Project description
Unlocking the potential of optical and acoustic near-fields
Optical and acoustic near-fields have potential for scientific breakthroughs in imaging, sensing, nanorouting, manipulation, and information technologies. The ERC-funded ATLANTIS project aims to identify the laws governing the behaviour of waves at subwavelength scales and unveil new phenomena beyond the far-field. It will challenge the traditional assumption of time-harmonic, fully polarised, and static fields. It also plans to research structured and partially polarised fields, complex and time-dependent media, and dynamic interfaces. Moreover, it will study spatiotemporal surface wave vortices, knotted 3D polarisation structures for chirality sensing, and singularities of structured near-fields. The ATLANTIS project is designed to identify the fundamental limits of near-field systems and unveil new frontiers in nanophotonics and nanoscale acoustics.
Objective
Optical and acoustic near-fields offer immense untapped potential for breakthroughs in metrology, imaging, nanorouting, sensing, contactless manipulation, and information technologies. ATLANTIS aims to uncover fundamental physical principles and novel applications in optical and acoustic near-fields, while advancing our understanding of wave behaviour at subwavelength scales.
Far-field breakthroughs have emerged from challenging traditional assumptions, such as time-harmonicity, single wavevectors, full polarization, and static material backgrounds. ATLANTIS hypothesizes that extending this approach to near-fields will reveal unprecedented phenomena. Near-fields, with rich subwavelength physics often surpassing far-field limitations, promise emergent topologies, enhanced forces, and advanced sensing and metrology beyond far-field capabilities.
ATLANTIS will break long-standing assumptions by investigating near-fields in spatially and temporally structured waves, partially polarized or incoherent fields, complex media (e.g. anisotropic or exotic materials), and time-varying material backgrounds. Key objectives include exploring surface-wave spatiotemporal vortices, characterizing knotted 3D polarization patterns in multi-coloured evanescent waves for chiral-enantiomer detection, investigating polarization singularities and symmetry dislocations in structured and unpolarised near-fields, and studying the response of near-field surface waves to time-varying and moving interfaces, among many others.
ATLANTIS will combine fundamental research with proof-of-concept demonstrations in collaboration with experimental groups. By strategically targeting unexplored territories in nanophotonics and acoustics, ATLANTIS seeks to define the fundamental limits of near-field optical and acoustic systems, enabling impactful applications and driving new scientific discoveries.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics topology
- natural sciences physical sciences acoustics
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nanophotonics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
WC2R 2LS London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.