With the help of CHRISP, researchers are using the internationally most powerful source of ultracold neutrons to investigate how our universe is structured. They determine, for example, fundamental natural constants with the highest precision and search for deviations in the current standard model of particle physics. They also develop and test detectors for experiments at PSI, for space missions and for the European research centre CERN in Geneva.
Technology from the Paul Scherrer Institute detects proton collisions at unprecedented levels of energy
CERN has been able to take the first measurements of collisions between the highest-energy particles ever generated. These collisions were performed at CERN's new LHC accelerator and recorded with the CMS Experiment, which involved a key component (the barrel pixel detector) contributed by the Paul Scherrer Institute in collaboration with Swiss Universities. The first LHC operation in Dezember 2009 has now resulted in a first particle physics publications of the CMS experiment. This is after a remarkable short time , given the compexity and the size of this gigantic experiment with over 3000 physicists and engineers from close to 40 countries.
Magnetspeicher der neusten Generation sind 100 000 mal schneller als herkömmliche Festplatten
Computer-Festplatten könnten bald ausgedient haben: Forscher des Paul Scherrer Instituts PSI und der Universität Konstanz haben neuartige Magnetbänder untersucht und gezeigt, dass sie nicht nur sehr hohe Speicherdichten, sondern auch viel schnellere Zugriffszeiten als heutige Speichermedien zulassen. Leiter der Studie war Mathias Kläui, der am 1. April eine von der ETH Lausanne und dem PSI gemeinsam finanzierte Professur antritt.This news release is only available in French and German.
The competition between organics and bromide at the aqueous solution – air interface as seen from ozone uptake kinetics and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
A more detailed understanding of the heterogeneous chemistry of halogenated species in the marine boundary layer is required. Here, we studied the reaction of ozone (O3) with NaBr solutions in presence and absence of citric acid (C6H8O7) under ambient conditions. Citric acid is used as a proxy for oxidized organic material present at the ocean surface or in sea spray aerosol.
News from the smog chamber: mechanisms of particle formation in the atmosphere unveiled
Up to the present time, the nucleation or new formation of particles in the atmosphere has been a great enigma. Until recently, research was based on the assumption that sulphuric acid played the central role in particle formation. However, laboratory experiments and field tests have consistently provided conflicting results. In the lab, considerably higher concentrations of sulphuric acid are required for nucleation to take place than in the atmosphere itself. Now scientists from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have found out the cause for these conflicting results from their smog chamber. These findings will advance climate research to a significant degree.
Attacking the lifeline of tumour cells
Researchers at Biomedicum Helsinki, Finland, and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, Switzerland, have determined the crystal structure of the ligand-binding domain of a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor in complex with one of its ligands (VEGF-C).
Das PSI füllt ein Vakuum mit einem Vakuum
Einweihung Vakuumlabor im Schülerlabor iLab am Paul Scherrer InstitutIm Beisein der Erziehungsdirektoren der Nordwestschweiz hat das Paul Scherrer Institut heute ein zweites Experimentierthema in seinem Schülerlabor iLab eingeweiht. Das neue Vakuumlabor bietet den Schülerinnen und Schülern weitere spannende Versuche und ergänzt das im April 2008 eröffnete Schalllabor in idealer Weise.This news release is only available in German.
Local current measurement in PEFC
Major barriers for a successful commercialization of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEFCs) are insufficient lifetime and high cost of platinum catalyst. A comprehensive understanding of aging and transport phenomena on all relevant length scales is a key to improve durability and to reduce precious metal loading. Flow fields as used in PEFCs for the distribution of the reactant gases over the electrode area cause inhomogeneities. The importance of down the channel inhomogeneities has been realized.
Mystery solved: how fine particulates are formed in the air
Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute, the University of Colorado and 29 other research institutions in various countries have investigated the composition of the organic constituents of the fine particulates found in various regions of the world, and have identified the original substances from which they are formed in each case. For the first time ever, this has enabled them to explain the role played by the individual components of emissions in the development of fine particulates.
High-Tech umgeben von Natur pur
Am Paul Scherrer Institut ist alles im grünen Bereich70 Prozent des Firmenareals des Paul Scherrer Instituts PSI in Villigen sind natur-nah gestaltet. Für diese Bemühungen wurde das Forschungszentrum bereits zum dritten Mal mit dem Qualitätslabel der Stiftung Natur&Wirtschaft ausgezeichnet.This news release is only available in German.
Service to the scientific community
Neutrons, synchrotron light and muons are very useful for researchers in a variety of disciplines. Using these probes, we can determine the structure of crystals, they help us understand magnetic processes, or they can reveal the structures of biological materials. However, producing these probes is so difficult that most research groups will not have a neutron, muon or synchrotron light at their own scientific centre.
Producing Synthetic Natural Gas from Wood
PSI researchers are investigating methods for converting wood waste into synthetic natural gas that could be fed into the public gas grid. Switzerland has enough wood available to cover several percent of its total energy requirements. Energy production from wood is CO2-neutral, due to the fact the CO2 formed during combustion would otherwise be released when the wood rotted down. Unlike the direct combustion of wood, however, use of this synthetic gas produces no harmful particulate matter.
Reliable materials for nuclear reactors
Materials used in nuclear power plants are subjected to extreme conditions. The safety standards for the selection, deployment and monitoring of these materials are extremely high. At PSI, the long-term behaviour of power plant components is being studied. Hence researchers investigate the impact of stress-corrosion cracking in materials, or the effects of strong radioactive radiation on their durability.
Schweizer Spitzenforschung in Europäischer Grossforschungsanlage
Heute haben die Vertreter von zehn Staaten im Hamburger Rathaus an der Vertragsunterzeichnung für den Bau des European XFEL teilgenommen. Die Schweiz ist am Aufbau der Anlage beteiligt und wird zum Gelingen des Projekts an entscheidenden Stellen mit Know-how beitragen, das am Paul Scherrer Institut entwickelt worden ist.This news release is only available in German.
Observation of a d-wave nodal liquid in highly underdoped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ
A key question in condensed-matter physics is to understand how high-temperature superconductivity emerges on adding mobile charged carriers to an antiferromagnetic Mott insulator. We address this question using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to probe the electronic excitations of the non-superconducting state that exists between the Mott insulator and the d-wave superconductor in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ.
Aufbau von Materialien nanogenau untersuchen
Ein neues Mikroskop an der Synchrotron Lichtquelle Schweiz SLS des Paul Scherrer Instituts wird es möglich machen, den Aufbau von Materialien mit bisher unerreichter Auflösung darzustellen. Dazu werden Forschende einzelne Bereiche in einem Material betrachten, die nur wenige Nanometer (millionstel Millimeter) gross sind, und für jeden dieser Bereiche bestimmen, welche chemischen Elemente darin enthalten sind.This news release is only available in German.
Mädchen erleben Naturwissenschaft und Technik
Am Nationalen Tochtertag begleiten Mädchen der 5. bis 7. Schulklasse ihre Mutter oder ihren Vater zur Arbeit. Dabei können sie sich ein Bild machen über deren Tätigkeit am Arbeitsplatz, lernen die Arbeitskolleginnen und -kollegen kennen und erhalten so einen ersten Einblick in die Erwerbswelt.Dass die Berufe auch in einem naturwissenschaftlichen Umfeld nicht ausschliesslich mit Männern besetzt sein müssen, erfahren die Mädchen am Paul Scherrer Institut in Villigen.This news release is only available in German.
Watching atoms move: an ultrafast phase transition
One approach to advance our understanding of the complex interactions between different degrees of freedom in strongly correlated systems is to use time-resolved methods to study the response of a material after it has been driven out of equilibrium. Ultrafast optical techniques have demonstrated considerable potential to unravel the correlations that drive the interesting physics in such materials.
How fast can the lattice symmetry of a solid change?
One approach to advance our understanding of the complex interactions between different degrees of freedom in strongly correlated systems is to use time-resolved methods to study the response of a material after it has been driven out of equilibrium. Ultrafast optical techniques have demonstrated considerable potential to unravel the correlations that drive the interesting physics in such materials.
Winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry is long-term user of Swiss Light Source at the Paul Scherrer Institute
The Paul Scherrer Institute congratulates Professor Venkatraman Ramakrishnan on the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Ramakrishnan is a long-term user of the Swiss Light Source SLS at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland. He used this facility for his prize winning studies on the structure of the ribosome.
Safe repositories for radioactive waste - a study of specifically Swiss conditions
Radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, as well as from medical applications, industry and research, has to be isolated from the environment, particularly the habitat of humans, for a very long time. Specialists at PSI have been concerned with the safety issues surrounding safety certification for geological repositories for many years. Research at PSI focusses primarily on the physico-chemical processes inside such storage systems. The aim is to create a realistic description of the risks associated with storage of radioactive waste.
Frozen memory of the climate
Information about the climate and atmospheric composition in previous centuries can be stored in glacier ice. PSI-researchers undertake regular expeditions to various areas within these regions to remove ice cores. These ice cores are effectively solid columns of ice that have been drilled out from a glacier. Once in the laboratory, the cores are thawed out and their composition is analysed, layer by layer. The results provide fascinating insights into a range of aspects of the previous climate.
Structures and impacts of national and international energy systems – national climatic targets for Switzerland
The Paul Scherrer Institut analyses the structures and impacts of national and international energy systems. In 2007, for example, a study was carried out in which PSI makes recommendations as to what the national climatic targets of Switzerland could be. The study also highlighted the facts on which the Swiss energy system is based and indicated which targets can be achieved and how. Protection of the climate is, after all, one of the most important areas of national energy policy for the coming years, and the emission of CO2 in Switzerland should be at least halved by the year 2050. Better energy efficiency is an important factor towards this goal – but not the only one.
Ticket für die Reise durch die Zelle
Publikation in Cell. Forscher entdecken Mechanismus für wesentliche Erkennungsvorgänge in lebenden Zellen. Über ihre Ergebnisse berichten die Forscher in der neuesten Ausgabe der Fachzeitschrift Cell.This news release is only available in German.
Treibstoff aus Sonnenenergie
Solar researcher Aldo Steinfeld, Laboratory Head at PSI and Professor at ETH Zurich, wins the Yellot Award awarded by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for his research on renewable energy.This news release is only available in German.
Controlling the electronic surface properties of a material
Forschenden ist es erstmals gelungen, dünne Schichten mit steuerbaren elektronischen Eigenschaften herzustellen. Diese Entdeckung könnte für zukünftige Anwendungen in der Sensorik und der Computertechnologie von grosser Bedeutung sein. Die Arbeiten wurden im Wissenschaftsmagazin Science veröffentlicht.This news release is only available in German.
Watching atoms move
A complete characterization of the unit cell dynamics of a laser-excited tellurium crystal is demonstrated using femtosecond x-ray diffraction. The analysis offers a quantitative measure of the unit cell dynamics without making any assumptions on the symmetry of the excited-state motion.
Der Aargauer Regierungsrat auf Informationsbesuch am Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in Villigen AG
Auch in neuer Zusammensetzung ein Zeichen gesetzt. Der Aargauer Regierungsrat in corpore hat sich heute am PSI, dem grössten öffentlichen Forschungsinstitut der Schweiz, aus erster Hand über dessen zukünftige Forschungsschwerpunkte informieren lassen. PSI-Direktor Joël Mesot und sein Team führten die Gäste durch die einzigartigen Grossanlagen des Instituts und stellten unter anderem auch das neue Grossprojekt des PSI, den SwissFEL, vor.This news release is only available in German.
Innovative Ideen und kreatives strategisches Handeln
Das Paul Scherrer Institut präsentiert aktuelle Themen auf seiner Jahresmedienkonferenz. Das Paul Scherrer Institut PSI ist für seine Spitzenforschung bekannt. Wie diese Spitzenposition zustande kommt und wie man sie langfristig sichern kann, erfuhren Medienvertreter bei der Jahresmedienkonferenz am 23. Juni. Aber nicht nur die eigentliche Forschung erfordert innovative Ideen: auch kreatives strategisches Handeln ist wichtig, so dass beispielsweise stets genug begabte junge Forscher den Weg ans PSI finden. Dafür sollen insbesondere Kooperationen mit Hochschulen sorgen, von denen die gemeinsame Professur gerade besonders aktiv vorangetrieben werde betonte Joël Mesot, der Direktor des Instituts.This news release is only available in German.
Confinement-Induced Orientational Alignment of Quasi-2D Fluids
Extreme confinement is known to induce ordering of the fluid, thereby affecting its properties.
Advanced phase contrast imaging using a grating interferometer
Conventional absorption based X-ray microtomography can become limited for objects showing only very weak attenuation contrast at high energies. However, a wide range of samples studied in biology and materials science can produce significant phase shifts of the X-ray beam and thus phase contrast X-ray imaging can provide substantially increased contrast sensitivity.