Obiettivo One of the challenges facing science is to understand the chemical origin of DNA damage-induced mutations. Upon exposure to UV light, DNA nucleobases become electronically excited. This process potentially favors mutagenic miscoding of the DNA sequence.The main target of STARLIGHT is to study with unprecedented temporal resolution (few-femtoseconds/attoseconds) the electron dynamics occurring in UV photoexcited biomolecules. I will mainly consider aromatic complexes including DNA nucleobases (and ultimately DNA) with the aim of tracking in real time the electron dynamics preceding structural changes potentially leading to damage. The proposed research is based on a bottom-up approach: it allows one to understand the physical origin of a variety of light-driven processes occurring in more complex biological systems of crucial importance in photochemistry and photobiology, with tremendous prospects in phototherapy.Electron motion in molecules occurs on a temporal scale ranging from few femtoseconds down to attoseconds. Attosecond science is nowadays a well-established field and electron dynamics has been successfully studied in atoms and small molecules. The work recently conducted by the PI has demonstrated that this technology is mature and ready to be applied to more complex systems such as biomolecules.Electron dynamics will be resonantly activated in biomolecules by few-cycle UV pump pulses and subsequently probed by as-XUV pulses or few-fs-UV pulses. Through time-resolved measurements of the molecular photo-fragmentation, gas-phase spectroscopy will be used to elucidate the role of electrons in the photoreactivity of the molecule in a solvent-free environment. With the final goal of steering the electronic motion, circularly polarized UV pulses will be also used to induce electronic currents in cyclic biomolecules. These ring currents can be exploited to generate intense magnetic fields with promising applications in molecular electronics and quantum control. Campo scientifico natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsDNAnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesnatural scienceschemical sciencesphysical chemistryphotochemistrynatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsmutationnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics Programma(i) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Argomento(i) ERC-StG-2014 - ERC Starting Grant Invito a presentare proposte ERC-2014-STG Vedi altri progetti per questo bando Meccanismo di finanziamento ERC-STG - Starting Grant Istituzione ospitante DEUTSCHES ELEKTRONEN-SYNCHROTRON DESY Contribution nette de l'UE € 812 500,00 Indirizzo NOTKESTRASSE 85 22607 Hamburg Germania Mostra sulla mappa Regione Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg Tipo di attività Research Organisations Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Partecipazione a programmi di R&I dell'UE Opens in new window Rete di collaborazione HORIZON Opens in new window Costo totale € 812 500,00 Beneficiari (2) Classifica in ordine alfabetico Classifica per Contributo netto dell'UE Espandi tutto Riduci tutto DEUTSCHES ELEKTRONEN-SYNCHROTRON DESY Germania Contribution nette de l'UE € 812 500,00 Indirizzo NOTKESTRASSE 85 22607 Hamburg Mostra sulla mappa Regione Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg Tipo di attività Research Organisations Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Partecipazione a programmi di R&I dell'UE Opens in new window Rete di collaborazione HORIZON Opens in new window Costo totale € 812 500,00 CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE Italia Contribution nette de l'UE € 684 500,00 Indirizzo PIAZZALE ALDO MORO 7 00185 Roma Mostra sulla mappa Regione Centro (IT) Lazio Roma Tipo di attività Research Organisations Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Partecipazione a programmi di R&I dell'UE Opens in new window Rete di collaborazione HORIZON Opens in new window Costo totale € 684 500,00