Fifty years of dramatic advances in microelectronics have reshaped the way we communicate and work, but progress on silicon-based technologies could well be reaching their limits. This calls for fresh research on new materials for the electronic industry. In this context, fabrication of high quality oxide heterostructures (HS) lies at the heart of the emerging field of oxide electronics. Indeed, Ohtomo and Hwang (2004) have shown that a two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) can be formed in HS based on the wide-gap band insulator SrTiO3 (STO). This is appealing, as STO is a member of the transition metal oxides (TMOs). These materials present unique properties, such as high temperature superconductivity in cuprates, colossal magnetoresistance in manganites, multiferroic behaviour in bismuth ferrites. Owing to their similar perovskite structure, one can combine them into a large variety of HS, hoping for novel emerging properties at their interfaces. A recent breakthrough due to the Coordinator and several members on this project may open a new way to create and study 2DEGs in TMOs: we found that a 2DEG can be obtained at the bare surface of insulating STO by simply fracturing a crystalline sample in vacuum. An exciting perspective, which is at the core of the present proposal, is that the underpinning mechanism of such a 2DEG may be generic to other perovskites, and that the ensuing 2DEGs might inherit some of the properties of their host compounds, which are often correlated electron systems. Thus, we will aim at the creation and engineering of novel 2D electronic states at the surface of TMOs endowed with technologically promising functionalities. Materials to be investigated include the ferroelectric BaTiO3 (BTO), as well as manganites and multiferroics, which could present strongly spin-polarized 2DEGs allowing the creation of electrically controllable spintronic devices. Furthermore, very recent results from our consortium suggest original routes to craft non-trivial topological states in oxide surfaces. In this project, we will explore the realization of new topological 2DEGs at the surface of TMOs. Moreover, in order to search for optimal or new functionalities, we will tailor in-situ their microscopic properties, like carrier density, spin-orbit or spin-spin interactions, and directly follow the evolution of their electronic structure. At the core of our strategy, we will use a combination of state-of-the-art in-situ preparation and characterization techniques and photoemission spectroscopy. Understanding such surface metallic states requires detailed studies of the role of oxygen vacancies created during the fracturing process. Key issues to be addressed include identifying the mechanisms that can form, stabilize and allow an engineering of the oxygen vacancies at the surface of TMOs. Furthermore, we will find ways to protect the surface 2DEGs to render them usable for transport measurements and for applications. This project is a re-submission of our project “LACUNES”. We have taken into account the remarks made by the Evaluation Committee, and made sure to allay their concerns. Outcomes of this project can open new avenues for the development of electronics based on TMOs. The consortium combines the necessary skills to meet the challenges of the present proposal, as our recent experimental/theoretical collaboration shows. Our discovery and recent preliminary results, described below, demonstrate the feasibility and potential of our approach to create novel 2DEGs in several TMOs.

We propose the development of a new generation of an integrated ion source system for the production of very pure radioactive ion beams at low energy, including isomeric beams. This ion source is also, in its own right, an experimental tool for laser spectroscopy. The Rare Elements in-Gas Laser Ion Source and Spectroscopy device will be installed at the S3 spectrometer, currently under construction as part of the SPIRAL-2 facility at the GANIL laboratory in Caen. Thus, REGLIS3 will be a source for the production of new and pure radioactive ion beams at low energy as well as a spectroscopic tool to measure nuclear hyperfine interactions, giving access to charge radii, electromagnetic moments and nuclear spins of exotic nuclei so far not studied. It consists of a gas cell in which the heavy-ion beam coming from S3 will stopped and neutralized, coupled to a laser system that assures a selective re-ionisation of the atoms of interest. Ionization can be performed in the gas cell or in the gas jet streaming out of the cell. A radiofrequency quadrupole is added to capture the photo-ions and to guide them to the low-pressure zone thereby achieving good emittance of the produced low-energy beam that will be sent to a standard measurement station. Owing to the unique combination of such a device with the radioactive heavy ion beams from S3, a new realm of unknown isotopes at unusual isospin (N/Z ratio, refered to as exotic isotopes) will become accessible. The scientific goals focus on the study of ground-state properties of the N=Z nuclei up to the doubly-magic 100Sn and those of the very heavy and superheavy elements even beyond fermium. Once routine operation is achieved the beams will be used by a new users community as e.g. decay studies and mass measurements. The goal of the proposal is to develop this new, efficient, and universal source for pure, even isomeric, beams and for pioneering high-resolution laser spectroscopy that will overcome the present experimental constraints to study very exotic nuclei.

The discovery of the Higgs boson during the LHC Run 1 completes the experimental validation of the Standard Model (SM) of high-energy particle physics. Its particle spectrum is fully established, and definite predictions are available for all interactions. At the quantum level, the SM relates the masses of the heaviest particles the W and Z gauge bosons, the Higgs boson, and the top quark. The Z boson mass is precisely known since LEP1, and the measurement precision of the top quark mass has vastly improved at the TeVatron and LHC. In 2014, the ATLAS and CMS collaborations produced a precise measurement of the Higgs boson mass, based on the full 7 and 8 TeV datasets; in 2016, ATLAS completed a first measurement of mW, using 7 TeV data only, that matches the precision of the best previous results. The present proposal aims at further improvement in the measurements of mW, mZ and the weak mixing angle with ATLAS, exploiting all data available at 8 and 13 TeV. Leptonic final states play a particular role, and improving the measurement of electrons and muons is our main focus on the experimental side. A set of dedicated measurements is foreseen to bring our understanding of strong interaction effects to the required level. Finally, a global analysis of the electroweak parameters is proposed, accounting for correlations of QCD uncertainties across the different measurements, extending traditional electroweak fits. The involved scientists and institutes have recognized expertise and achievements in the fields spanned by this project. The present call provides a unique opportunity to strengthen our collaboration over a timescale matching the needs of our ambition.

Diffuse emission is the most prominent observational signature from the sky at Gigaelectronvolt (GeV) energies. Galactic diffuse emission was established before individual gamma-ray sources started to emerge and constitute a prime source of knowledge about cosmic-ray particle interactions and radiation processes ever since. Diffuse GeV gamma-ray emission still constitutes the systematic limit of source detection near instrumental threshold. In contrast to the GeV domain the search for diffuse emission at Teraelectronvolt (TeV) energies is still in its infancy, largely due to the predominant charged particle background that constitutes a principal instrumental challenge of the atmospheric Cherenkov technique. Diffuse emission is expected in the VHE domain, too: on Galactic scale primarily from hadronic particle interactions with interstellar gas and Inverse Compton scattering of high energy electrons with interstellar radiation fields, but also when encountering intense radiation fields or dense molecular clouds in the local vicinity of cosmic accelerators. Both processes are indicative for particle escape from their acceleration regions. This last, most energetic window for astronomical investigation, the domain of Very High Energies (VHE) gamma-rays, was unveiled by the systematic observations with the H.E.S.S. telescope array, a breakthrough recognized by the award of the Descartes Prize in 2006 and Rossi Prize in 2010. One of the major achievements of H.E.S.S. was the survey of the inner regions of our Galaxy, which led to the discovery of more than 50 new energetic sources. The proposed project aims at establishing the existence, spatial and spectral signature of diffuse emission at TeV energies. H.E.S.S. observations are to be compared with predictions from a model of diffuse VHE emission that will be specifically developed for the project. On the instrumental side, the investigation will push the limits of atmospheric Cherenkov imaging in sensitivity and energy through the development of more precise reconstruction techniques, and more effective background subtraction methods. Advanced modelling of the isotropic charged particle background and development of a likelihood-based analysis technique is proposed, the latter being a novelty for investigating VHE data. Systematics induced by the geomagnetic field and inhomogeneities of the night sky background on the instrument response will be addressed with particular care. The construction of a model of diffuse emission at TeV energies appears to be demanding due to competing phenomena, such as the energy-dependent escape of charged particles from the acceleration region vs. particle transport on larger scales inside our Galaxy. Detection and study of diffuse VHE emission will constitute a major scientific breakthrough, allowing the community to further understand particle propagation in the Galaxy up to the knee (1015 eV) and how particles are released into the interstellar medium. It will allow a closer connection to GeV measurements, benefiting from orthogonal observational techniques – satellite-based direct pair conversion vs. ground-based indirect air shower detections – deployed on a large scale, non-source related investigation. Consequently, the intensity and energy dependence of different constituents of the diffuse emission will extend our understanding of common physics processes to the most energetic end of the electromagnetic spectrum. Through an assessment of the irreducible background it will prepare the advent of the Cherenkov Telescope Array by establishing the hard detection limit for gamma-ray sources and will allow investigation of a putative dark matter component in the suspected WIMP rest mass region. The project results will allow generalizing from single-source detection to source population studies, and, for the first time, estimating the unresolved source component in a comprehensive way.

In the nuclear field, the components operating in the heart of reactors require materials that can present, in time, good mechanical strength under irradiation and that, most often in an aggressive environment. Currently the 304L is widely used but has limitations and alternative material would be interesting if it had significant gains in: - The decrease in activation at end of life - The increase in corrosion resistance - Reduced unsprung weight to hold in earthquake and weight gain for the onboard reactors. Titanium and its alloys are a good candidate, and are already used by the Russians in the field of propulsion. However, there is very little data to validate this public interest. This project aims to study the behavior of titanium and its alloys by irradiating medium to determine and provide the best possible behavior. The project will: - To study the behavior at the interface fluid-metal, the hydrogen uptake. - Study the effects on mechanical properties of the damage due to irradiation to predict degradation. - Understand the effects of irradiation on alpha and beta phases existing in all titanium alloys. Experimentally, the project proposes to use a limited number of types of radiation, heavy ions, the cyclotron radiation of ARRONAX, to appraise a piece of titanium alloy irradiated with neutrons and already completed by calculation for extrapolate the behavior more intense radiation. The entire study will use 304L steel as a base reference to compare with titanium alloys. Several industrial and academic players differ intervene to gain access to all relevant factors under study, and a large number of characterizations will be conducted for the full view before and after irradiation of the samples tested. If the titanium alloys are attractive, industrial uses will be considered in the internal structure of upper tank, steam generators, packaging containers of fuel new and used, as well as in other applications.