Descripción del proyecto
Detectar temblores y terremotos de nanoescala en beneficio de la gestión de crisis
El aumento de la población hace que cada vez más gente viva cerca de volcanes y fallas sísmicas. La medición precisa de los transientes de desplazamiento pequeños y lentos que preceden a las erupciones volcánicas y a los terremotos es fundamental para proteger infraestructuras y vidas humanas. El carburo de silicio (SiC), sobre todo en su forma cúbica cristalina de tres capas superpuestas (3C-SiC), es cada vez más popular como sensor de deformación mecánica de alta sensibilidad. El proyecto financiado por la UE SiC nano for PicoGeo trabaja en el desarrollo de un nuevo sistema de medición de la deformación del terreno destinado a la vigilancia de peligros geológicos que aprovecha este material. La sensibilidad para detectar una deformación podría ser aproximadamente cien veces superior a la de las tecnologías modernas. El uso de láseres de fibra en una configuración de circuito cerrado completamente óptico logrará realizar lecturas en ubicaciones alejadas del sensor.
Objetivo
The project addresses an innovative and radical vision, enabled by a new technology concept that challenges current paradigms of high resolution strain detection for Geoscience and Geohazard monitoring. The goal is the development of a radically new dynamic ground strain measurement technology with an ultra-high resolution of 10-12 that is about two order of magnitude better than the presently available technology. The new technology is based on combining the high performance 3C-SiC material with a high Young modulus (almost 3 times higher than silicon) that improves the sensibility of the actual strain sensor, with fiber lasers for novel all-optical closed-loop operation of the resonator. This design gives the opportunity to use an electronic readout far from the borehole and easily accessible out of the deep drilling. In geophysical monitoring the proposed innovative instrument will allow to detect precisions not obtainable with the current instruments. Ultra small and slow strain transients preceding earthquakes and eruptions could be revealed and both new understanding of the volcano and of the seismology process can be obtained. This new sensor will strongly reduce the cost of the strain sensor and will promote a large impulse in the physics study of both the volcanic areas and of the seismogenic faults. Moreover, the small dimension and the cheap cost will allow to monitor a dense vertical profile of strain along a same hole. Therefore, the project outcomes will have direct implications in forecasting volcanic eruptions and thus improve volcano-seismic crisis management. At the end of the project a start-up of one innovative frontier laboratory for advanced monitoring of dynamic strain associated to volcanic and seismic processes will be done. This “Pico strain Etna Lab” will be the starting point of a new network infrastructure that could support and improve the main volcanic regions and the main faults in Europe.
Ámbito científico
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringfibers
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesgeologyvolcanology
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesgeologyseismology
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- social sciencessociologygovernancecrisis management
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaConvocatoria de subcontratación
H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2019-2020-01
Régimen de financiación
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinador
00185 Roma
Italia