SwissFEL

The latest large research facility at PSI generates very short pulses of X-ray light with laser-like properties. This enables researchers to observe extremely fast processes, such as how new molecules are created in a chemical reaction; to determine the detailed structure of vital proteins; or to determine the relationship between electronic and atomic structure in materials. This new knowledge expands our understanding of nature and leads to many practical applications, for instance new pharmaceuticals, more efficient processes in the chemical industry, or new materials for electronics.

Read more at: SwissFEL
Fogh et al

Tuning magnetoelectricity in a mixed-anisotropy antiferromagnet

Control of magnetization and electric polarization is attractive in relation to tailoring materials for data storage and devices such as sensors or antennae. In magnetoelectric materials, these degrees of freedom are closely coupled, allowing polarization to be controlled by a magnetic field, and magnetization by an electric field, but the magnitude of the effect remains a challenge in the case of single-phase magnetoelectrics for applications. 

Pride Banner 2023

Event: "LGBTQIA+ in the Workplace - More Inclusion, More Innovation, More Success"

On the occasion of Pride Month in June, the research institutes PSI, Empa, Eawag and WSL invited the three guests: Prof Dr Andrea Gurtner, Prof Michael Ramsey-Musolf and Dr Aswathi Kanjampurath Sivan. We are looking forward to the latest findings and a lively exchange with the three guests and the participants!

Gas Attenuators

A compact gas attenuator for the SwissFEL ATHOS beamline realized using additive manufacturing

Gas attenuators are important devices providing accurate variation of photon intensity for soft X-ray beamlines. In the SwissFEL ATHOS beamline front-end the space is very limited and an innovative approach has been taken to provide attenuation of three orders of magnitude up to an energy of 1200 eV. Additive manufacturing of a differential pumping system vacuum manifold allowed a triple pumping stage to be realized in a space of less than half a meter. Measurements have shown that the response of the device is as expected from theoretical calculations.

14th EMUG meeting, Ljubljana (Hybrid), 2023

Jožef Stefan Institute, EMUG 2023 (Hybrid)

C_Wäckerlin

Dr Christian Wäckerlin is appointed as assistant professor at EPFL

Dr Christian Wäckerlin (*1983), currently Research and Teaching Associate at EPFL and Project Leader at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), as Assistant Professor of Physics in the School of Basic Sciences. Christian Wäckerlin’s research focuses on nanoscience and quantum engineering.

Setup miniSLM at MicroXAS

A close look at temperature profiles during laser 3D printing

Operando X-ray diffraction was used to measure process zone temperatures in laser powder bed fusion and compared with finite element simulations.

MAMI beam test set-up

Beam test of pixel sensors at MAMI Mainz

We spent a week at the MAMI electron accelerator in Mainz testing MuPix11 pixel sensors. In particular we studied the behaviour at high rates, tested various operation points and took data for parametrising the sensor response in the simulation.

Manuel Guizar-Sicairos PSI

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

On May 21st, the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, a day initially declared by the UN General Assembly in 2002, acknowledges the value of cultures and intercultural dialogue in achieving peace and sustainable development. PSI researchers from 64 nationalities work together towards a common goal of advancing science for a better tomorrow. Today, we celebrate this cultural diversity by showcasing the favorite dishes of four PSI researchers.

Marino Missiroli

Marino Missiroli elected Trigger Coordinator of the CMS experiment at CERN

Marino Missiroli, a postdoctoral researcher in the High-Energy Particle Physics group of the Laboratory for Particle Physics (LTP) in NUM, will join the management team of the CMS experiment at CERN as Trigger Co-Coordinator in September 2023.

Zr

Deciphering the Mechanism of Crystallization of UiO-66 Metal-Organic Framework

Zirconium-containing metal-organic framework (MOF) with UiO-66 topology is an extremely versatile material, which finds applications beyond gas separation and catalysis.  By means of in situ time-resolved high-resolution mass spectrometry, Zr K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy, magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction it is showed that the nucleation of UiO-66 occurs via a solution-mediated hydrolysis of zirconium chloroterephthalates, whose formation appears to be autocatalytic.

Cement hydration on the micro- and nanoscale

A deep look into hydration of cement

Researchers led by the University of Málaga show the Portland cement early age hydration with microscopic detail and high contrast between the components. This knowledge may contribute to more environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.

Automation trifft Adrenalin

Automation trifft Adrenalin

Die zwei Automatiker Abschlussklassen der BBB Baden haben am 26. April und 27. April 2023 auf ihrer Abschlussreise das Mercedes-Benz Werk und den Europapark Rust besucht.

 

Daniel Melvin

Welcome to LXN Daniel Melvin

Herzlich Willkommen Daniel Melvin in LXN!

Photograph of the refractive X-ray lens

Apochromatic X-ray focusing

A team of scientists from the Paul Scherrer Institut, the University of Basel and DESY have demonstrated the first-ever realization of apochromatic X-ray focusing using a tailored combination of a refractive lens and a Fresnel zone plate. This innovative approach enables the correction of the chromatic aberration suffered by both refractive and diffractive lenses over a wide range of X-ray energies. This groundbreaking development in X-ray optics have been just published in the scientific journal Light: Science & Applications.

Chemikalien-Inventur 2023

Chemikalien-Inventur 2023

Dieses Jahr wurde die erste periodische Chemikalien-Inventur am PSI mit 117 beteiligten Gruppen und insgesamt 20`000 Chemikalien erfolgreich abgeschlossen.

 

Berufsbildungsausflug 2023

Berufsbildungsausflug 2023

Die Umwelt ist uns nicht egal!