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.

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Career Fair Bild
•5 min

Excited about our first Joint PSI and Park Innovaare Career Fair, but not sure how to talk to company representatives?

Career Planning
Career Opportunities
Networking

We are all excited about our first Joint PSI and Park Innovaare Career Fair, and looking forward to lots of fruitful interactions between companies and early career researchers. We cannot wait to hear your success stories. But how do you start the conversation?

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Outline of the applied methodology of using fast X-ray tomography on a CO2 electrolyzer in operation.
•Energy and Climate

Unraveling degradation processes in a bipolar membrane CO2 electrolyzer by time-resolved X-ray tomographic microscopy

Employing a bipolar ion conducting membrane (BPM) in forward bias is a convenient solution for the biggest issues in the more common anion exchange membrane (AEM) CO2 co-electrolysis: the degradation of the performance caused by carbonate salt precipitation at the cathode and the decrease of net CO2 conversion caused by the crossover of this molecule from cathode to anode also requiring energy for downstream gas separation. However, the performance and stability of this device remain largely insufficient when using such a BPM configuration. To understand the reasons for this, we performed time-resolved X-ray tomographic microscopy of an operating BPM CO2 electrolyzer. The imaging method reveals partly unexpected degradation processes that result in design recommendations for improvement.

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Khasanov et al

Tuning of the flat band and its impact on superconductivity in Mo5Si3−xPx

The superconductivity in systems containing dispersionless (flat) bands is seemingly paradoxical, as traditional Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory requires an infinite enhancement of the carrier masses. However, the combination of flat and steep (dispersive) bands within the multiple band scenario might boost superconducting responses, potentially explaining high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates and metal hydrides. Here, we report ...

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Junginger et al
•Large research facilities

SRF material research using muon spin rotation and beta-detected nuclear magnetic resonance

SμS

Muon spins precess in transverse magnetic fields and emit a positron preferentially in the spin direction at the instant of decay, enabling muon spin rotation (μSR) as a precise probe of local magnetic fields in matter. μSR has been used to characterize superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) materials since 2010. At TRIUMF, a beam of 4.2 MeV μ+ is implanted at a material-dependent depth of approximately 150 μm. A dedicated spectrometer was developed to measure the field of first vortex penetration and pinning strength in SRF materials in parallel magnetic fields of up to 300 mT. A low-energy beam available at PSI implants μ+ at variable depth in the London layer allowing for direct measurements ...

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superconductivity

Interface-induced superconductivity in magnetic topological insulators

One of the recipes for realizing topological superconductivity calls for interfacing a topological insulator with a superconductor. In a variant of that approach, Yi et al. grew a heterostructure consisting of layers of a magnetic topological insulator, (Bi,Sb)2Te3 doped with chromium, and antiferromagnetic iron telluride. Neither of these materials is superconducting, but iron telluride is a parent compound for a family of iron-based superconductors. Interfacing the layers led to the appearance of superconductivity in the presence of ferromagnetism and topological band structure. This combination of properties makes the heterostructure a promising, although not yet proven, platform for observing chiral topological superconductivity.

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ChionisD_Axpo
•6 min

PSI alumni at our partner companies: Dionysios Chionis, Axpo

Career Opportunities
PSI Alumni Careers

The PSI Career Blog presents PSI alumni and their career paths, as well as the daily work and career perspectives at our partner companies. Today we get both combined: Dionysos Chionis joined Axpo after his PhD at PSI, and provides an insight into his current position as head of the Nuclear Physics Group at Axpo Group.

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Yarema_HIghlight_NatureCom

Unravelling the amorphous structure and crystallization mechanism of GeTe phase change memory materials

Here we use in-situ high-temperature x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and theoretical calculations to quantify the amorphous structure of bulk and nanoscale GeTe. Based on XAS experiments, we develop a theoretical model of the amorphous GeTe structure, consisting of a disordered fcc-type Te sublattice and randomly arranged chains of Ge atoms in a tetrahedral coordination.

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Topic Overview