Horizon 2020, the EU’s new programme for research and innovation, has granted 1.5 milion Euros for the AIDA project, coordinated by Andrei Mesinger (Scuola Normale Superiore). The project “An Illumination of the Dark Ages” (AIDA), investigates the birth of the very first stars and galaxies in our Universe, occurring over 13 billion years ago.  These galaxies are too faint to be seen directly, even with the most advanced telescopes.  Yet their light heated and ionized virtually every atom in the Universe, in an important milestone called Cosmic Reionization. By developing state-of-the-art simulations and comparing them to observations, Mesinger and his group will quantify what can we learn about the first galaxies from the timings and patterns of Cosmic Reionization.  Ultimately, AIDA will help us understand the mysterious origins of the structures of our Universe.
Scientific programme:  Horizon 2020 – ERC Starting Grant 2014
​ Principal Investigator (PI): Andrei Mesinger​
Project: An Illumination of the Dark Ages: modeling reionization and interpreting observations (AIDA)
Grant: € 1.468.750,00​