Projects and Grants


PRIN - The Dark Universe: A Synergic Multimessenger Approach
The goal of this project is to test the particle physics interpretation of Dark Matter (DM) by establishing a comprehensive approach to the whole host of cosmic messengers: electromagnetic radiation at any relevant frequency (radio, infrared, X rays, gamma rays), neutrinos, charged cosmic rays and gravitational waves. This will be complemented be the development of two innovative techniques specifically conceived to extract the faint DM signals from the overwhelming astrophysical backgrounds: statistical cross-correlations between gravitational tracers (weak lensing, large scale structure observed through galaxies and galaxy-clusters catalogs) and electromagnetic signals emitted from DM, thus combining together the two key manifestations of DM as an elementary particle; exploration of the ability of Machine Learning techniques to identify a DM signal. The proposed synergic approached will be carried out by the complementary expertises present in five Units: Torino, SISSA, Padova, L’Aquila and INFN.
PI Nazionale: Nicolao Fornengo (Torino)
PI SISSA: Piero Ullio
Total grant € 151,000


PRIN - LISA - PHASE A: Gravitational Waves from Massive Black Holes in "The Gravitational Universe"
SISSA will develop theoretical and phenomenological models for testing the nature of astrophysical black holes and their correspondence to the expected solution of general relativity.
This project, anchored to the science plan of the LISA Science Group, involves 4 Units (Milan, Rome, Trento and Trieste). The scientists in Trento are deputy leaders entitled of key roles in the LIG. Prof. Vitale has been PI of the LPF mission with his team in charge of the instrument development. Those in Milano Bicocca are all in the LC with the PI member of the LC Board and of the ESST. The team conducted key studies for the development of the LISA science case. The scientists of La Sapienza and SISSA have world-wide, leading expertise in theoretical and phenomenological aspect of gravitation beyond GR. The proposal, located at the interface between astrophysics, gravitation and experimental physics, aims at strengthening the Italian contribution within the Lisa Consortium.
PI Nazionale: Monica Colpi (Milano Bicocca)
PI SISSA: Stefano Liberati
Total grant € 143,000


Elusives
Elusives is a European ITN project (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015//674896-ELUSIVES, April 2016-March 2020), which focuses on Neutrino and Dark Matter phenomenology and their connection, with emphasis on the role of the symmetry relating matter and antimatter. Experimental and theoretical aspects are also encompassed. The network involves nodes in six European countries and its associated partners extend to seven non-European countries.


Sciama Legacy Bursary
In memory of Professor Dennis Sciama (Head of the Astrophysics Sector of SISSA from 1983 to 1998), the Sciama Family has decided to finance bursaries to enable SISSA astrophysics or astroparticle physics postdoctoral fellows ("titolare di assegno di ricerca") to visit certain high-profile international institutes with which Prof. Sciama had particular connections. The intentions is for these to be working visits aimed at fostering links and establishing possible ongoing collaborations (link).


Marie Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) grant - Universe: Challenges and Opportunities (GRU)
Total funding: 280.600 euros, of which 55.200 SISSA, January 2022- December 2025

PI SISSA: Enrico Barausse

The landmark detection of gravitational waves (GWs) emitted by merging black-hole and neutron-star binaries have opened a new era in physics. The wealth of data coming from current and future GW detectors (such as 3G, LISA, PTA) will provide an opportunity to challenge current paradigms, exploring fundamental physics from an entirely new perspective. In this new observational window, we could learn that general relativity is not adequate to describe the strong-field regime of gravity; or that there exist new fundamental fields beyond the standard model, or new kinds of compact objects, challenging the current understanding of dark matter and dark energy. The proposed studies are classified into four groups with considerable overlap: i) Perturbation techniques in general relativity and beyond ii) Non-linear simulations of binary compact objects beyond general relativity iii) GWs from the dark universe iv) Data analysis for GW experiments.



ERC Consolidator Grant -GRavity from Astrophysical to Microscopic Scales (GRAMS)
Total funding: 1.993.920 euros, April 2019 - March 2024

PI SISSA: Enrico Barausse

General Relativity (GR) describes gravity on a huge range of scales, field strengths and velocities. However, despite its successes, GR has been showing its age. Cosmological data support the existence of a Dark Sector, but may also be interpreted as a breakdown of our understanding of gravity. Also, GR is intrinsically incompatible with quantum field theory, and should be replaced, at high energies, by a (still unknown) quantum theory of gravity. GRAMS is a high-risk/high-gain project seeking to investigate the implications of LIGO/Virgo gravitational-wave observations on this theoretical picture, by exploring whether those observations are consistent with gravitational theories built to reproduce the large-scale behaviour of the Universe (i.e. the existence of Dark Energy and/or Dark Matter), while at the same time passing local tests of gravity thanks to non-perturbative screening mechanisms. GRAMS will provide the first numerical-relativity simulations of compact binaries ever in gravitational theories of interest for cosmology.



MIT-FVG Seed fund Collaboration -Extreme mass-ratio inspirals
Total funding: $8250 USD, 2020-2021

PI SISSA: Enrico Barausse

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), a European-led space mission with US/NASA participation, will probe GWs at milli-Hertz frequencies, making it possible to map the gravitational field of black holes millions of times larger than those detected by LIGO/Virgo. The project will address several open problems pertaining to LISA science, and particularly to a class of sources known as “extreme mass ratio inspirals”. We will produce models accurately describing the GW signals from these sources, and we will develop techniques to dis-entangle the many thousands of sources which LISA is expected to measure simultaneously.



Past Projects



Invisibles
Invisibles is a European ITN project (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-ITN, PITN-GA-2011-289442-INVISIBLES (April 2012-March 2016)), which focuses on Neutrino and Dark Matter phenomenology and their connection. Experimental and theoretical aspects are also encompassed. The network involves nodes in seven European countries and its associated partners extend to seven non-European countries.


Marie Curie Career Integration Grant - The limit of General Relativity
Thomas Sotiriou has been funded with € 100,000 for the proposal entitled "The limits of General Relativity". The funds will provide partial support for research in various topics in gravity, such as alternative theories, black holes, compact stars, cosmology, quantum gravity theory and phenomenology, etc.



ERC Starting Grant - Challenging General Relativity
Thomas Sotiriou has been funded with € 1,375,226 for the proposal entitled "Challenging General Relativity". The grant will be used in order to put together an extended research group of young and more experienced researchers (students, postdocs, advanced postdocs) and to foster and support a wide network of international collaborations. This group aims to conduct cutting edge research on the limits of General Relativity as a theory for the gravitational interaction.


John Templeton Foundation grant - Probing the emergent spacetime fabric: from theory to phenomenology
The research project entitled ''Probing the emergent spacetime fabric: from theory to phenomenology'' by S. Liberati has received about 269 thousand euros funding from the John Templeton Foundation. The grant covered the period from 1st of January 2015 till 30th of September 2017 and was mainly spent towards paying salaries for three post doctoral fellows, and for inviting various leading scientists in the field of quantum gravity phenomenology (experimental/observational tests of quantum gravity scenarios). At the end of the period a large interdisciplinary conference has been held at SISSA about the fundamental nature of spacetime.


FQXi MiniGrant - Experimental Searches for Quantum Gravity: A conference for setting the next years agenda in quantum gravity phenomenology
Stefano Liberati has received $5,000 from Silicon Valley Community Foundation through the FQXi MiniGrant scheme. The amount will be used as partial support for the organisation of the conference Experimental Search for Quantum Gravity which will be held in SISSA in September 2014.


FQXi MiniGrant - Lorentz-violating gravity seminars
Thomas Sotiriou has received $2,000 from Silicon Valley Community Foundation through the FQXi MoniGrant scheme. The amount will be used as partial support for organizing a series of seminars on Lorentz- violating gravity.


FQXi Mini-Grant - Tabletop black hole experiment
Stefano Liberati has received $10,000 from Silicon Valley Community Foundation through the FQXi MiniGrant scheme. The amount will be used as partial support for the realization of a tabletop black hole experiment.