ERC Advanced Grants for six physicists

Ben Feringa
This is the second time that University of Groningen professor and FOM workgroup leader Ben Feringa has been awarded this prestigious grant. In this new ERC project Feringa, chair of the NWO Chemical Sciences Divisional Board, will work further on molecular motors driven by light. He wants to be able to accurately control these so that they can be used to make smart materials that respond to light. For further information please see the website of the University of Groningen.

Daniël Vanmaekelbergh
Utrecht University professor and FOM workgroup leader Daniël Vanmaekelberg is investigating semiconductors with a honeycomb geometry. The electrical properties of a solid substance are determined by the chemical elements that are present, the atomic structure of the solid substance, and the dimensions of the crystal. Semiconductor crystals that are macroscopically large in two horizontal directions (millimetres to centimetres) but very thin in the vertical direction (several millionths of a centimetre) are vitally important for optical and electronic applications. These crystals are widely used for computer transistors and as light emitting equipment and lasers. For further information please see the website of Utrecht University.

Yuli Nazarov
FOM workgroup leader Yuli Nazarov from the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience of Delft University of Technology receives the grant for his research proposal entitled HITSUPERJU (Higher-dimensional topological solids realized with multi-terminal superconducting junctions). The project concerns topological materials. These are materials that in certain states exhibit both conducting and insulating properties. Topological materials were discovered quite recently and are a hot topic in solid-state physics. These exotic materials are interesting from a fundamental viewpoint and are also promising for concrete applications (such as a quantum computer based on Majorana fermions). However they are also very difficult to prepare and control. Nevertheless certain properties of topological materials can be superbly simulated by means of a multiple superconducting junction. Nazarov is forming a team of theoreticians to investigate this and come up with concrete suggestions for experiments and applications. For further information please see the website of Delft University of Technology.

Kjeld Eikema
VU University Amsterdam professor and FOM workgroup leader Kjeld Eikema has received an ERC Advanced Grant for his proposal 'The Proton Size Puzzle: Testing QED at Extreme Wavelengths'. The idea is to test the most successful theories in physics, the Quantum Electrodynamics (QED), in a new manner using helium+ ions. That is important because earlier QED tests have recently led to unusual conclusions about the size of the proton. QED is an important part of what physicists call the Standard Model, which describes all elementary particles and their interactions. The most famous prediction of QED is that even the best vacuum is never completely empty but is swarming with 'virtual particles' that influence their environment. Amongst other things these cause very small shifts in the energy levels of atoms and molecules, which can be measured with lasers. Most physicists were convinced that QED was well understood and correct due to the fantastically accurate predictions of the energy structure of the hydrogen atom, for example. For further information please see the website of VU University Amsterdam.

Huib Bakker
Huib Bakker, group leader and director of FOM institute AMOLF, has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant for his research on proton conduction in structured water. The transport of protons through aqueous environments plays a very important role in hydrogen fuel cells and in metabolic processes in living cells. This transport often takes place along surfaces and through channels with a diameter in the order of 1 nanometre (10^-9 meter). The interaction of the water molecules with the surface or the walls of a nanochannel often results in an unusual hydrogen bridge structure of the water, which strongly deviates from the structure of bulk liquid water or ice. In this research project it will be investigated how the structure of water at surfaces and in nanochannels influences the speed and the mechanism through which protons move through the water. In this research use will be made of advanced, non-linear, spectroscopic techniques with which it is possible to follow the dynamics of protons close to surfaces and in nanochannels with a time resolution of 100 femtoseconds (10^-13 seconds). An important aim of the research is to discover how the molecular properties of the surface and the dimensions of the nanochannel can influence the mobility of protons in natural and artificial systems. An ultimate goal is to switch the proton mobility with the help of an electrical field in order to realise a field-effect proton transistor. For further information about research of Huib Bakker please see the AMOLF website.

Albert Polman
AMOLF researcher Albert Polman received an ERC Advanced Grant for the development of time-resolved, cathode fluorescent microscopy. In this new technique a pulsed electron beam scans across the surface of a material and in doing this collects emitted light. This makes it possible to study optical phenomena with a spatial resolution of ten nanometres (a nanometre is one billionth of a metre) and a time resolution of one picosecond (1 trillionth of a second). The new microscope makes it possible to study quantum optical phenomena at the nanoscale. The microscope will also play a key role in AMOLF’s research programme into solar cells. In 2011 Polman also received an ERC Advanced Grant for his research into optical meta-materials. For further information about the research of Albert Polman please see the AMOLF website.