Abandon de l’énergie nucléaire, développement de l’énergie solaire et éolienne, production d’énergie à partir de la biomasse, réduction de la consommation d’énergie. D’ici 2050, la Suisse doit atteindre la neutralité climatique. Un objectif ambitieux, rendu plus urgent que jamais par une situation géopolitique de plus en plus difficile. Comment faire pour mettre en place ces prochaines années un approvisionnement énergétique durable et résistant pour la Suisse? Comment les énergies renouvelables peuvent-elles être utilisées de manière optimale? Quelles sont les nouvelles technologies les plus prometteuses? Au PSI, des chercheurs s’efforcent de trouver des réponses à ces questions décisives.
Analysis of a large-scale turbulent round jet
The entire study is an investigation into the self-similarity behavior [1] of first and second order statistical quantities derived from a large-scale jet flow taken from one of the experiments in the PANDA facility using the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD).
What is presented, are the merits, the potential and the characteristics of the corresponding underlying POD analysis. Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) is a mathematical framework to extract large-scale structures which are otherwise eventually masked by the complexity of the fully turbulent flow; example: the meandering of a jet which is not so obvious for the original data.
First Components of ESTIA arrive at ESS
The European Spallation Source (ESS) is currently under construction in Lund, Sweden and is set to become the most powerful neutron source in Europe and world-wide. The PSI-ESS project is delivering state-of-the-art contributions to five instruments at ESS, which will be home to a suite of 15 novel instruments. Among the five PSI instruments, the reflectometer ESTIA stands out as it is delivered in its entirety by PSI ...
Synchrotron movies
Prof Philip Willmott, the author of the book 'Introduction to Synchrotron Radiation: techniques and applications' (second edition, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 2019. ISBN: 9781119280392), makes the scripts for the simulations and animations available to the public.
Correlation between Oxygen Vacancies and Oxygen Evolution Reaction Activity for a Model Electrode: PrBaCo2O5+δ
The role of the oxygen stoichiometry of perovskite catalysts in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is systematically studied in the PrBaCo2O5+δ family. The reduced number of physical/chemical variables combined with in-depth characterizations such as neutron diffraction, O K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy(XAS), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), magnetization and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) studies, helps investigating the complex correlation between OER activity and a single perovskite property, such as the oxygen content. Larger amount of oxygen vacancies appears to facilitate the OER, possibly contributing to the mechanism involving the oxidation of lattice oxygen, i.e., the lattice oxygen evolution reaction (LOER). Furthermore, not only the number of vacancies but also their local arrangement in the perovskite lattice influences the OER activity, with a clear drop for the more stable, ordered stoichiometry.
SGS award for Pooja Thakkar
Pooja Thakkar received the Shoulders-Gray-Spindt award at the 34th Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference for her paper "Voltage-controlled three-electron-beam interference by a three-element Boersch phase shifter with top and bottom shielding electrodes"
Imaging strain with high resolution
Imaging strain in crystalline materials with high resolution can be a challenging task. Researchers demonstrate an original use of X-ray ptychography for this purpose: ptychographic topography.
Vital role of magnetocrystalline anisotropy in cubic chiral skyrmion hosts
Magnetic anisotropy is anticipated to govern the formation of exotic spin textures reported recently in cubic chiral magnets, like low-temperature tilted conical and skyrmion lattice (SkL) states and metastable SkLs with various lattice geometry. Motivated by these findings, we quantified the cubic anisotropy in a series of CoZnMn-type cubic chiral magnets. We found that the strength of anisotropy is highly enhanced towards low temperatures. Moreover, not only the magnitude but also the character of cubic anisotropy drastically varies upon changing the Co/Mn ratio.
Le campus d'innovation progresse
Le campus d'innovation Park Innovaare se développe à pas de géant. Les bâtiments modernes, en cours de construction à proximité immédiate du PSI, sont parfaitement adaptés aux besoins de l'industrie en matière de R&D, avec des bureaux, des laboratoires et des salles blanches.
Depuis la cérémonie de pose de la première pierre en novembre 2019, les travaux de construction des bâtiments de 38 000 m2, menés par ERNE AG, respectent le calendrier prévu et l'achèvement est attendu pour la fin de 2023. Ensuite, les entreprises et spin-offs déjà installées dans le parc, ainsi que plusieurs départements du PSI, emménageront dans les nouveaux bâtiments avec d'autres entreprises souhaitant bénéficier de l'écosystème d'innovation Park Innovaare.
https://www.parkinnovaare.ch/switzerland-innovation-hightech-campus-research-park
Coronavirus: dissiper le flou qui entoure les chiffres
L'hôpital universitaire de Zurich utilise des protéines produites par le PSI pour une étude afin de déterminer combien de personnes ont été infectées par le coronavirus.
Raman spectroscopic evidence for multiferroicity in rare earth nickelate single crystals
The rare earth nickelates RNiO3 are metallic at high temperatures and insulating and magnetically ordered at low temperatures. The low temperature phase has been predicted to be type II multiferroic, i.e., ferroelectric and magnetic order are coupled and occur simultaneously. Confirmation of those ideas has been inhibited by the absence of experimental data on single crystals. Here we report on Raman spectroscopic data of RNiO3 single crystals (R = Y, Er, Ho, Dy, Sm, Nd) for temperatures between 10 and 1000 K. Entering the magnetically ordered phase we observe the appearance of a large number of additional vibrational modes, implying a breaking of inversion symmetry expected for multiferroic order.
How ethane-consuming archaea pick up their favorite dish
Scientists decode the structure of the enzyme responsible for the ethane fixation by – beside others – using the SLS.
Updated information flyer: user operation during COVID-19 period
PSI has updated the information and guidelines for our users that apply during the COVID-19 pandemic period according to the obligation for our users to present a certificate of a negative PCR or rapid antigen test or the certificate of a full vaccination/recovery.
Une nouvelle division de recherche au PSI ouvre la voie à l’avenir des données
Le PSI fonde la nouvelle division de recherche Calcul scientifique, théorie et données.
First Mu3e Integration Run
During an extensive campaign at PSI, the Mu3e collaboration for the first time operated parts of the detector inside the experiment magnet and with muon beam stopping on a target in the center of the experiment.
Bedürfnisorientierte Spielangebote in der Kita Kiwi
Was heisst bedürfnisorientierte Spielangebote anbieten und was löst es aus?
Gold wert - "Was wir machen, machen wir richtig"
Erfahrungen aus der Teilprüfungsvorbereitungen und was haben wir daraus gelernt?
Preventing the break-in of the toxoplasmosis parasite
Scientists have identified the structure and functions of RON13, an enzyme of the toxoplasmosis parasite that is essential for the infectious mechanism in humans.
Unsplit superconducting and time reversal symmetry breaking transitions in Sr2RuO4 under hydrostatic pressure and disorder
There is considerable evidence that the superconducting state of Sr2RuO4 breaks time reversal symmetry. In the experiments showing time reversal symmetry breaking, its onset temperature, TTRSB, is generally found to match the critical temperature, Tc, within resolution. In combination with evidence for even parity, this result has led to consideration of a dxz ± idyz order parameter.
Circular Economy Entrepreneur Conference (CE2) 2021
Circular cities, food and agriculture as well as infrastructure and logistics: this is the focus of the third edition of CE2 on 22 September 2021 at the Kursaal Bern. The conference is the compass for companies that want to anchor sustainable business and the circular economy in their DNA. Renewable energies and recycling are important innovation topics at PSI - this is why we support CE2 as a partner.
Meet other forward-thinkers, designers, and specialists, exchange ideas and get inspired by around 25 experts in keynotes and deep dive sessions. These include Simonetta Sommaruga (Federal Councillor), Thomas Vellacott (CEO, WWF Switzerland), Cllr. Anna Richardson (City Convener, Sustainability and Carbon Reduction, Glasgow City Council), Dr Ian Roberts (CTO, Bühler Group) and Patrick Camele (CEO, SV Group).
Further information and registration at www.ce2.ch/en/
PSI: constants progrès dans la lutte contre le coronavirus
Analyses de structures cristallines, modèles informatiques, cultures cellulaires: dans ses recherches sur Sars-CoV-2, le PSI emprunte de nombreuses voies. Aperçu.
Quantum billiards with correlated electrons
Our collaborators at the Jozef Stefan Institute – the leading author, Jan Ravnik, is now a PSI Fellow at LMN – report a study of the electron ordering in equilateral triangle structures via photoexcitation of the prototypical dichalcogenide 1T-TaS2.
Wechsel an der Spitze des Verwaltungsrates des Park Innovaare
Während drei Jahren hat der heute scheidende Verwaltungsratspräsident der innovAARE AG in Villigen, Dr. Remo Lütolf, die Geschicke des Park Innovaare erfolgreich gelenkt. Mit seinem Hintergrund als früherer Landeschef von ABB Schweiz konnte Remo Lütolf sein breites Know-how aus der Industrie in sein Mandat einfliessen lassen. Sein Nachfolger ist Dr. Christian Brönnimann, Gründer und CEO von Dectris AG, einem erfolgreichen Spin-off Unternehmen des PSI mit Sitz in Baden-Daettwil, welches die weltweite Nummer eins in der Herstellung von Röntgendetektoren ist.
LRC and BluAct explore innovative filter material
Fission products from the PSI-SINQ gas-jet facility, as operated by LRC, were used to reveal the separation of relevant radionuclides from radioactively contaminated water. The tests were conducted using a novel innovative filter material made of a blend of milk whey and active charcoal on cellulose. This material has been developed by the ETHZ spin-off BluAct Technologies GmbH.
The importance of this project was recently highlithed in ETSON/news
PSI e-Learning Produktionen erneut ausgezeichnet
Zum dritten Mal in Folge wurden zwei unserer hauseigenen e-Learning Produktionen mit einem Siegel des renommierten Comenius EduMedia Awards für exemplarische Bildungsmedien ausgezeichnet.
Protonentherapie am PSI: Vortrag und Live-Video-Rundgang
In der Reihe "Forschung online erleben" veranstaltet das PSI am Mittwoch, 23. Juni 2021 von 19 bis 21 Uhr einen virtuellen Vortrag & Rundgang durch die Krebsbehandlungsanlagen am PSI. Erfahren Sie mehr darüber, welche Krebsarten am Zentrum für Protonentherapie des PSI mit Protonen behandelt werden, welche Patienten für eine solche Therapie infrage kommen und wie eine Behandlung abläuft.
Wählen Sie sich über diesen Link direkt in den Live-Video-Rundgang ein:
Mittwoch, 23. Juni 2021 – 19 bis 21 Uhr
https://psich.zoom.us/j/61021531635 , Meeting-ID: 61021531635
Weiterführende Informationen finden Sie unter folgendem Link:
https://www.psi.ch/de/psiforum/news/forschung-online-erleben-die-protonentherapie-am-psi
Stoneflies: Youth influences adulthood
Evolutionary biologists at the University of Bonn scan 219 species in different particle accelerators, beside others the Swiss Light Source SLS.
Comment fonctionne l’activation des cellules immunitaires
Le récepteur CCR5 aide à guider les cellules du système immunitaire vers les foyers d’infection. Un consortium de chercheurs a déchiffré son processus d’activation.
Mission Ice Memory: un franc succès
Lors de son expédition au massif du Mont-Rose, l’équipe internationale d’Ice Memory a prélevé deux carottes de glace d’une longueur de plus de 80 mètres au Colle Gnifetti.
Nanomonde magnétique
Au PSI, les chercheurs sont confrontés à des phénomènes exotiques tels que les aimants frustrés et les nanotourbillons, qui pourraient un jour permettre de stocker les données plus efficacement.
RENiO3 Single Crystals (RE = Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Y, Ho, Er, Lu) Grown from Molten Salts under 2000 bar of Oxygen Gas Pressure
The electronic properties of transition-metal oxides with highly correlated electrons are of central importance in modern condensed-matter physics and chemistry, both for their fundamental scientific interest and for their potential for advanced electronic applications. However, the design of materials with tailored properties has been restricted by the limited understanding of their structure–property relationships, which are particularly complex in the proximity of the regime where localized electrons become gradually mobile. RENiO3 perovskites, characterized by the presence of spontaneous metal to insulator transitions, are some of the most widely used model materials for the investigation of this region in theoretical studies. However, crucial experimental information needed to validate theoretical predictions is still lacking due to their challenging high-pressure synthesis, which has prevented to date the growth of sizable bulk single crystals with RE ≠ La, Pr, and Nd. Here we report the first successful growth of single crystals with RE = Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Y, Ho, Er, and Lu in sizes up to ∼75 μm, grown from molten salts in a temperature gradient under 2000 bar of oxygen gas pressure. The crystals display regular prismatic shapes with flat facets, and their crystal structures and metal–insulator and antiferromagnetic order transition temperatures are in excellent agreement with previously reported values obtained from polycrystalline samples. The availability of such crystals opens access to measurements that have hitherto been impossible to conduct. This should contribute to a better understanding of the fascinating properties of materials with highly correlated electrons and guide future efforts to engineer transition-metal oxides with tailored functional properties.