Protactinium, a radioelement with unknown chemistry, is a key element : first actinide for which the 5f orbitals can be involved in chemical bonding, it is also naturally ocurring in envrionment, in the nuclear fuel cycle and also appear in the synthesis of innovative isotopes for medicine. Understanding the chemical behaviour of Pa in these compartments constitutes a great challenge especially since the basic chemistry of this element remains quite blurred ! In this project, we propose to switch to a new paradigm: "predict then experiment". Two main types of properties will be scrutinized, reactivity in terms of equilibrium constants between a set of ligands and protactinium(IV/V) and spectroscopy of protactium compounds. After an extensive methodological study and state-of-the-art theoretical predictions, we will set up prime electromigration, solvent extraction and spectroscopy (high-resolution XANES and laser spectrofluorimetry) experiments aiming at validating/improving the theoretical models and revealing this rare chemistry.

In the nuclear field, the components operating in the heart of reactors require materials that can present, in time, good mechanical strength under irradiation and that, most often in an aggressive environment. Currently the 304L is widely used but has limitations and alternative material would be interesting if it had significant gains in: - The decrease in activation at end of life - The increase in corrosion resistance - Reduced unsprung weight to hold in earthquake and weight gain for the onboard reactors. Titanium and its alloys are a good candidate, and are already used by the Russians in the field of propulsion. However, there is very little data to validate this public interest. This project aims to study the behavior of titanium and its alloys by irradiating medium to determine and provide the best possible behavior. The project will: - To study the behavior at the interface fluid-metal, the hydrogen uptake. - Study the effects on mechanical properties of the damage due to irradiation to predict degradation. - Understand the effects of irradiation on alpha and beta phases existing in all titanium alloys. Experimentally, the project proposes to use a limited number of types of radiation, heavy ions, the cyclotron radiation of ARRONAX, to appraise a piece of titanium alloy irradiated with neutrons and already completed by calculation for extrapolate the behavior more intense radiation. The entire study will use 304L steel as a base reference to compare with titanium alloys. Several industrial and academic players differ intervene to gain access to all relevant factors under study, and a large number of characterizations will be conducted for the full view before and after irradiation of the samples tested. If the titanium alloys are attractive, industrial uses will be considered in the internal structure of upper tank, steam generators, packaging containers of fuel new and used, as well as in other applications.

We propose the development of a new generation of an integrated ion source system for the production of very pure radioactive ion beams at low energy, including isomeric beams. This ion source is also, in its own right, an experimental tool for laser spectroscopy. The Rare Elements in-Gas Laser Ion Source and Spectroscopy device will be installed at the S3 spectrometer, currently under construction as part of the SPIRAL-2 facility at the GANIL laboratory in Caen. Thus, REGLIS3 will be a source for the production of new and pure radioactive ion beams at low energy as well as a spectroscopic tool to measure nuclear hyperfine interactions, giving access to charge radii, electromagnetic moments and nuclear spins of exotic nuclei so far not studied. It consists of a gas cell in which the heavy-ion beam coming from S3 will stopped and neutralized, coupled to a laser system that assures a selective re-ionisation of the atoms of interest. Ionization can be performed in the gas cell or in the gas jet streaming out of the cell. A radiofrequency quadrupole is added to capture the photo-ions and to guide them to the low-pressure zone thereby achieving good emittance of the produced low-energy beam that will be sent to a standard measurement station. Owing to the unique combination of such a device with the radioactive heavy ion beams from S3, a new realm of unknown isotopes at unusual isospin (N/Z ratio, refered to as exotic isotopes) will become accessible. The scientific goals focus on the study of ground-state properties of the N=Z nuclei up to the doubly-magic 100Sn and those of the very heavy and superheavy elements even beyond fermium. Once routine operation is achieved the beams will be used by a new users community as e.g. decay studies and mass measurements. The goal of the proposal is to develop this new, efficient, and universal source for pure, even isomeric, beams and for pioneering high-resolution laser spectroscopy that will overcome the present experimental constraints to study very exotic nuclei.

Fifty years of dramatic advances in microelectronics have reshaped the way we communicate and work, but progress on silicon-based technologies could well be reaching their limits. This calls for fresh research on new materials for the electronic industry. In this context, fabrication of high quality oxide heterostructures (HS) lies at the heart of the emerging field of oxide electronics. Indeed, Ohtomo and Hwang (2004) have shown that a two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) can be formed in HS based on the wide-gap band insulator SrTiO3 (STO). This is appealing, as STO is a member of the transition metal oxides (TMOs). These materials present unique properties, such as high temperature superconductivity in cuprates, colossal magnetoresistance in manganites, multiferroic behaviour in bismuth ferrites. Owing to their similar perovskite structure, one can combine them into a large variety of HS, hoping for novel emerging properties at their interfaces. A recent breakthrough due to the Coordinator and several members on this project may open a new way to create and study 2DEGs in TMOs: we found that a 2DEG can be obtained at the bare surface of insulating STO by simply fracturing a crystalline sample in vacuum. An exciting perspective, which is at the core of the present proposal, is that the underpinning mechanism of such a 2DEG may be generic to other perovskites, and that the ensuing 2DEGs might inherit some of the properties of their host compounds, which are often correlated electron systems. Thus, we will aim at the creation and engineering of novel 2D electronic states at the surface of TMOs endowed with technologically promising functionalities. Materials to be investigated include the ferroelectric BaTiO3 (BTO), as well as manganites and multiferroics, which could present strongly spin-polarized 2DEGs allowing the creation of electrically controllable spintronic devices. Furthermore, very recent results from our consortium suggest original routes to craft non-trivial topological states in oxide surfaces. In this project, we will explore the realization of new topological 2DEGs at the surface of TMOs. Moreover, in order to search for optimal or new functionalities, we will tailor in-situ their microscopic properties, like carrier density, spin-orbit or spin-spin interactions, and directly follow the evolution of their electronic structure. At the core of our strategy, we will use a combination of state-of-the-art in-situ preparation and characterization techniques and photoemission spectroscopy. Understanding such surface metallic states requires detailed studies of the role of oxygen vacancies created during the fracturing process. Key issues to be addressed include identifying the mechanisms that can form, stabilize and allow an engineering of the oxygen vacancies at the surface of TMOs. Furthermore, we will find ways to protect the surface 2DEGs to render them usable for transport measurements and for applications. This project is a re-submission of our project “LACUNES”. We have taken into account the remarks made by the Evaluation Committee, and made sure to allay their concerns. Outcomes of this project can open new avenues for the development of electronics based on TMOs. The consortium combines the necessary skills to meet the challenges of the present proposal, as our recent experimental/theoretical collaboration shows. Our discovery and recent preliminary results, described below, demonstrate the feasibility and potential of our approach to create novel 2DEGs in several TMOs.

The discovery of the Higgs boson during the LHC Run 1 completes the experimental validation of the Standard Model (SM) of high-energy particle physics. Its particle spectrum is fully established, and definite predictions are available for all interactions. At the quantum level, the SM relates the masses of the heaviest particles the W and Z gauge bosons, the Higgs boson, and the top quark. The Z boson mass is precisely known since LEP1, and the measurement precision of the top quark mass has vastly improved at the TeVatron and LHC. In 2014, the ATLAS and CMS collaborations produced a precise measurement of the Higgs boson mass, based on the full 7 and 8 TeV datasets; in 2016, ATLAS completed a first measurement of mW, using 7 TeV data only, that matches the precision of the best previous results. The present proposal aims at further improvement in the measurements of mW, mZ and the weak mixing angle with ATLAS, exploiting all data available at 8 and 13 TeV. Leptonic final states play a particular role, and improving the measurement of electrons and muons is our main focus on the experimental side. A set of dedicated measurements is foreseen to bring our understanding of strong interaction effects to the required level. Finally, a global analysis of the electroweak parameters is proposed, accounting for correlations of QCD uncertainties across the different measurements, extending traditional electroweak fits. The involved scientists and institutes have recognized expertise and achievements in the fields spanned by this project. The present call provides a unique opportunity to strengthen our collaboration over a timescale matching the needs of our ambition.