Data-Gouv-ML/pcri-erc-participations-et-projets-laureats huggingface dataset:
Projet ERC : Free-Kagome (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed Matter Physics
Entité participante : Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Société Max Planck
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1500000.0 €

Electron correlations significantly modify electron self-organization in quantum materials, resulting in a landscape of competing orders and exotic quantum phenomena. The recently discovered AV3Sb5 family Kagome superconductors is an intriguing example of competing correlated orders with robust entanglement, as manipulating one order can affect or modify another, akin to the unique electromagnetic responses of multi-ferroics. These strongly entangled orders have led to an exciting hypothesis of orbital loop current, a prime example of correlation-driven electronic instabilities. Nevertheless, it renders the inherent characteristics practically inaccessible through conventional means, as even slight variations in experimental conditions can significantly affect their physical properties. Our research plan is to examine the novel electronic response of the hypothesized orbital loop current in AV3Sb5. We will research the intrinsic dynamics of orbital phases and their unique electronic response via 1) atomically engineering the Kagome nets with the comprehensive material database serves as the Kagome toolbox, 2) heat/electric quenching of charge order for effectively tuning the interlayer coupling in a Kagome glass state, 3) spatial control of chiral domains with optical polarization, representing three unambiguous routes for revealing the intrinsic electronic orders in AV3Sb5.  These goals are ambitious yet entirely realizable: Free-Kagome’s research approach is based on a unique force-free setup that features controllable mechanical and thermal coupling between the focused-ion-beam (FIB) fabricated microstructure and its supporting frame based on the extremely soft membrane springs with designed geometry.
Projet ERC : APEX (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Universe Sciences
Entité participante : Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Société Max Planck
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1582491.0 €

The first stars must have started the generation of heavy elements and the formation of the first galaxies in the earliest phases of the Universe. At the same epoch, the seeds of the supermassive black holes which are detected in the centres of all nearby massive galaxies, including our own Milky Way, must have formed. While theoretically predicted, the detection of these first stars and seed black holes is an outstanding observational challenge in modern astronomy. With the proposed APEX project, I will capitalise on two game-changing capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to deliver upon this challenge: (i) the coverage of previously inaccessible wavelengths, and (ii) the power to spectrally and spatially resolve early galaxies and, crucially, their surroundings with the integral-field unit spectrograph NIRSpec. This is decisive to single out the locations of the first stars and black holes through their distinct spectral signatures. With guaranteed JWST observations and the largest approved open-time programme to map galaxy spectra during the first billion years of cosmic time, the APEX team will: 1) search for and characterise the very first stars (Population III) that illuminate the Universe; 2) identify early black holes and measure the masses of active galactic nuclei to constrain supermassive black hole growth; 3) derive the physical properties of the earliest galaxies and study the role of the first stars and black holes in their evolution; 4) accurately compare our data to simulations to significantly improve models of the early Universe. Building on these novel and cutting-edge data and my extensive expertise in integral-field observations, the APEX project comes at the right time to enable a major leap forward in our understanding of the early Universe.

Mots-clés : galaxy formation,galaxy evolution,active galactic nuclei,interstellar medium,galaxy kinematics
Projet ERC : AlphaVar (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Fundamental Constituents of Matter
Entité participante : Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Société Max Planck
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2499833.0 €

Spectroscopy has been a central tool in modern physics: it has helped us understand atomic structure, the expansion of the universe and the composition of exoplanet atmospheres. Today, high-precision spectroscopy is one of the most promising tools for investigating some of the most fundamental open questions: many theories beyond the standard model of particle physics can be tested by detecting tiny changes in atomic transition frequencies caused by the interaction with new particles, new forces or the variation of fundamental constants. An especially attractive target is the search for temporal or spatial variations of the fine-structure constant, which is predicted by several different theories. Highly-charged ions (HCIs) are especially well suited for this search, as they have transitions that are over an order of magnitude more sensitive to the fine structure constant than most other atomic systems. The precision necessary for these measurements will soon be within reach, thanks to recent demonstrations of sympathetic cooling and quantum-logic spectroscopy of HCIs. I propose an experiment that simultaneously probes two of the most sensitive transitions in HCIs using quantum logic spectroscopy and directly compares their transition frequencies. This method doubles the advantage of their enhanced sensitivities and reduces systematic effects introduced by an indirect comparison via the SI second standard. Together, these gains will allow an improvement of over two orders of magnitude on current bounds on the temporal variation of the fine-structure constant. I will also take advantage of the exotic nature of these extreme atoms to test further theories of fundamental physics. In particular, I plan to exploit their enhanced Rutherford scattering cross section to determine an improved limit on the number density of proposed millicharged dark matter particles. This data will help narrow down the most viable theories for physics beyond the standard model.

Mots-clés : precision measurements,tests of fundamental physics,highly charged ions,quantum logic spectroscopy
Projet ERC : Organelloids (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Life Science
Panel : Molecules of Life: B iological  Mechanisms , Structures  and Functions
Entité participante : Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Société Max Planck
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499974.0 €

Shape and function of the vertebrate nucleus depend on the choreographed interplay between lipids, proteins, and DNA to form the nuclear envelope. Even small molecular changes, such as point mutations in the proteins of the nuclear envelope (the lamina) cause detrimental human diseases including premature aging, cancer, and heart disease. To date, a clear, mechanistically compelling explanation for the dynamic coupling of lipids, proteins, and DNA to safeguard nuclear shape and function is still missing. We here propose to build minimal, synthetic nuclei (‘Organelloids’) bottom-up as a tool to study the self-assembly of a functional nucleus. We recently discovered the conserved molecular machinery that ensures the assembly of the nuclear envelope in open vertebrate mitosis. Our data point to uncharacterized fundamental mechanisms that couple the fusion of lipid-membrane sheets into a continues nuclear membrane to the formation of the lamina, and the organization of chromatin in the same chain of events.  In this proposal, we will leverage our recent advances in reconstitution to build ‘Organelloids’ to recapitulate shape and function of the membrane-lamina-chromatin confluence. Using these nuclear Organelloids we will resolve the nuclear assembly process in high resolution by applying integrated structural biology and determine the unknown biophysical principles that drive the self-organization of individual molecules into one functional organelle. Our strategy will reveal the unknown hierarchical relationship between lipids, proteins, and DNA and produce detailed mechanistic models for the formation and coupling of functional subdomains that are commonly observed in the nuclear membrane, the lamina and chromatin. With cell models and top-down approaches we ultimately aim to define the fundamental principles that govern nuclear biogenesis with implications for health and disease.

Mots-clés : lipid protein dna self organisation organelle structure and function,biophysics
Projet ERC : NTopQuant (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed Matter Physics
Entité participante : Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Société Max Planck
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1496250.0 €

Non-Hermiticity plays a central role in describing open systems, which in recent years has been investigated in the context of topology revealing a dramatic enrichment of the phenomenology of topological phases. A particular focus has been on the appearance of truly non-Hermitian (NH) degeneracies known as exceptional points (EPs) at which not only the eigenvalues but also the eigenvectors coalesce. In their most elementary form, EPs reveal intriguing phenomena, such as unidirectional transmission, and one-sided visibility. Due to the novelty of the field, research has only recently started to dive into the topic of higher-order EPs, and the importance of EPs beyond classical systems. NTopQuant elucidates the role played by exceptional nodal phases in open and correlated quantum systems by providing a new perspective on open quantum materials. NTopQuant not only paves the way towards gaining profound insights into the properties of higher-order exceptional nodal phases, but also expands our understanding of open and correlated quantum systems. Making connection to experiment, NTopQuant studies nonlinear optical systems in close collaboration with experimentalists at the host institute. While EPs are typically realized in coupled systems, we focus on single devices thus proposing a new path towards studying EPs in optical systems. Equally relevant for experiment are Moiré materials, which are powerful quantum simulators realizing exotic strongly correlated phases. NTopQuant investigates these materials in their open form, which not only results in a new research direction but also paves the way towards studying NH effects in strongly correlated systems in the lab. The PI is considered an expert in NH topology, and the host institute offers a vibrant scientific environment. As such, they form the perfect combination for carrying out this highly interdisciplinary research program with the goal to establish a novel perspective on open and correlated quantum systems.

Mots-clés : non hermitian topology,open quantum systems,nonlinear optics,moir superstructures
Projet ERC : ChiralTopMat (Horizon Europe, appel 2023, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Condensed Matter Physics
Entité participante : Société Max-Planck pour le développement des sciences — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : Société Max Planck
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 2442508.0 €

Chiral topological semimetals are a new class of quantum materials at the intersection of structural and electronic chirality. We discovered the first example of this material class three years ago and have since demonstrated that they host new fermionic quasiparticles without analogue in high-energy physics, which carry large and controllable topological charges. ChiralTopMat will go beyond these initial works and aims to discover new extraordinary properties that have only been predicted for these materials but for which experimental evidence remains elusive: 1) A new form of isotropic parallel spin-momentum locking that can be considered the natural counterpart of Rashba spin-orbit coupling, 2) new electronic phases that are both correlated and topological, and 3) interface effects with magnetic materials that could be exploited for new energy-efficient information technology applications. We will achieve these research goals by employing spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy on various energy scales, probing these materials' surface, bulk, and interface electronic structures. Whilst the proposed experiments are challenging, our prior work and recent preliminary results have demonstrated their feasibility. If successful, ChiralTopMat will build on these discoveries to search for structure-property relationships that can be used to control these new phenomena by chemical and structural modification. We envision that this new understanding will be the basis for future devices that exploit chiral topological semimetals for energy-efficient magnetic memory devices, which use multifold fermions for field-free switching of magnets with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.
Projet ERC : FARRIO (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Institutions, Governance and Legal Systems
Entité participante : Université Johann Wolfgang Goethe de Francfort-sur-le-Main — Pays : Allemagne — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1498855.0 €

The rise of the far right poses a profound challenge to global politics. Diverse far-right actors, such as political parties, civil society groups, and social movements, have been gaining support in domestic contexts, while intensifying their transnational contacts. As these groups focus on national sovereignty and share a stance against globalization, they often contest international organizations (IOs) and their policies. Yet their impact on international organizations differs: On the one hand, far-right groups have profoundly changed negotiations on the Global Compact for Migration in the UN. On the other hand, radical-right parties in the European Parliament have hardly brought about any deeper policy changes. Why does transnational far-right contestation have varying effects on international organizations? While scholars have analyzed far-right actors in domestic politics, knowledge about their transnational activities and effects is limited. FARRIO fills this gap empirically, theoretically, and methodologically. Empirically, it compares effects of far-right contestation on the EU, the UN, and its specialized agencies/treaties in four central policy fields (migration, women's rights, climate change, and public health). Theoretically, it proposes that IO changes depend on the directness of far-right strategies and the liberal character of international organizations. It thereby breaks new ground in identifying scope conditions for far-right impact highly relevant for research on transnational protest as well as IO resilience and change. Methodologically, FARRIO draws on and further develops quantitative and qualitative methods. It adapts protest event and networks analysis to map transnational far-right contestation, also including social media data. Bridging Comparative Politics, Social Movement Studies, and the study of International Relations, FARRIO assesses the challenge far-right actors pose to IOs as well as what measures are suited to respond to it.

Mots-clés : international organizations contestation,transnational far right
Projet ERC : PARAPATH (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Computer Science and Informatics
Entité participante : Université Ben Gourion du Néguev — Pays : Israël — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : BGU
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499821.0 €

Nowadays, numerous problems are known to be NP-hard, and hence unlikely to admit worst-case efficient algorithms. Fortunately, the field of Parameterized Complexity (PC) shows that the nutshell of hardness often lies in particular properties (called parameters) of the instances. Here, we answer the fundamental question: What makes an NP-hard problem hard? Specifically, how do different parameters of an NP-hard problem relate to its inherent difficulty? Based on this knowledge, we design efficient algorithms for wide-classes of instances of NP-hard problems. At the heart of PC lies the study of path (or cycle) problems. The inception of PC was inspired by the Graph Minors Theory, where the resolution of DISJOINT PATHS is a cornerstone. Moreover, the study of k-PATH has led to a large number of major breakthroughs in PC over the past three decades. Still, (i) fundamental questions concerning path problems have remained unanswered, and (ii) close to nothing is known about the relations between the different techniques to solve path problems. The overarching goal of this proposal is to build a unified, deep theory to analyze parameterized path problems. As known techniques to solve path problems rely, individually, on Graph Minors Theory, Extremal Combinatorics, Matroid Theory, Exterior Algebra, and more, I will draw new deep connections between these fields (towards unification). Based on the new theory, I believe that I will be able to answer decades-old questions in PC, which will revolutionize the power of this field. This includes the establishment of an Efficient Graph Minors Theory, an optimality program for color-coding-amenable problems, and a machinery to refute the existence of polynomial Turing kernels. Answers to these questions will substantially reshape the future of the design of parameterized algorithms, graph algorithms, and preprocessing procedures. Additionally, they will have high impact applications in practice.

Mots-clés : path problems,parameterized algorithms,parameterized complexity,graph minors,kernelization
Projet ERC : MENTALNET (Horizon Europe, appel 2021, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Social Sciences and Humanities
Panel : Human Mobility, Environment, and Space
Entité participante : Université d'Helsinki — Pays : Finlande — Rôle : PI
Type d'entité : Enseignement supérieur ou secondaire
Financement ERC de l'entité : 1499494.0 €

Mental disorders have an enduring impact on individuals wellbeing and economic prosperity. Although it is often assumed that these effects extend to the wellbeing of family members and friends as well, comprehensive large-scale direct investigations have rarely been conducted and it remains unclear how enduring these influences are. This project addresses this fundamental gap in our understanding and substantially extends prior knowledge in two crucial ways. First, I will estimate how much a person?s mental disorder affects the wellbeing and prosperity of family members, including parents and siblings. Second, I study whether these effects extend to partners in later adulthood. Third, I will assess the broader social impact of mental illness across the life course, also estimating the longevity of these wider harmful influences. My research team and I will use several interlinked nationwide Finnish registers to answer these questions. The linked datasets contain rich individual-level information for over three decades for the whole Finnish population, including complete details of healthcare utilization and prescription medication prescribing for approximately 5 million persons over a 20-year observation period. The main advantage of these nationwide registers is that they are truly population-based and free of the biases that are common in research surveys. My team will use state-of-the-art research designs and statistical methods to identify potential causal links. MENTALNET will deliver cutting-edge knowledge on how mental disorders coalesce in social networks, which can potentially help to reduce the societal impact of mental disorders.

Mots-clés : mental disorders,well being,life course,intergenerational,socioeconomic,social ties,social network,register based research
Projet ERC : RE-TWIST (Horizon Europe, appel 2024, Starting grants)
Domaine scientifique : Physical Sciences and Engineering
Panel : Products and Processes Engineering
Entité participante : Institut von karman de dynamique des fluides — Pays : Belgique — Rôle : PI
Acronyme de l'entité : VKI
Type d'entité : Recherche
Financement ERC de l'entité : 771250.0 €

The concept of digital twins promises to revolutionize engineering by offering new avenues for optimization, control, and predictive maintenance. Digital twins seek to virtually replicate systems using models that continuously "learn" from data, automatizing data collection, validation, and refinement and becoming "self-learning" models. However, this concept is not yet established in engineering and requires significant developments in integrating machine learning with traditional "domain-specific" knowledge. The Re-Twist project tackles this challenge with two objectives. The first objective is to develop a new framework that puts fundamental principles at the core of digital twinning and combines the training of a digital twin with the training of a controlling agent in ways that allow one to learn from the other. The agent learns by trial and error, as in reinforcement learning, while interacting with the system and using the digital twin as a playground. I call this novel framework Reinforcement Twinning (RT). The second objective is to develop RT on lab-scale prototypes of systems at the centre of global challenges. These are the optimal operation of wind turbines, drone propellers, sloshing tanks, and cryogenic liquid storage. Wind turbines drive the fastest-growing renewable energy sector; drones have the potential to revolutionize monitoring, inspection, rescue missions, swift delivery of medical supplies and more. The optimal management of cryogenic tanks, controlling the dynamics of sloshing and the thermodynamics of boil-off, will be essential to the economic viability of green fuels such as liquid hydrogen. This project is "high risk" because it endeavours to establish a new discipline at the intersection of machine learning and energy engineering. It promises "high gains" by aiming to experimentally validate twinning systems that could significantly impact society.

Mots-clés : digital twins,machine learning reinforcement learning,wind turbines,drone propellers,sloshing,thermal management of cryogenic tanks