Project description DEENESFRITPL Revealing the physical mechanisms underpinning astrophysical shock waves Shock waves are amongst the most powerful particle accelerators in the universe. Generated by violent interactions of supersonic, and often relativistic, plasma flows with the ambient medium, shock waves involve complex interactions between the dynamics of flows, magnetic fields and accelerated particles. The EU-funded XPACE project aims to investigate the precise mechanism driving these interactions. Using first-principle descriptions, parallel simulations and laboratory experiments, researchers will study the microphysics of shock waves. New, comprehensive models will describe the plasma processes that shape magnetic field amplification, particle acceleration and radiation emission in shock waves to solve central questions about extreme plasma phenomena. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Astrophysical shocks are among the most powerful particle accelerators in the Universe. Generated by violent interactions of supersonic, and often relativistic, plasma flows with the ambient medium, shock waves involve a complex and highly nonlinear interplay between the dynamics of flows, magnetic fields, and accelerated particles through mechanisms not yet fully understood. “What is the origin of cosmic rays?”, “What controls particle injection and the acceleration efficiency in collisionless shocks?”, “How is the physics of relativistic shocks modified by electron-positron pair production?”, “Can these mechanisms be studied in the laboratory?” These are long-standing scientific questions, closely tied to extreme plasma physics processes, and where the interplay between micro-instabilities and the global dynamics is critical. Advances in high-power lasers and particle beams are just now opening unique opportunities to probe the microphysics of shocks and particle acceleration in controlled laboratory experiments for the first time. Together with the fast-paced developments in fully-kinetic plasma simulations, computational power, and astronomical observations, the time is ripe to deploy a research program focused on particle acceleration in shocks that can transform our ability to address these questions. In the ERC grant XPACE, we aim to use first-principles massively parallel simulations and laboratory experiments to study the microphysics of non-relativistic and relativistic shocks, and to use data-driven techniques to develop multi-scale models that bridge the gap between the microphysics and the global dynamics. This project will build comprehensive models of the plasma processes that shape magnetic field amplification, particle acceleration, and radiation emission in shocks, with the goal of solving central questions in extreme plasma phenomena, opening new avenues between theory, computation, laboratory experiments, and astrophysical observations. Fields of science natural sciencesphysical sciencesplasma physicsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyastrophysicsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics Keywords plasma physics particle acceleration in shocks physics of collisionless shocks magnetic field amplification plasma micro-instabilities laboratory astrophysics high-power lasers particle-in-cell high performance computing machine learning Programme(s) HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2021-COG - ERC CONSOLIDATOR GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2021-COG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants Host institution IST-ID ASSOCIACAO DO INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TECNICO PARA A INVESTIGACAO E O DESENVOLVIMENTO Net EU contribution € 1 799 990,00 Address AVENIDA ANTONIO JOSE DE ALMEIDA 12 1000-043 Lisboa Portugal See on map Region Continente Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 799 990,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all IST-ID ASSOCIACAO DO INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TECNICO PARA A INVESTIGACAO E O DESENVOLVIMENTO Portugal Net EU contribution € 1 799 990,00 Address AVENIDA ANTONIO JOSE DE ALMEIDA 12 1000-043 Lisboa See on map Region Continente Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Área Metropolitana de Lisboa Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 799 990,00
