Determining the thermal history of the early universe, as it evolved from its maximal temperature reached after inflation, is one of the main challenges at the intersection of cosmology and particle physics, with implications on open issues like the generation of the baryon asymmetry of the Universe and the nature of Dark Matter. The maximal reheating temperature and the associated particle degrees of freedom are currently poorly constrained, ranging from baryons,leptons and photons at the lower end to unestablished particle physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) much above the TeV scale at the upper one. The existence of this Hot Big Bang phase is however uncontroversial and the physics of thermal equilibrium is central in many BSM scenarios, e.g. to produce Dark Matter. The precision reached by direct detection attempts of BSM signatures in collider or astroparticle experiments and by indirect constraints, e.g. those coming from Cosmic Microwave Background measurements, is expected to increase dramatically over the next years. This then calls for much more precise theoretical determinations of processes in and out of thermal equilibrium, through which we can probe BSM physics throughout the thermal history of the universe. I then propose to take the most advanced framework for the determination of these rates, based on recent advancements in Thermal Field Theory I spearheaded, and make it available to the community. It will take the form of publicly released computer codes that use automation to evaluate thermal rates in any arbitrary particle physics model to high precision with end-user effort comparable to that of the time-honored, approximate methods still widely employed, such as Boltzmann equations with thermally-averaged cross sections. In more detail, we will automate production and interaction rates for light and heavy particles alike, following the templates of recent works. For what concerns light-particle rates, we will use my work on thermal gravitational wave production, which provided a proof-of-concept of Thermal Field Theory automation for light particles. It will be used as a basis for the automation of the contribution of 22 processes to the light particle rate. We will also automate the calculation of 12 processes in the ultrarelativistic regime, with the inclusion of the interference of multiple soft scatterings with the plasma constituents (LPM effect). This will be based on my recent work on the smooth connection of this rate with its counterpart in the relativistic (M~T) regime. We would then use these 22 and 12 modules to automate the generation of kinetic equations in arbitrary models, which are a key ingredient in studies of thermalisation during reheating. For massive particles, we would complement the relativistic 12 module with the recent work by Jackson and Laine, which provides a ready-for-automation algorithm for the evaluation of next-to-leading order corrections to the 12 processes. These include real 22 and 13 processes, as well as virtual thermal corrections to the 12 ones. These can be essential for infrared safety: their absence, as in current semi-automated codes for dark matter abundance, can cause substantial overestimation of the rates. Finally, we would conclude by employing the developed modules to showcase the power of the framework with a benchmark study in a carefully selected module, so as to also obtain new results at the frontier of the field. The proposed research requires the recruitment of a postdoc, that will take a leading role in the automation of massive particles and collaborate with me on the lighter-particle rates. In addition, funds for travel and computing are requested.

The TESMARAC joint laboratory focuses on the development of selective supports necessary for the separation and determination of radionuclides at trace level in complex matrices in order to meet demands related to the management of (TE)NORM ("(Technology-Enhanced) Naturally-Occuring Radioactive Materials") and waste from the dismantling of nuclear installations. The associated issues concern (i) the management of radioactive waste, (ii) the recovery of materials and (iii) the assessment of the impact of radioactivity on humans. Innovation is envisaged through the knowledge and know-how from the Subatech laboratory behind the project (expertise in radiochemistry and nuclear metrology) and from TRISKEM (specialized in the manufacture and development of highly selective resins). The innovative approach is reinforced by a partnership with the MoDES team of the CEISAM laboratory through molecular modelling tools that will allow in-silico approaches. The functioning of this joint laboratory is based on the following steps: - Triskem International identifies current and future needs through technical conferences and discussions with its customers at national and international levels and assesses market potential. - Through their R&D teams, the partners identify groups of molecules likely to allow the desired separations. In-silico approaches are used upstream and downstream of experimental measurements. - The development of innovative materials is carried out in collaboration between R&D teams - The “hot” tests (i.e. in the presence of radioactivity) are performed at Subatech. Whenever possible, the experimental results are accompanied by modelling work (based on a mechanistic approach) in order to describe the observations and thus guide (and limit) the experiments. - The production and marketing of the final products will be the responsibility of Triskem International. The expected results for TRISKEM are the launch of new products and/or the extension of the scope of existing products. For the academic partner, the interest is multiple: the valorisation of the results and the use of innovative research approaches that require long-term research, the resulting expertise that can be used within the framework of the IN2P3/CNRS Becquerel network to respond to measurement requests, and the use of certain supports developed within the framework of existing research projects. The roadmap is structured around 3 projects that illustrate how the joint laboratory can lead to innovation with TRL levels expected at the end of the ANR-funded phase ranging from 3 to 9. The purpose of this first phase will be to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed collaboration in the TESMARAC laboratory. The partners are convinced that this close collaboration will increase the number of innovative products. A medium-term orientation of the labcom's activities towards nuclear medicine is envisaged. In addition to seeking funding for calls for projects, the sustainability of the joint laboratory (after the ANR support phase) will be based on (i) making laboratory equipment, calculation tools and staff on permanent contracts available, (ii) using part of the profits from the marketing of the products developed to help finance the joint laboratory and (iii) starting theses.

Smith-Purcell radiation offers the possibility to measure components similar to the Fourier transform of the longitudinal profile of ultra-short electron bunches. This information can be used to reconstruct the actual longitudinal profile of electron bunches. The measurement of such profile will be critical in the development of new particle accelerators such as drivers for Free Electron Lasers or plasma-wakefield accelerators. Indeed, at the latest conference, the community received our recent results with strong interest. Building on our recent results, we propose to perform a systematic experimental study of Smith-Purcell radiation to validate theoretical predictions and numerical simulations in a real accelerator environment. These experimental studies will allow us to build a well understood Smith-Purcell radiation monitor to measure components in wavelengths of the longitudinal profile of ultra-short electron bunches. Another task will focus on converting these components in a reconstruction of the actual longitudinal profile. To maximize our chances of success we will proceed by steps from the easiest to the most difficult environment where to perform such measurement. We will start by a systematic study at the end of the SOLEIL LINAC where we will easily get access to a large number of electron pulses. Theses pulses will be several picoseconds long and therefore the Smith-Purcell radiation expected from these pulses will be in a wavelength range (millimetric waves) where “optical” components can be built rather easily in a mechanical workshop such as the one available at LAL. The results of this study will allow us to build a single shot longitudinal profile monitor for these electron bunches in the picosecond range that will be tested at the same location. This will be followed by a study at SPARC in Frascati (Italy) where we will have access to shorter pulses (and a tuneable length). The tests at SPARC will allow us to study in depth Smith-Purcell radiation in the hundreds femtoseconds range, leading to the construction of a single shot profile monitor suitable for that pulse length range. In parallel we will continue tests on FACET at SLAC (USA). These tests which have already started will allow us to explore the low hundreds femtoseconds pulse length range and at a much higher energy. Theses tests together with the knowledge accumulated at SPARC and SOLEIL will allow us to build a single shot profile monitor suitable for FACET. Gathering all our experience from the tests at SOLEIL, SPARC and FACET we will be able to move to the much more challenging environment of laser-driven plasma wakefield accelerators. There we will build a single shot longitudinal profile monitor to achieve our ultimate goal of measuring the longitudinal profile of the electron pulses produced by a laser-driven plasma accelerator. Unlike previous measurements performed on conventional accelerators, this measurement will have to deal with large variation from shot to shot and this is where the single shot nature of the monitor will be critical. It is important to stress that such longitudinal measurement in a single shot has never been attempted at a laser-driven plasma-wakefield accelerator. It will therefore provide a new observable dimension in the study of the performances of these accelerators. Over the course of the project we will have used an easy range of wavelength to build firm foundations for this monitor and then moved by steps to more difficult wavelength ranges and settings to make very challenging measurements. The main deliverable will be a single shot longitudinal profile monitor for plasma-wakefield accelerators but as by-products we will also have produced designs of monitors interesting our partners at SOLEIL (for LUNEX5) and SPARC (for their FEL driver and their plasma accelerator) and we will have established an internationally recognised group at LAL working on diagnostics for plasma accelerators.

Large efforts have been made in the past decades to develop new types of cryogenic sensors for various applications, ranging from material analysis for the industry to astroparticles detection. Future spatial programs involve detectors working around 50 mK, while their readout electronics (eg preamplifiers), still working at much higher temperature, frequently prevent extracting the best performance from these detectors. In this wide and competitive context, mesoscopic devices provide attractive solutions for these problems. In this project, we propose to implement a mesoscopic charge amplifier for the readout of ionisation detectors, used for particles detection in many domains. Importantly, our device could improve by an order of magnitude the detection threshold of the EDELWEISS experiment for dark matter search, to which the CSNSM participates. The course of this research will go through developments, both fundamental and instrumental, based on the mesoscopic physics of quantum superconducting circuits. The aim of the present application is to provide with the funds necessary to initiate this new activity, consecutive to the hiring of the project's principal investigator at the CNRS (CSNSM). This project takes place within a broader framework aimed at developing a front-end mesoscopic cryoelectronics, to catch up with the latest developments in cryogenic detectors.

Experiments at the LHC make a tremendous effort to search for new physics in a plethora of final states, exploiting many different analysis techniques. The analysis designs are often motivated by theoretical ideas of how to extend the so-called Standard Model of particle physics. So far, no clear sign of new physics has emerged in any of these searches, and thus limits on the masses of hypothetical new particles of “beyond the Standard Model” (BSM) scenarios are pushed higher and higher. There is a fundamental problem, however, with this channel-by-channel approach: while it is very powerful for discovering or excluding simple, clear-cut signals that show up in only one channel, dispersed signals (i.e. effects of new particles which are spread out over several search regions or final states) may easily be missed since in each individual analysis only a small part of the available data is used. The problem is a burning one for two reasons. First of all, it remains clear that the Standard Model cannot be the last word. The question of the stability of the mass of the Higgs boson remains an unresolved puzzle, as do the nature of dark matter and the origin of the baryon asymmetry in the universe, to name but some of the major problems that still elude us to date and that may have their answers in (TeV-scale) BSM physics. Second, the LHC will be the world’s energy-frontier machine for the foreseeable future, with Run 3 taking place 2022-2024 and the High-Luminosity LHC phase scheduled to start in 2028. It goes without saying that the full exploitation of the LHC data is of primary importance to the field. With the SLDNP project, we attempt a new and much more global approach to the problem. Concretely, we aim at developing a statistical learning algorithm that identifies potential dispersed signals in the slew of published LHC analyses (collected in a large database) while remaining compatible with the entirety of LHC constraints. The dispersed signals are contextualized with "proto-models" of new physics for further testing and mapping onto full (UV-complete or effective-field) theories. In case of a discovery, this model-independent contextualising may address the inverse problem of particle physics and help to eventually unravel the concrete underlying BSM theory. SLDNP is thus a data-driven, global bottom-up approach to the quest of new physics. Its feasibility was recently demonstrated in a prototype study. The objective of this ANR project is to realize the full potential of SLDNP and develop it into a robust, reliable framework for elucidating effects of new physics in the LHC data. The project is a tight collaboration of theorists and experimentalists from the "Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie'' (LPSC) in Grenoble and the "Institute of High Energy Physics'' (HEPHY) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. The researchers involved are experts in BSM collider physics and have long-standing experience with the reinterpretation of LHC results, data science, and the development of computational tools.