Project description
New research helps solve the mystery of cosmic dust origin
Dust plays an important role in the Universe through providing the molecular gas reservoir for future star formation, reprocessing half of all stellar light, and driving galactic outflows. Grain growth is assumed to be the dominant dust source in galaxies; however, a viable chemical route for growing grains in the interstellar medium has not yet been found. The EU-funded DustOrigin project will conduct research to evaluate the dust origin and to assess whether grain growth can provide a viable mechanism for dust formation. The project will use data stemming from the Herschel Space Observatory and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array which are both probing the dust emission in galaxies. The research will also exploit recent observational evidence of the efficient condensation of dust in supernova remnants to constrain stellar dust production rates.
Objective
Dust pervades the Universe; it is responsible for the obscuration of 50% of starlight, for the formation of molecular hydrogen, for the cooling of clouds collapsing to form stars, and for radiative feedback processes capable of driving massive galactic outflows. Due to the unknown origin of dust, cosmological simulations lack detailed dust physics, which will affect the outcome of galaxy evolution models. Current work by myself and collaborators have delivered observational evidence for the efficient condensation of dust in supernova remnants (SNRs). Up to now, grain growth is assumed to be the dominant dust source, but a viable chemical route for growing grains in the ISM has yet to be found. Current dust destruction efficiencies have been overestimated due to the neglect of inhomogeneous cloud structures. With Herschel's legacy of dust in the nearby Universe and ALMA's capabilities to detect the first infrared light of galaxies, this is an opportune time to re-evaluate the origin of dust. Building upon my expertise in dust in both SNRs and nearby galaxies, I will re-evaluate net SN dust production rates by inferring the composition and grain size of SN dust based on my own dust polarimetric data of Galactic SNRs. With my collaborators from LERMA, I will exploit a new experimental technique to simultaneously infer adsorption and diffusion energies; these laboratory measurements will allow me to assess whether grain growth can provide a viable mechanism for dust formation. My Dust and Element evolUtion modelS (DEUS) will be expanded to include a 3D inhomogeneous ISM structure, and will be exploited to model the destruction of dust by shocks in a realistic multi-phase ISM. Finally, the evolution of dust and metals will be modelled in a statistical sample of low- and high-redshift galaxies to infer the dominant dust sources. The three pillars (observations, modelling and laboratory experiments) of my ERC project are essential to solve the origin of dust problem.
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.
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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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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - 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
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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.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
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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-2019-STG
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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.
9000 Gent
Belgium
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