Antonino Di Piazza, NSF OPAL Co-PI, is part of an international team that has been awarded an approximately $16 million USD, six-year European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant.
Antonino Di Piazza Receives ERC Synergy Grant
Antonino Di Piazza, NSF OPAL Co-PI leading the High-Field Physics and Quantum Electrodynamic (HFP/QED) frontier science area, is part of an international team that has been awarded an approximately $16 million USD, six-year European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant. The grant supports the use of multi-petawatt-class lasers and plasma accelerators to explore the fully non-perturbative quantum electrodynamics (NP-QED) regime, advancing our understanding of how matter behaves under the most intense electromagnetic fields ever produced on Earth. The experiments will apply extreme electromagnetic fields from multi-petawatt lasers to ultra-relativistic electrons and positrons to test a conjecture that states interaction between light and matter strengthen under these conditions. This research aligns with a flagship experiment proposed for NSF OPAL that could approach the fully NP-QED regime.
Learn more about NSF OPAL HFP/QED frontier science: https://nsf-opal.rochester.edu/frontier-science/hfp-qed/
Read the URochester award announcement: https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/erc-synergy-grant-advance-quantum-electrodynamics-677502/
Read more about the prestigious ERC Synergy grants here: https://desy.de/desy_latest_news/2025/erc_synergy_grants_2025/index_eng.html