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.

Growing amounts of research data require new computing solutions to manage increased data storage, utilisation, and analysis capabilities. The EU-funded SMARTHEP project will break from the traditional paradigm of ‘first collect data, then analyse it’ and move towards real-time analysis… Read more (RTA) where data collection and analysis become synonymous, so that unprocessed information that would be expensive to store can be discarded. As a consortium formed by academic and industrial partners on scientific, technological, and entrepreneurship aspects of RTA, the project will train a new generation of inter-sector researchers and give them the tools to process large datasets in real-time, aided by machine learning and hybrid computing architectures.

This Implementing Agreement No.1 is a specific agreement to implement the cooperative activities in accordance with Article 2 of the Cooperation Agreement and shall be subject to the terms and conditions thereof, which are incorporated herein by this reference including,… Read more but not limited to, provisions on confidentiality, applicable law and dispute resolution. In avoidance of doubt, the terms and conditions of the Cooperation Agreement take precedence over the other parts of the Implementing Agreement, unless the Cooperation Agreement has specifically allowed for derogation from its provisions.

After the success of the H2020 ESSνSB Design Study proving the feasibility of the upgrade of the European Spallation Source to become, in addition to a neutron facility, also a very competitive neutrino facility, we propose here a study to reinforce… Read more and develop complementary features to this proposal in order to improve and widen the scientific and technological scope. The key objective of the H2020 ESSνSB Design Study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using the European Spallation Source (ESS) proton linac to produce the world's most intense neutrino beam concurrently with the 5 MW proton beam to be used for the production of spallation neutrons. After accomplishing all deliverables and the publication of the ESSνSB CDR, this is now fully demonstrated. With the present Design Study, it is proposed to take further steps towards its realization by introducing complementary studies and enlarging its scope by making studies on synergetic aspects of the project. The ESSνSB+ high-level objectives are to: • Study the civil engineering needed for the facility implementation at the ESS site as well as those needed for the ESSνSB far detector site. • Study the feasibility and implementation of a special target station for pion production and extraction for injection to a low energy nuSTORM decay ring and to a low energy Monitored Neutrino Beam decay tunnel, for neutrino cross-section measurements. • Study the low energy nuSTORM decay ring and the injection of the pions and muons from the special target station. • Study the low energy ENUBET-like Monitored Neutrino Beam decay tunnel and the injection of the pions and muons from the special target station. • Study the capabilities of the proposed setup for sterile neutrino searches and astroparticle physics. • Promote the ESSνSB project proposal to its stakeholders, including scientists, politicians, funders, industrialists and the general public in order to pave the way to include this facility in the ESFRI list.

EUROfusion’s updated Fusion Research Roadmap aims to acquire the necessary knowledge to start constructing a demonstration fusion power plant (DEMO) five years after ITER is in full-power operation. DEMO will deliver fusion electricity to the grid early in the second half of… Read more the century. The Roadmap has been articulated in eight different Missions. The present proposal has the goal of implementing the activities described in the Roadmap during Horizon Europe through a joint programme of the members of the EUROfusion Consortium, with the following high-level objectives: 1. Construct and commission ITER; 2. Secure the success of future ITER operation via preparation and experiments on present devices; 3. Develop the conceptual design of a DEMO fusion power plant; 4. Finalise the design and construct a fusion spectrum neutron source (IFMIF-DONES); 5. Advance the stellarator as an alternative approach to fusion power plants; 6. Prepare the ITER and DEMO generations of scientists, engineers and operators; 7. Promote innovation and European industry competitiveness in fusion technology and beyond. The ITER success remains an important overarching objective of the programme and much attention is devoted to ensure that ITER operation is properly prepared, and that a new generation of scientists and engineers is thoroughly educated and trained for its exploitation. DEMO is the only step between ITER and a commercial fusion power plant. To achieve the goal of fusion electricity demonstration in the early 2050-ies, the DEMO Conceptual Design has to be completed by 2030 at the latest, to allow the start of the Engineering Design Activities. DEMO cannot be defined and designed by research laboratories alone, but requires the full involvement of industry in all technological and systems aspects of the design. Therefore, specific provisions for the involvement of industry in the Consortium activities are envisaged.