ERC Starting Grants for Laserlab Researchers

Sven Askes (LLAMS): Heat in the driver’s seat: Unlocking the full potential of pulsed photothermal catalysis

In his ERC Starting Grant project HEATPULSE, Askes aims to challenge the traditional approach for the use of catalytic reactors in the chemical industry. These reactors normally operate at a constant temperature, making
them less controllable and less efficient. The researcher aims to change this by rapidly altering the temperature using short bursts of light and very small particles of materials that can efficiently convert light into heat. By precisely coordinating the timing of these light bursts to the speed of chemical reactions, he believes he can control the reactions better and enhance the energy efficiency.

Eva Pogna (CNR-IFN): Taming radiative heat emission with anisotropic and time-varying media

The ERC Starting Grant project TREAT, led by Eva Pogna, aims to advance our understanding of thermal radiation. TREAT will explore novel strategies for realising time-crystals and controlling near-field heat flow using a combination of ultrafast spectroscopy, thermal imaging and ultrafast near-field imaging in the mid-IR and THz ranges, applied to epsilon-near-zero and hyperbolic media. The project objectives include deepening our understanding of thermal emission and developing innovative strategies for thermal management, IR light generation, and energy harvesting.

Franco V. A. Camargo (CNR-IFN): Holographic nanoscale imaging via femtosecond structured illumination

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy has triggered a revolution in the bio-imaging community by offering information on sub-diffraction spatial scales with the benefits of far-field techniques. However, reliance upon incoherent signals arising from bright states has severely limited their adaptation to the realm of ultrafast imaging. Franco V. A. Camargo’s ERC Starting Grant project HOLOFAST will employ a new holographic approach to ultrafast microscopy to bring sub-diffraction limited spatial resolution to ultrafast timescales using nonlinear structured illumination, aiming for sub-10 fs temporal and ~10 nm spatial resolution.

Kasra Amini (MBI): Complete characterisation of photochemical reactions by time- and energy-resolved electron scattering

Kasra Amini will use his ERC Starting Grant to develop a ground-breaking technique called time- and energy-resolved electron scattering (TERES). This method will add an energy dimension to existing ultrafast electron scattering measurements, allowing the exploration of interactions between electrons and atomic nuclei in molecules and thin films. Amini‘s project combines ultrafast electron diffraction (UED), which tracks molecular structural changes, with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), providing insights into electronic states. The TERES approach could revolutionise our understanding of molecular reactions by creating “quantum molecular movies“ that reveal detailed, real-time changes at the quantum level.

Jad C. Halimeh (MPQ): Quantum simulation of far-from-equilibrium gauge theories

The ERC Starting Grant will fund Jad C. Halimeh‘s project aimed at advancing quantum simulation, particularly in the challenging field of far-from-equilibrium gauge theories. These theories are crucial for understanding fundamental physics but are difficult to probe due to quantum entanglement in their non-perturbative dynamics. The project “QuSiGauge” employs a two-pronged approach: a technological pillar focused on developing large-scale quantum simulators of non-Abelian gauge theories in higher spatial dimensions and a phenomenological pillar aimed at uncovering exotic far-from-equilibrium quantum dynamics. The results could shed light on the nature of equilibration in isolated quantum many-body systems, with potential applications in quantum sensing and metrology.

Marco Piccardo (IST): Space-time and vectorial meta-optics for high-power structured laser-matter interactions

Plasma, an extreme state of matter, is central to numerous advanced applications such as fusion energy and particle acceleration. High-power lasers, operating at terawatt or petawatt levels, are essential for the creation and control of plasma. However, a significant challenge in plasma science and engineering is the need for advanced beam control at these highpower levels. Marco Piccardo’s ERC Starting Grant project metaPOWER addresses this challenge by developing high-damage-threshold metasurfaces, a cutting-edge nanotechnology in structured light, for high-power lasers. The team will mold plasma using structured lasers as sculpting tools, unlocking an unprecedented control over laser-plasma interactions and enabling new possibilities in fusion energy, particle acceleration, and radiation sources.

Guillermo González-Rubio (CLUR): Timescale-controlled transformations for colloidal multielemental nanocrystal design

Multielemental colloidal nanocrystals represent an exciting material class where surface and finite-size effects result in prominent physicochemical phenomena. Unfortunately, these nanomaterial features and their technological impact remain largely unexplored due to the high energy barriers and kinetic conditions often associated with the required synthesis process. With his ERC Starting Grant, Guillermo  González Rubio will develop in the project Time4Nano a novel colloidal methodology to create highly out-of-equilibrium conditions required for multielemental nanomaterial creation. The major challenge is to combine pulsed laser irradiation and wet-chemical strategies to control chemical composition, elemental distribution, and lattice defects.