Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the fundamental quantum field theory that describes the strong interactions between particles. Its non- perturbative dynamics can be investigated from first principles only by numerical simulations on the lattice. The behaviour of the theory is unknown for temperatures… Read more above 1-2 GeV due to numerical challenges. This proposal continues a previous one (ID: 2018194651) where, using the theoretical framework based on the formulation of a thermal quantum theory in a moving frame, we are able to explore for the first time and with the accuracy of about 1-2% the thermal properties of QCD up to the Electro-Weak scale. In particular we focus on the Equation of State at zero chemical potential. The present project aims at calculating the renormalization constants of the energy-momentum tensor, concluding the computation started with 2018194651. The data we have collected show that our new method is, by far, more efficient than the state of the art and it will become the standard. The final result of the two parts of the project will be a milestone in the knowledge of the quark-gluon phase of QCD, and it will be of the utmost importance for studying and modeling the evolution of the Early Universe.

Exploring the standard model of particle physics and finding new physics beyond is in many cases limited by the lack of high-precision knowledge of low-energy QCD effects. The only known systematically improvable method to compute such effects from first principles is lattice… Read more QCD. For crucial topics such as the muon g-2, heavy-quark flavour physics, and the study of structure functions, the systematic uncertainty associated with the continuum limit of lattice QCD poses one of the most difficult challenges. For the muon g-2 uncertainties associated with finite simulation volume are also crucial. Building on our successful project last year, we propose to generate the finest-yet dynamical lattice QCD gauge ensemble using chiral symmetric domain wall fermions at physical pion mass, the first Nf=2+1+1 domain-wall ensemble at physical pion mass, as well as a g- 2 program in an 11fm box at physical pion mass. This effort is only possible using the scale of resources made available in the EuroHPC JU Extreme Scale Access call. The results of this proposal will have immediate impact on a high-precision calculation of the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to clarify emerging tensions for the muon g-2 and have long-term benefits for a wide range of crucial observables.

One of the most promising directions in contemporary drug discovery research is based on targeting non-native proteins conformations (e.g. so–called cryptic pockets). In particular, authors involved in this proposal have been involved in conceiving and developing a novel paradigm called PPI-FIT (defined below),… Read more which is based on hindering the folding of the target protein. This approach led to the discovery of SM875, a small molecule capable of selectively reducing the cellular levels of the human prion protein (PrP), the substrate of prions, infectious protein aggregates involved in several fatal incurable neurodegenerative diseases. A crucial piece of information required in the hit-to-lead optimization of cryptic pocket drug candidates (including SM875) is the atomic resolution of the structure of the binding pose. In conventional drug discovery efforts, this information could is obtained by X-ray crystallography or NMR experiments. Unfortunately, these techniques cannot provide the structure of unstable protein conformers, even when they are stabilized by the interaction with a small molecule, like SM875 does for PrP, because of their high aggregation propensity. Several recent studies have highlighted the unique advantage of performing protein crystallization in microgravity conditions1. The primary goal of this proposal is to define a roadmap to further develop such a space-based technology to achieve the crystallization of protein non-native conformers, by assaying different experimental protocols. Our experimental setup will be first tested in a pioneering experiment, included in the upcoming SpX27 space mission. The goal of the present proposal is to capitalize on the preliminary results generated by this first mission to further develop this technology, leading to a stable, scalable, and versatile protocol for crystallizing non-native protein conformers in microgravity conditions.

This project makes use of a novel approach for numerical lattice simulations of the strong nuclear force. Such simulations support an extensive experimental program in the search for new physics, and, as these searches continue, increased precision is required. Our approach… Read more of master field simulations enables larger volumes and finer lattice spacings, crucial for next-generation precision. The novelty is to employ a smaller number of significantly larger-volume quantum gauge fields, using spatial averaging of local observables. Accumulating statistics in this manner circumvents the infamous topology-freezing problem of conventional simulations and can further reduce the critical slowing down of algorithms near the continuum limit. With the 120 Mch requested here, we will generate data needed for the first master field calculations with varying lattice spacing. The fields will enable us to calculate the neutron electric dipole moment, charm-to-light semileptonic decays, and the inclusive rate R(e^+ e^- !’hadrons), each of which profit from the master field approach and are of direct importance for new physics searches. The approach is uniquely suited to exploit the full potential of large-scale HPC facilities as the huge problem size allows for tuning of the computational density to mask network communication and achieve excellent scaling performance.

The MiSS project targets transformative progress in the emerging field of distributed quantum sensing exploiting multi-mode microwave squeezing. The final goal is to realise a robust and scalable technology for microwave squeezing and generation of nonclassical microwave radiation based on superconducting… Read more (meta)materials. The three specific objectives of the MiSS project are: 1) Technological innovation, investigating new material and scalable microfabrication approaches to optimise the building blocks to produce Travelling Wave Parametric Amplifiers-based squeezers; 2) Metrology protocols, developing dedicated cryogenic measurement protocols to accurately evaluate the radiation quantumness, opening the way to standardisation; 3) Realisation of a prototype for real world applications, developing a system with scalability potential for distributed quantum sensing in the microwave regime. A use-case dedicated to multi-parameter sensing for material characterisation will be targeted. The outcomes of this project will pave the way towards real exploitation of quantum-enhanced sensing techniques in the microwave regime. The MiSS consortium brings together a unique set of expertise in design, materials, metrology, fabrication, cryogenic characterisation and commercialisation to be able to deliver on this ambitious goal.

We are on the verge of the next big breakthrough in gravitational wave (GW) astronomy: namely the detection of a nano-Hz GW signal with Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs). Within the next few years nano-Hz GWs will be established as a completely… Read more new window on our Universe, unlocking an unprecedented opportunity to unveil its secrets. The signal is anticipated to come from a cosmic population of supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs), which are a fundamental, yet observationally missing, piece in the process of structure formation and galaxy evolution. However, alternative Early Universe origins, including backgrounds arising from inflation or phase transitions, cannot be dismissed a priori. To exploit the scientific breakthrough potential of this new window we need an innovative, robust framework to build our way forward in uncharted territory. A framework that allows us to establish the nature of the nano-Hz GW signal and understand its implications for astrophysics and cosmology. PINGU is this framework; it is a concerted multimessenger project for connecting the GW and electromagnetic (EM) Universe in a novel way. On the one hand, it will leverage on the 15-year long expertise of the PI in PTA observations, data analysis and signal characterization to pin down the properties of the nano-Hz GW signal and characterize its features. On the other hand, it will exploit the most powerful all sky survey and state of the art galaxy formation models to construct a live nano-Hz GW map of our Universe and match it with the upcoming results of PTA observations. This will allow us to exploit the full potential of the nano-Hz GW sky, including: i) establishing the origin of the GW signal and probe its astrophysical nature, ii) gain unprecedented insights into the formation and evolution of SMBHBs and their role in galaxy formation, iii) identify SMBHBs and map their distribution in the Universe, iv) enable, for the first time, multimessenger astronomy in the nano-Hz GW band

Extracting the polarisation of electroweak (EW) bosons from Large-Hadron-Collider (LHC) data represents a crucial step towards a deep understanding of the electroweak-symmetry-breaking (EWSB) mechanism realised in nature. Therefore, an accurate and realistic theoretical modelling is needed for polarised-boson production and decay in… Read more relevant LHC processes. In order to improve the current theoretical accuracy for polarised-bosons processes and to enable direct comparisons with experimental data, this research aims at the inclusion of higher-order corrections in the strong and EW couplings through a matching of fixed-order predictions to parton-shower programs. This will be carried out within the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics, as well as in the presence of beyond-the-SM effects, allowing for broad phenomenological investigations of the EWSB and fostering the development of polarisation taggers (also using modern machine-learning techniques) that will be beneficial for upcoming LHC analyses.

I will enable groundbreaking results for cosmology and fundamental physics, thanks to a novel method for measuring the angle of the polarization plane of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons with unprecedented accuracy. Existing and planned CMB polarimeters looking for primordial B-mode… Read more signals need an independent, experimental method for systematics control on the absolute polarization orientation. The lack of such a method limits the accuracy of the detection of inflationary gravitational waves, the efficiency in removing polarized foregrounds, the constraining power on the neutrino sector through measurements of gravitational lensing of the CMB, the possibility of detecting Cosmic Birefringence, and the ability to measure primordial magnetic fields. My 5-year project will dramatically improve instrumental accuracy by means of artificial calibration sources flying on aerial drones and tethered balloons, within sight of the most advanced ground CMB telescopes, operating at high-elevation angles and far-field distances. The calibrators will make use of linearly-polarized microwave emitters optimally coupled to the Simons Observatory (SO) polarization-sensitive detectors, the world-leading CMB project for the next years. The orientation of the source polarization plane will be registered to absolute celestial coordinates by star cameras and ground photogrammetry with arcminute accuracy. POLOCALC will take advantage of my leading role in SO, and will operate from its site in the Atacama Desert in Chile. This project will become a pivot for the field: any existing or future instrument in Atacama will be able to observe my novel polarization calibrator, and future projects will intercalibrate their detectors with the resulting calibrated observations of sky sources. POLOCALC will produce the first experimentally-calibrated data of the polarization angle of the CMB and its contaminants, allowing existing and future CMB polarimeters to fully mine the cosmic sky.

Gravitational-wave (GW) Astronomy opened a new window to the Universe from its infant state to the present. The key physical systems which allow probing the Universe through these vast time and length scales are Black Holes (BH). Low metallicity clouds, composed primarily… Read more of atomic hydrogen, before and during the epoch of reionization, are a natural environment for BHs to be born and form Binary Black Holes (BBH) which can merge via GW emission. Stellar BHs, being the remnants of the death of very massive stars, are generated early when a huge gas reservoir is available for accretion. Mass segregation leads the BHs close to the center of the system and a dense BH-subcluster, supported by gravitational fluctuations, is formed. The low metallicity of the gas suppresses cooling, while turbulence of the gas and the BHs’ motion further favor quasi-spherical accretion, surpassing the Eddington limit. For sufficiently compact configurations, the BHs shall grow in mass before the gas is depleted by stellar evolution and formation feedback processes. This rapid mass growth through turbulent hot accretion shall leave a distinct spin signature on the BHs. The BBH that accrete gas quasi-spherically may harden if there is not significant angular momentum loss from the system. Furthermore, these are also ideal conditions for high-redshift Intermediate Mass Black Holes (IMBH) to form. We shall calculate the spin distribution of stellar BHs accreting gas in proto-clusters, calculate the BH mass function following such accretion events, investigate the evolution of separation in accreting BBH in low-metallicity hot turbulent gas, develop theoretical models for the evolution of a BH-subcluster inside proto-clusters and investigate the formation of IMBH. Finally, we shall develop methods for identifying the origin of GW observations, confront our results with LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA data, and investigate synergetically the implications for the GW mission LISA and the X-ray mission Athena.

One of the most energetic events in the Universe is the core-collapse Supernova (SN) where almost all the star's binding energy is released as neutrinos. These particles are direct probes of the processes occurring in the stellar core and provide unique… Read more insights into the gravitational collapse and the neutrino properties. Currently, astroparticle physics is in need of SN observations and of a detection technique highly sensitive to all neutrino flavors. RES-NOVA will revolutionize how we detect neutrinos from astrophysical sources by deploying the first array of cryogenic detectors made from archaeological Pb. Neutrino detection in RES-NOVA is facilitated by the newly discovered Coherent Elastic neutrino-Nucleus Scattering (CEvNS). It enables the first measurement of the full SN neutrino signal, eradicating the uncertainties related to flavor oscillations. To fully exploit the advantages of CEvNS, RES-NOVA ennobles Pb from being a passive shielding to the most sensitive detector component. Pb has the highest cross-section, 10^4 times higher than all used detection channels, enabling the deployment of a cm-scale neutrino observatory. The unconventional approach of RES-NOVA is to use ultra-pure archaeological Pb and run it as a cryogenic detector with low-energy threshold (<1 keV) and unprecedented background (<0.001 c/ton/keV/s). These features also open new opportunities in multi-messenger astronomy, Dark Matter, and neutrino property studies. The success of my pioneer work in operating archaeological Pb-based cryogenic detectors is pivotal for RES-NOVA realization. RES-NOVA will survey 90% of the potential galactic SNe, with only a total detector volume of (30 cm)^3. Future detector upgrades will enhance our SN-sensitivity into the uncharted territory >1 Mpc and increase the SN observation rate. RES-NOVA has the potential to lay the foundations for a future generation of European neutrino telescopes, as all its SN neutrino detectors are currently going offline.