Metrology of laser beams with high power has a number of challenges related to beam sampling technique, sensitivity control for the measurement device and achievable dynamic range. Main Objectives: development of an inexpensive, compact device for measurement of laser beam profile (LBP) and beam pointing stability (BPS) measurement device for pulsed and continuous high power...
This project develops a new hardware module that drastically improves the temporal resolution of current patch-clamp from the microsecond domain to the picosecond domain. The hardware module can be attached to a commercially available AFM (atomic force microscopy) platform, as well as a commercially available microwave generator. The new module has both scientific impact to...
Microtomography is an X-ray imaging technique based on the same principle as the medical scanner. By using synchrotron radiation instead of a conventional X-ray source, it can be used to capture volumetric scans at much higher resolution and quality. This technology is able to provide three dimensional (3D) images to visualise the internal structures of...
The Low Temperature Communication Link is a component of a more ambitious programme “Smart Diagnostics of Superconducting Magnets”. The initial idea of “Smart Diagnostics” is included in the FuSuMaTech Initiative. It comes from considering a superconducting magnet as an IoT (Internet of Things) device. Even if this is presented as targeting superconducting magnets the solution...
The Internet of Things (IoT) is defined as a network of nodes able to monitor physical and chemical magnitudes and provide relevant information concerning safety of individuals and goods. This involves continuous monitoring to assess that a safety-relevant magnitude has not reached an alarming threshold value. Stable and reliable power sources are key factors to...
Assembly of heterogeneous full-custom integrated circuits in high-reliability components allows to create innovative functions in miniature systems, especially in the field of detection and imaging. Whatever the field of application (space science, synchrotron imaging spectrometers applied to X-ray fluorescence, medical imaging, additive manufacturing monitoring, …), the density of electronics is growing up and embedded systems...
Generation of mid-infrared supercontinuum (see submitted ATTRACT proposal “SMIL”) requires the development of a sub-ns laser source based on thulium-doped silica fibres. In order to achieve sub-ns pulses, a novel semiconductor saturable absorber (SESAM) will be developed within this project. Unlike off-the-shelf SESAMs from a commercial supplier, the consortium will develop a custom GaSb-based saturable...
The RaDFOS project has the ambitious goal of developing a dosimeter suitable for the next generation of particle accelerators and fusion reactors. The development of these new energy machine poses the need for new dosimetry technologies capable to measure the unprecedented level of dose expected from their operation, quantified above the MGy level. The RaDFOS...
One out of seven couples in Europe suffer from subfertility problems. Assisted reproduction including in vitro fertilization (IVF) has overcome many of the underlying infertility causes. IVF involves crossing sperm with isolated eggs to generate an embryo in vitro. Typically, 5-10 embryos are produced per cycle, and 1 or 2 will be then transferred to...
III-Nitride semiconductors (GaN, InN, AlN and their alloys) know an extremely rapid and extensive development in electronics and optoelectronics where lighting represents the first application. White LED lighting systems are based on indirect phosphor photoluminescence with nitride LED as an exciting source, although nitride materials offer theoretically the unique potential of a direct electroluminescence at...
This proposal aims at validating a novel readout concept for the front-end of 2D pixelated detectors that is under development by the ESRF and the University of Heidelberg under the name of digital integration. This new concept combines features of both photon-counting and charge-integrating techniques. It is particularly suitable for X-ray detectors that need to...
The idea of global, low earth orbit satellite constellations delivering high data rate free-space communication from and to any point in the world is reaching maturity. Projects by SpaceX, OneWeb, Facebook and Google are only a few examples of many initiatives which have recently been publicised. Key to the success of such deployments is the...
The overall goal of PRINTBIO is to “domesticate” and to 3D print the electricity-producing bacteria from the genus Geobacter to convert this strain in à-la-carte bioelectrochemical biosensor using graphene-based screen printed electrode as electrochemical platform. Classical microbial biosensors require to engineer bacteria with an external module which contain the reporter protein responsible of the output...
This project objective is to develop a new ultrasound breast imaging modality that is safer and more accurate than mammography and cheaper than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The intention is not only to establish it as a new standard routine screening tool to replace mammography, but also to complement MRI diagnosis for women with breast...
Detection of ultraviolet (UV) light with high single-photon efficiency is required in many fields, from dark matter experiments to astronomical surveys, and even air pollution monitoring. Traditional detection techniques are based on the use of photo-multiplier tubes, which have typical single-photon efficiency of 20-25% for wavelengths λ < 300 nm, and are susceptible to thermal...
The era of Big Data has opened a new chapter in various fields of science, medicine, and business by allowing knowledge to be extracted from vast quantities of collected data, which has never been possible before. In High Energy Physics, the discovery of the Higgs boson would not have been possible without a carefully designed...
The ultimate goal of the project is to realise a new miniaturised and ultra-sensitive magnetometer that can be used in space on all kinds of platforms, including nanosatellites. This new magnetometer, called MAROT (Low noise MAgnetometeR based On Tunnel junctions), is based on improved magnetic tunnel junctions. Compared to state-of-the-art magnetometers used in space, this...
Fluorescence lifetime (FL) measurements are used to provide information on the molecular makeup of a sample. They can be used in a very wide range of applications, such as imaging of cell structures, tracking of antibodies and DNA sequencing in biology, detection of cancer cells in medicine and quality control in pharmacy. Typical techniques for...
Annually 31.5 million people develop sepsis, a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Approximately 5.3 million people die yearly due to sepsis, among them 420,000 neonates. The majority of epidemiological studies on sepsis, or blood stream infections, focus either on bacteria or fungi and combined analyses are sparse. A global...
Natural gas (i.e. methane) is a key resource for the energy and fuel market of the next two decades. Above all, methane as a fossil fuel has a lower carbon footprint than coal and oil, so it is going to play a fundamental role in the transition to renewables. Furthermore, it can be easily replaced with biomethane....
