to fully understand the Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) effect, which was discovered recently. It was found that the transmission or conduction of electrons through chiral molecules is spin dependent. The CISS effect is a change in the pradigm that assumed that any spin manipulation requiers magnetic materials or materials with high spin-orbit coupling. These unexpected new findings open new possibilities for applying chiral molecules in spintronics applications and may provide new insights on electron transfer processes in Biology.
The specific goals of the proposed research are
(i) To establish the parameters that affect the magnitude of the CISS effect.
(ii) To demonstrate spintronics devices (memory and transistors) that are based on the CISS effect.
(iii) To investigate the role of CISS in electron transfer in biology related systems.
The experiments will be performed applying a combination of experimental methods including photoelectron spectroscopy, single molecule conduction, light-induced electron transfer, and spin specific conduction through magneto-electric devices.
The project has a potential to have very large impact on various fields from Physics to Biology. It will result in the establishment of chiral organic molecules as a new substrate for wide range of spintronics related applications including magnetic memory, and in determining whether spins play a role in electron transfer processes in biology.
Summary
The overall objective is to fully understand the Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) effect, which was discovered recently. It was found that the transmission or conduction of electrons through chiral molecules is spin dependent. The CISS effect is a change in the pradigm that assumed that any spin manipulation requiers magnetic materials or materials with high spin-orbit coupling. These unexpected new findings open new possibilities for applying chiral molecules in spintronics applications and may provide new insights on electron transfer processes in Biology.
The specific goals of the proposed research are
(i) To establish the parameters that affect the magnitude of the CISS effect.
(ii) To demonstrate spintronics devices (memory and transistors) that are based on the CISS effect.
(iii) To investigate the role of CISS in electron transfer in biology related systems.
The experiments will be performed applying a combination of experimental methods including photoelectron spectroscopy, single molecule conduction, light-induced electron transfer, and spin specific conduction through magneto-electric devices.
The project has a potential to have very large impact on various fields from Physics to Biology. It will result in the establishment of chiral organic molecules as a new substrate for wide range of spintronics related applications including magnetic memory, and in determining whether spins play a role in electron transfer processes in biology.
Max ERC Funding
2 499 998 €
Duration
Start date: 2013-10-01, End date: 2018-09-30
Project acronym CloudRadioNet
Project Cloud Wireless Networks: An Information Theoretic Framework
Researcher (PI) Shlomo Shamai Shitz
Host Institution (HI) TECHNION - ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE7, ERC-2015-AdG
Summary This five years research proposal is focused on the development of novel information theoretic concepts and techniques and their usage, as to identify the ultimate communications limits and potential of different cloud radio network structures, in which the central signal processing is migrated to the cloud (remote central units), via fronthaul/backhaul infrastructure links. Moreover, it is also directed to introduce and study the optimal or close to optimal strategies for those systems that are to be motivated by the developed theory. We plan to address wireless networks, having future cellular technology in mind, but the basic tools and approaches to be built and researched are relevant to other communication networks as well. Cloud communication networks motivate novel information theoretic views, and perspectives that put backhaul/fronthaul connections in the center, thus deviating considerably from standard theoretical studies of communications links and networks, which are applied to this domain. Our approach accounts for the fact that in such networks information theoretic separation concepts are no longer optimal, hence isolating simple basic components of the network is essentially suboptimal. The proposed view incorporates, in a unified way, under the general cover of information theory: Multi-terminal distributed networks; Basic and timely concepts of distributed coding and communications; Network communications and primarily network coding, Index coding, as associated with interference alignment and caching; Information-Estimation relations and signal processing, addressing the impact of distributed channel state information directly; A variety of fundamental concepts in optimization and random matrix theories. This path provides a natural theoretical framework directed towards better understanding the potential and limitation of cloud networks on one hand and paves the way to innovative communications design principles on the other.
Summary
This five years research proposal is focused on the development of novel information theoretic concepts and techniques and their usage, as to identify the ultimate communications limits and potential of different cloud radio network structures, in which the central signal processing is migrated to the cloud (remote central units), via fronthaul/backhaul infrastructure links. Moreover, it is also directed to introduce and study the optimal or close to optimal strategies for those systems that are to be motivated by the developed theory. We plan to address wireless networks, having future cellular technology in mind, but the basic tools and approaches to be built and researched are relevant to other communication networks as well. Cloud communication networks motivate novel information theoretic views, and perspectives that put backhaul/fronthaul connections in the center, thus deviating considerably from standard theoretical studies of communications links and networks, which are applied to this domain. Our approach accounts for the fact that in such networks information theoretic separation concepts are no longer optimal, hence isolating simple basic components of the network is essentially suboptimal. The proposed view incorporates, in a unified way, under the general cover of information theory: Multi-terminal distributed networks; Basic and timely concepts of distributed coding and communications; Network communications and primarily network coding, Index coding, as associated with interference alignment and caching; Information-Estimation relations and signal processing, addressing the impact of distributed channel state information directly; A variety of fundamental concepts in optimization and random matrix theories. This path provides a natural theoretical framework directed towards better understanding the potential and limitation of cloud networks on one hand and paves the way to innovative communications design principles on the other.
Max ERC Funding
1 981 782 €
Duration
Start date: 2016-07-01, End date: 2021-06-30
