research
CREF promotes original and high-impact lines of research, based on physical methods, but with a strong interdisciplinary character and in relation to the main problems of the modern knowledge society.
Principal Research Lines
Individual research areas
History of Physics
third mission
The CREF was born with a dual soul: a research centre and a historical museum. Its aim is to preserve and disseminate the memory of Enrico Fermi and to promote the dissemination and communication of scientific culture.
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Young researchers
Higher education and projects for young researchers
Open positions...
Il CREF indice una selezione pubblica, per titoli e colloquio, per il conferimento di n. 1 assegno di...
The annual Conference on Complex Systems (CCS) is the flagship meeting for the complex systems research...
research
Financed Projects
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POR-FESR Regione Lazio Projects
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POR-FESR Regione Lazio Projects
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PRIN Projects
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PRIN-PNRR Projects
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PNRR Projects
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GUIDELINES AND MATERIALS
FISASMEM – Aging Physiology : developing quantitative MRI Methods
2021-2023 Regione Lazio POR-FESR A0375-2020-36648
Characterizing aging is important for social wellbeing and for understanding the devastating effects of some age-related neurological pathologies. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is an investigative tool capable of capturing the deterioration of human brain network functionality associated with aging and neurodegeneration. However, fMRI is limited by the age-related variation in physiological noise, which is a confounding factor that is difficult to separate from the effect of neural origin. This project aims to address this scientific problem, which has important industrial implications in the health and biomedical industries, by characterizing the physiological origin of fMRI noise in ageing and in the early stages of neurodegeneration in terms of variations in vascular reactivity and micromovements, and by developing appropriate mitigation methods.
The project has been funded by the Lazio Region with POR FESR LAZIO 2014 - 2020 A0375-2020-36648, POR A0375E0085. (Funding €149.089,39)
Results
Brain aging is characterized by a deterioration in vascular function, particularly microvascular function, which is manifested by a decrease in cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and oxygen consumption rate (CMRO2). (CMRO2).
In this project, a protocol was developed to provide information on cerebrovascular reactivity with three different contrasts in a single 20-minute acquisition session. Cerebrovascular reactivity, which is a measure of the dilatory or constrictive response of cerebral blood vessels to vasoactive stimuli, is generally obtained using a single fMRI contrast, typically BOLD (blood oxygenation level dependent), which is not quantitative as it depends on physiological parameters specific to each subject and also on the intensity of the magnetic field, and therefore is not numerically comparable between acquisitions at different fields such as 1.5 T, 3 T and 7 T.
In the protocol developed, therefore, in addition to the BOLD sequence, two sequences have been incorporated and developed that are capable of providing quantitative parameters useful for obtaining a complete picture of CVR: ASL (arterial spin labeling), which depends on variations in CBF, and VASO (vascular space occupancy), which depends on variations in cerebral blood volume (CBV).
An example of a multi-contrast CVR obtained from the developed protocol is shown in the figure. This characterisation is particularly innovative as there are no other studies in the literature that map these three contrasts following a vasodilatory stimulus in a single session.
Link
The MITIQO project (In situ Monitoring of Toxicity, Geographical Indication and Quality of Olive Oil, Wine and Other Edible Liquids)
The MITIQO project (In situ Monitoring of Toxicity, Geographical Indication and Quality of Olive Oil, Wine and Other Edible Liquids), contract number no. A0375-2020-36647, was the winner and was funded by the Lazio Region in response to the public notice “Research Groups 2020” (http://www.lazioinnova.it/
MITIQO aims to create a unique tool for diagnosing the quality, safety and authenticity of edible products. To date, monitoring the concentration of heavy metals, which has an immediate impact on the health of the consumer, is only possible through diversified tests carried out in specialized centers. MITIQO will create a single tool, capable of providing this information in situ and quickly.
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PHERMIAC: Photonic High-Energy cosmic-ray Monitoring via Ising machines and Advanced Combinatorial optimization
Principal Investigator: Sapienza Università di Roma
Referente CREF: Fabrizio Coccetti
Code: 2022597MBS
The project aims to create an innovative device for applying ultrafast and energy-efficient photonic computation to high-energy physics, implementing a photonic Ising machine for ultrafast parallel processing of millions of spins. This device will be optimized for monitoring and reconstructing detected tracks of cosmic muons and other elementary particles.
re-SPECT: Towards a new family of nuclear imaging gamma detectors
Principal Investigator: Michela Marafini (CREF)
Partner: Sapienza Università di Roma, Università di Trento
Code: 2022Z72Y3K
The reSPECT project opens the way to a new family of gamma imaging detectors based on plastic scintillators combined with 3D printed collimators and an integrated readout system, allowing for significant cost reduction while achieving beyond state-of-the-art resolution and count-rate capability. The breakthrough is based on materials, 3D printing, and sensing innovations.
WECARE: WEaving Complexity And the gReen Economy
Principal Investigator: CNR-ISC
Partner : Dario Mazzilli (CREF)
Code: 20223W2JKJ
This project will gather, process, and harmonize data about export, patenting activity, and scientific production, focusing on green products and technologies. We will compute the green, technological, and scientific fitness of countries/regions an assessment of the specific ripeness of their economies. We will compute the relatedness between single economic sectors and technological fields. The result will be a map from industrial sectors to green technologies and vice versa. By using machine learning, we will compute the relatedness between green products/technologies and countries/regions to assess their preparedness for the sustainability transition and compare these results with standard economic and environmental indicators.
SLOW SUMER. Repair, Reuse, Recycling and Southern Mesopotamian Society in the Changing World of 2500-2000 BC
Principal Investigator: Sapienza Università di Roma
Partner: Giulia Festa (CREF)
Code: 2022LFKPNH
SLOW SUMER aims to study the Repair, Reuse, and Recycling in the framework of the Southern Mesopotamian Society in the Changing World of 2500-2000 BC through a multidisciplinary approach. The project is based on archaeological and philological data, modern scientific methods coupled with a Machine Learning approach, and finally interpreted within a sociological perspective. Expected results will be a solid base for further research on repair, reuse, and recycling in other periods and geographical areas. Furthermore, the project will provide, through an ancient example, new and useful evidence on the social and historical importance of the circular economy, in contrast with the anomaly of the contemporary throwaway society.
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) “Italy Tomorrow” is a vast program of reforms – including public administration, justice, simplification of legislation, competition, taxation – accompanied by adequate investments.
The PNRR is part of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) program, often also referred to as the “Recovery Fund”, the 750 billion euro package, made up of approximately half of grants, agreed by the European Union in response to the pandemic crisis . For the first time, common European debt will finance a post-pandemic recovery program for EU countries. The main component of the NGEU program is the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), which has a duration of six years, from 2021 to 2026, and a total size of 672.5 billion euros.
With the “PRIN 2022 PNRR” call of 14 September 2022 (D.D. 1409/2022), the MUR finances public research projects concerning one of the emerging strategic themes related to the objectives of a cluster of the European Framework Program for Research and Innovation 2021 -2027. The objective of the call is to promote the national research system, strengthen interactions between universities and research bodies, in line with the objectives outlined by the PNRR, and encourage Italian participation in initiatives relating to the Union’s Framework Program for research and innovation European.
MULTIPASS – MULTIPle trAcker for Secondary particleS monitoring
Project Code: P2022FZAC3
Coordinator: INFN Milano
CREF Referrer: Michela Marafini
This project aims to develop a new technology for detecting secondary radiation of different types (prompt photons, protons, and neutrons) in the framework of particle therapy. This multipurpose tracker is a compact detector made of plastic scintillating fibers, read by integrated electronics, designed to meet geometry and timing constraints.
Triple T – Tackling a just Twin Transition: a Complexity Approach to the Geography of Capabilities, Labour Markets and Inequalities
Coordinator: Angelica Sbardella (CREF)
Partner Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati Sant’Anna di Pisa
Project Code: P2022B5S5J
Triple T presents an ambitious interdisciplinary research agenda that plans to identify the capabilities and the policy strategies needed to lead economies towards a just twin transition – i.e. the combination and mutual reinforcement of the digital and sustainable transition. Triple T aims to obtain far-reaching advances in understanding the asymmetries across sectors, countries and regions that the transition may entail in knowledge generation, labour markets, and environmental and socio-economic inequalities. The multifaceted nature of such societal transformation, wherein geographical, structural and institutional elements interact, calls for a complexity perspective suitable to analyse a scenario characterised by interlinkages and trade-offs.
CODE – Coupling Opinion Dynamics with Epidemics
Coordinator Stefano Guarino CNR
CREF Referrer: Fabio Saracco
Partner Marco Brambilla, Politecnico di Milano
Project Code: P2022AKRZ9
The CODE (Coupling Opinion Dynamics with Epidemics) project aims to investigate the coupling between virtual interactions, leading to opinion formation, and physical interactions, which cause the spreading of epidemics. We will implement an efficient and scalable open-source tool to simulate the spread of infectious diseases in a large-scale geo-localized population and generate alternative counterfactual scenarios. The tool will be made available to policy-makers and stakeholders interested in evaluating the combined impact of mitigation interventions and (dis)information campaigns.
REal-time motion CorrEctioN in magneTic REsonance
Coordination: Sapienza Univesrità di Roma
CREF referrer: Federico Giove
Partner: CNR, INFN, Università Federico II
Project Code: P202294JHK
The RECENTRE project proposes a novel high-speed, real-time prospective motion correction technique for MR spectroscopy of the human brain. The technique is based on modern Deep Learning methods, which provide a potential avenue for dramatically reducing the computation time and improving the convergence of retrospective motion correction while overcoming the limits of the current state-of-the-art prospective methods that are incapable of coping with complex motion patterns.
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) “Italy Tomorrow” is a vast program of reforms – including public administration, justice, simplification of legislation, competition, taxation – accompanied by adequate investments.
The PNRR is part of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) program, often also referred to as the “Recovery Fund”, the 750 billion euro package, made up of approximately half of grants, agreed by the European Union in response to the pandemic crisis . For the first time, common European debt will finance a post-pandemic recovery program for EU countries. The main component of the NGEU program is the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), which has a duration of six years, from 2021 to 2026, and a total size of 672.5 billion euros.
Comp – SECOONDO Computational Second-order Nano-oxides Nonlinear Disordered Photonics
Principal Investigator : Romolo Savo (CREF)
Code: MSCA_000007
The project aims at using light and photonic materials to implement an analogue deep-learning neural network architecture. Photonic disorder and second-order optical nonlinearity will be the key features to developing a photonic platform with enhanced computing capability and whose fabrication has a limited environmental footprint.
DigiTransition – Transizione Digitale M1C1 PNRR NextGenerationEU
Principal Investigator: Fabrizio Coccetti (CREF)
This project aims to raise the level of cyber security of the Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi by migrating its virtual servers and all its strategic documentary services at the newly established Polo Strategico Nazionale (PSN) for Public Administration.
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