Matter and Material

17. May 2013

Experimente in Millionstelsekunden

Matter and Material Large Scale Facilities Research Using Muons

Myonen – instabile Elementarteilchen – bieten Forschenden wichtige Einblicke in den Aufbau der Materie. Sie liefern Informationen über Vorgänge in modernen Materialien, über die Eigenschaften von Elementarteilchen und über die Grundstrukturen der physikalischen Welt. Viele Myonenexperimente sind nur am Paul Scherrer Institut möglich, weil hier besonders intensive Myonenstrahlen zur Verfügung stehen.


This news release is only available in German.

5. May 2013

Tiny Magnets as a Model System

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Synchrotron Light

Scientists use nano-rods to investigate how matter assembles
To make the magnetic interactions between the atoms visible, scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have developed a special model system. It is so big that it can be easily observed under an X-ray microscope, and mimics the tiniest movements in Nature. The model: rings made from six nanoscale magnetic rods, whose north and south poles attract each other. At room temperature, the magnetisation direction of each of these tiny rods varies spontaneously. Scientists were able to observe the magnetic interactions between these active rods in real time. These research results were published on May 5 in the journal “Nature Physics”.

22. April 2013

Germanium – zum Leuchten gezogen

Media Releases Matter and Material Micro- and Nanotechnology Materials Research

Forscher des PSI und der ETH Zürich haben mit Kollegen vom Politecnico di Milano in der aktuellen Ausgabe der wissenschaftlichen Fachzeitschrift "Nature Photonics" eine Methode erarbeitet, einen Laser zu entwickeln, der schon bald in den neuesten Computern eingesetzt werden könnte. Damit könnte die Geschwindigkeit, mit der einzelne Prozessorkerne im Chip miteinander kommunizieren, drastisch erhöht werden. So würde die Leistung der Rechner weiter steigen.
This news release is only available in German.

8. April 2013

X-ray Laser: A novel tool for structural studies of nano-particles

Media Releases SwissFEL Matter and Material

Prominent among the planned applications of X-ray free electron laser facilities, such as the future SwissFEL at the Paul Scherrer Institute, PSI, are structural studies of complex nano-particles, down to the scale of individual bio-molecules. A major challenge for such investigations is the mathematical reconstruction of the particle form from the measured scattering data. Researchers at PSI have now demonstrated an optimized mathematical procedure for treating such data, which yields a dramatically improved single-particle structural resolution. The procedure was successfully tested at the Swiss Light Source synchrotron at PSI.

3. April 2013

Observing engine oil beneath metal

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Neutrons

Developmental Engineers from the firm LuK (D) wanted to see right through the metal housing of a clutch. They wanted to observe how the oil that lubricates and cools a clutch is distributed. A transparent disc becomes dirty very quickly, and X-rays merely reveal the metal. These engineers therefore turned to scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute, who illuminated the metal with neutrons and thus made the lubricating oil visible. The results surprised everyone: only three of the eight lamellae were sufficiently lubricated.

12. February 2013

Superconductors surprise with intriguing properties

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light

Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute, together with Chinese and German collaborators, have obtained new insights into a class of high-temperature superconductors. The experimental results of this fundamental research study indicate that magnetic interactions are of central importance in the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity. This knowledge could help to develop superconductors with enhanced technical properties in the future.

31. January 2013

Magnetic nano-chessboard puts itself together

Media Releases Micro- and Nanotechnology Materials Research Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light

Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research have been able to intentionally ‘switch off’ the magnetization of every second molecule in an array of magnetized molecules and thereby create a ‘magnetic nano-chessboard’. To achieve this, they manipulated the quantum state of a part of the molecules in a specific way.

25. January 2013

Proton size puzzle reinforced!

Media Releases Particle Physics Research Using Muons Large Scale Facilities Matter and Material

An international team of scientists confirmed the surprisingly small value of the proton radius with laser spectroscopy of exotic hydrogen. The experiments were carried out at PSI which is the only research institute in the world providing the necessary amount of muons for the production of the exotic hydrogen atoms made up of a muon and a proton.

23. January 2013

Excitement that rivals a moon landing

Matter and Material User Experiments Research Using Synchrotron Light

Interview with Thomas Huthwelker
The Paul Scherrer Institut makes its research facilities available to scientists from all over the world. To ensure these scientists are exposed to optimal conditions when they arrive is the hard work of many PSI staff. An interview with one of these scientists provides a glimpse behind the scenes. This interview is taken from the latest issue of the PSI Magazine Fenster zur Forschung

7. January 2013

The weak side of the proton

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Muons Particle Physics

An international research team has determined with a high level of accuracy, how the proton participates in the weak interaction – one of the fundamental forces of nature. Their results confirm the predictions of the Standard Model of particle physics. The experiment observed the probability of muon capture by protons – a process governed by the weak interaction. The experiment was conducted at the Paul Scherrer Institute, the only institute in the world with an accelerator capable of generating enough muons for carrying out this project in a realistic timeframe.

2. October 2012

Silicon – Close to the Breaking Point

Media Releases Materials Research Micro- and Nanotechnology Matter and Material

Stretching a layer of silicon can lead to internal mechanical strain which can considerably improve the electronic properties of the material. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute and the ETH Zurich have created a new process from a layer of silicon to fabricate extremely highly strained nanowires in a silicon substrate. The researchers report the highest-ever mechanical stress obtained in a material that can serve as the basis for electronic components. The long term goal aim is to produce high-performance and low-power transistors for microprocessors based on such wires.

10. September 2012

Built-in Germanium Lasers could make Computer Chips faster

Media Releases Materials Research Micro- and Nanotechnology Matter and Material

Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) researchers have investigated the mechanisms necessary for enabling the semiconductor Germanium to emit laser light. As a laser material, Germanium together with Silicon could form the basis for innovative computer chips in which information would be transferred partially in the form of light. This technology would revolutionise data streaming within chips and give a boost to the performance of electronics.

5. September 2012

New Insights into Superconducting Materials

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Synchrotron Light

A new X-ray technique provides insights into the magnetic properties of atomically thin layers of a parent compound of a high-temperature superconductor. It turns out that the magnetic properties of material films which are only a few atoms thick differ by only a surprisingly small degree from those of macroscopically thick samples. In the future, this method can be used to study the processes occurring in very thin layers of superconductors and help us to understand this intriguing phenomenon.

4. July 2012

Observation of a New Particle

Media Releases Matter and Material Particle Physics

In a joint seminar today at CERN and the “ICHEP 2012” conference in Melbourne, researchers of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) presented their preliminary results on the search for the standard model (SM) Higgs boson in their data recorded up to June 2012.

3. July 2012

Controversy clarified: Why two insulators together can transport electricity

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research

How can two materials which do not conduct electricity create an electrically conducting layer when they are joined together? Since this effect was discovered in 2004, researchers have developed various hypotheses to answer this question. Now, an international team under the leadership of researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute has probably settled the controversy.

18. April 2012

Physicists observe the splitting of an electron inside a solid

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Synchrotron Light

An electron has been observed to decay into two separate parts, each carrying a particular property of the electron: a spinon carrying its spin – the property making the electron behave as a tiny compass needle – and an orbiton carrying its orbital moment – which arises from the electron’s motion around the nucleus. These newly created particles, however, cannot leave the material in which they have been produced.

29. February 2012

Creating magnetism takes much longer than destroying it

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Synchrotron Light

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute are finding out how long it takes to establish magnetism and how this happens. Establishing a magnetically ordered phase in the metallic alloy iron-rhodium takes much longer than the reverse process of demagnetization. The result comes from basic research, but has relevance for the computer industry, as it shows which processes limit the speed of magnetic data storage and where improvements might be made.

7. February 2012

Using heat for storing data

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light Materials Research

An international research team has demonstrated a new way to record information on a magnetic medium without the use of a magnetic field. Instead, they found that they could record information using only a heat pulse. This method of recording might allow one to record Terabytes (1000s of Gigabytes) of information per second being 100s of times faster than present hard drive technology, and consumes much less energy by using heat without the need for a magnetic field. Using modern lithographic methods and x-ray microscopy, researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute contributed considerably to this work.

23. January 2012

It works: Ultrafast magnetic processes observed ‘live’ using an X-ray laser

Media Releases Matter and Material SwissFEL SwissFEL Experiments Materials Research

In first-of-their-kind experiments performed at the American X-ray laser LCLS, a collaboration led by researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute has been able to precisely follow how the magnetic structure of a material changes. The change of structure was initiated by a laser pulse, and investigated with the help of short X-ray pulses. It appears as if the structure begins to change 400 femtoseconds after the laser pulse strikes. Such investigations will be a major focus of research at the planned Swiss X-ray Laser, SwissFEL, at PSI.

23. November 2011

Erkenntnis aus dem Nichts

Media Releases Matter and Material Particle Physics Research Using Muons

Zwei Experimente mit massgeblicher Beteiligung von Forschern des Paul Scherrer Instituts PSI liefern wichtige Ergebnisse bei der Suche nach der richtigen Beschreibung der Welt der kleinsten Teilchen. In den Experimenten haben die Physiker nach sehr seltenen Teilchenzerfällen gesucht. In beiden Fällen konnte der gesuchte Zerfall nicht beobachtet werden wodurch bestimmte Modelle der Teilchenphysik ausgeschlossen werden konnten.
This news release is only available in German.

19. September 2011

Schweiz beteiligt sich an Neutronenquelle der Zukunft

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Neutrons

Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, Staatssekretär für Bildung und Forschung unterzeichnete heute die Absichtserklärung der Schweiz, sich an der neuen europäischen Neutronenquelle ESS (European Spallation Source) zu beteiligen. Darin bekennt sich die Schweiz zu dem Ziel, die ESS in Lund (Südschweden) zu bauen und verpflichtet sich, am Konzept mitzuarbeiten, in dem der endgültige Plan für die Anlage festgelegt wird. Kurz nach Fertigstellung des Konzepts im Frühjahr 2013 soll die Entscheidung für den Bau der ESS fallen. Die Schweizer Beiträge zur Entwicklung der Anlage werden durch das Paul Scherrer Institut, das langjährige Erfahrung in der Forschung mit Neutronen hat, sowie durch Schweizer Universitäten und die Schweizer Industrie erbracht.
This news release is only available in German.

14. September 2011

Zehn Jahre Forschung in der fliegenden Untertasse

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light

Mit einem Festakt hat das Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in Villigen (AG) heute an das zehnjährige Bestehen ihrer bedeutendsten Grossforschungsanlage erinnert. Seit der Inbetriebnahme im Sommer 2001 haben Tausende von Forschern aus Hochschule und Industrie an der Synchroton Lichtquelle Schweiz (SLS) qualitativ hochwertige Experimente durchgeführt. Ihre Forschung mündete in über 2000 wissenschaftlichen Publikationen und brachte darüber hinaus einen Nobelpreis sowie eine Vielzahl industrieller Anwendungen hervor.
This news release is only available in German.

20. May 2011

Der Unterschied zwischen dünn und sehr dünn

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Muons Materials Research

Materialforschung in neuer Dimension

Viele Materialien haben eine spezielle kristalline Struktur – ihre Atome sind übereinander in Schichten angeordnet. Ein deutsch-schweizerisches Forscherteam hat zum ersten Mal präzise beobachtet, wie die physikalischen Eigenschaften einer Substanz von der Zahl dieser Schichten abhängen. Dass sich die physikalischen Charakteristika nun auch auf diese Weise kontrollieren lassen, eröffnet neue Möglichkeiten, Stoffe zu identifizieren, aus denen die Computerchips der Zukunft gemacht sein könnten.
This news release is only available in French and German.

9. March 2011

The basic structures of sight deciphered

Media Releases Matter and Material Biology Research Using Synchrotron Light

At the beginning of the process of sight, light interacts with a protein molecule called Rhodopsin. This molecule contains the actual light sensor that is stimulated by the incoming light and changes its form, in order to trigger the rest of the process. Researchers have now managed to determine the exact structure of the Rhodopsin molecule in its short-lived, excited state. From this, they have obtained a precise picture of the first step of the process of sight.

25. January 2011

How strong is the weak force?

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Muons Particle Physics

A new measurement of the muon lifetime – the most precise determination of any lifetime – provides a high-accuracy value for a crucial parameter determining the strength of weak nuclear force. The experiments were performed by an international research team at the accelerator facility of the Paul Scherrer Institute.

13. December 2010

In the future: processing and memory on a single chip

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Muons

Researchers have shown that a magnetically polarised current can be manipulated by electric fields. This important discovery opens up the prospect of simultaneously processing and storing data on electrons held in the molecular structure of computer chips – combining computer memory and processing power on the same chip. This may allow for the development of new devices with high power efficiency and reduced weight.

24. November 2010

Magnetisierte Bereiche in 3D sichtbar gemacht

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Neutrons

Magnetisierbare Materialien sind nie völlig unmagnetisch, sondern enthalten immer magnetisierte Bereiche – die magnetischen Domänen. In einem Experiment am Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) konnten diese Domänen erstmals in ihrer dreidimensionalen Struktur abgebildet werden. Der Versuch beruhte auf einer Weiterentwicklung eines am Paul Scherrer Institut entstanden Verfahrens und nutzte neutronenoptische Komponenten, die am PSI hergestellt worden sind.
This news release is only available in German.

26. October 2010

What the “hairy ball theorem” tells us about flux lines in superconductors

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Neutrons

In strong magnetic fields, type II superconductors tend to form flux lines – thin channels through which the magnetic field can pass through the superconductor. Usually, these flux lines tend to form regular patterns. Now, two physicists have shown that such a pattern must depend on the direction of the external magnetic field. These results are based on a mathematical principle known as the “Hairy ball theorem”.

17. October 2010

Moving Monopoles Caught on Camera

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Micro- and Nanotechnology Research Using Synchrotron Light

For decades researchers have searched for magnetic monopoles – isolated magnetic charges that can move freely like electric charges. Now a team of researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute and University College Dublin have been able to produce monopoles in the form of quasiparticles in an assembly of nanoscale magnets and have directly observed how they move.

8. July 2010

Protons – smaller than we thought

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Muons Particle Physics

The proton – one of the smallest building-blocks of all matter – is even smaller than had previously been assumed. This discovery is the result of experiments carried out at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, Switzerland, by an international research team.

3. March 2010

Technology from the Paul Scherrer Institute detects proton collisions at unprecedented levels of energy

Media Releases Particle Physics Matter and Material

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.

8. February 2010

Magnetspeicher der neusten Generation sind 100 000 mal schneller als herkömmliche Festplatten

Media Releases Materials Research Research Using Synchrotron Light Matter and Material

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.

1. December 2009

The characteristics and capabilities of neutrons

Matter and Material

Thanks to their special properties, neutrons offer physicists, chemists, biologists and materials scientists unique insights into the structure of different materials and compounds. Neutrons have no electrical charge, so they can penetrate deep into metals and provide detailed information about their internal structure. At the same time, neutrons behave like tiny bar magnets, so with their help, researchers can get to the bottom of the magnetic properties of metals too.

1. December 2009

Synchrotron light

Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light Materials Research

Synchrotron light is a particularly intense form of X-ray light that allows insights into many different materials and compounds. This allows processes in magnetic materials or within the complex structures of biomolecules to be determined. In comparison to conventional X-rays, it offers numerous advantages: for example, one can precisely adjust its properties to fit the requirements of each experiment carried out. At the Paul Scherrer Institute, synchrotron light is available at the Swiss Light Source SLS.

1. December 2009

The SμS muon source

Research Using Muons Matter and Material Large Scale Facilities

Along its path, the beam first strikes one target, then the second, and then moves on to the lead target of the SINQ neutron source. Muons are generated by the collisions of protons with the carbon nuclei in the first two targets. PSI operates two muon targets because a single one could not supply enough muons for all the experiments being performed. The muons are guided with the aid of magnets to the individual measuring stations, of which there are currently six for experiments in solid-state physics using muons.

1. December 2009

The Swiss Light Source SLS

Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light Large Scale Facilities

The synchrotron light in the SLS is emitted from electrons, which move at a velocity of almost the speed of light along a circular path with an overall circumference of 288 metres. The synchrotron light is emitted tangentially to the trajectory of the electrons, i.e. in the same direction as sparks would fly from a grindstone, or a hammer from the hands of a hammer thrower.

The production of synchrotron radiation makes use of the fact that electrically charged particles emit light as they move along a curved path. Bending magnets keep the electrons on their curved track, as a magnetic field deflects fast-moving electrically-charged particles.

1. December 2009

The SINQ neutron source

Matter and Material Research Using Neutrons Large Scale Facilities

In the SINQ spallation source a beam of fast protons (at about 80 % of the speed of light) from the PSI proton accelerator facility strikes a block of lead (the Target). If a fast proton collides with a lead nucleus, the nucleus will be heated up and eject 10 to 20 neutrons. The neutrons set free by this method are extremely fast – much too fast for the experiments. In order to decelerate the neutrons after they have been generated, the whole target is placed in a tank filled with heavy water

1. December 2009

The PSI proton accelerator

Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light Research Using Neutrons Research Using Muons Large Scale Facilities Particle Physics

The neutrons and muons used for experiments at PSI are all produced by a beam of fast protons colliding with a target – made of lead in the case of the SINQ neutron source and of carbon in the case of the SμS muon source. For that purpose, the protons are accelerated to 80% of the speed of light at PSI's accelerator facility. The facility has been in operation since 1974. After numerous improvements, it provides the most intense proton beam in the world.

1. December 2009

Service to the scientific community

Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light Research Using Muons Research Using Neutrons Large Scale Facilities Particle Physics

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.

1. December 2009

Experimenting with neutrons

Matter and Material Research Using Neutrons

Neutron experiments can reveal the internal structure of materials and objects. In neutron scattering experiments, a beam of neutrons is pointed at the material to be investigated. On their way through the material, some neutrons will change their flight direction or velocity. From the changes observed in these parameters, one can determine the arrangement and motion of atoms, and gain insights into magnetic phenomena. Imaging techniques can also give us a snapshot of the interiors of an enormous range of objects – from technical equipment to works of art.

1. December 2009

Research using neutrons

Matter and Material Research Using Neutrons

With neutron experiments, one can gain information about the structure and composition of different materials that is unobtainable using any other technique. Thus, neutron experiments allow one to determine how the atoms are arranged in a material and how they move, or to learn about their magnetic properties. At the Paul Scherrer Institute, neutrons are used in the research of physicists, chemists, biologists and materials scientists. Most of these researchers come from other scientific institutions to perform their experiments at PSI.

1. December 2009

Research with Muons

Matter and Material Research Using Muons

Muons are unstable elementary particles that can be used to determine magnetic fields inside solids. Muons are mainly applied in research into high temperature superconductors and magnetic materials. Muons for solid state research are only available at two sites in Europe: one at the PSI, the other in the UK. The experimental opportunities provided with slow muons, provided by PSI, are unique in the world.

24. November 2009

Large scale facilities

Matter and Material Large Scale Facilities

Sometimes, one needs unusually large pieces of equipment to look at the smallest of objects – because only these large machines or facilities can generate the “probes” that are needed to examine matter in such a way that the information being sought can be obtained. PSI maintains a number of such facilities, making them available as a service for other institutions, but also using them for its own research. These facilities are unique within Switzerland, and PSI is the only location in the world for some of the facilities

12. November 2009

Aufbau von Materialien nanogenau untersuchen

Media Releases Research Using Synchrotron Light Large Scale Facilities Matter and Material Materials Research

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.

17. July 2009

Neues Verfahren ermöglicht Steuerung von elektronischen Materialeigenschaften

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Micro- and Nanotechnology

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.

23. February 2009

Entsteht Supraleitung doch ganz anders?

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Muons

Publikation in “Nature Materials”. Ergebnisse vom Paul Scherrer Institut stellen gängige Theorien der Hochtemperatursupraleitung in Frage.
This news release is only available in German.

16. February 2009

Supraleiter weisen Magneten den Weg

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Neutrons

Publikation in “Nature Materials”. Forscher der Universität Freiburg und des Paul Scherrer Instituts PSI entdecken neue Form der Koexistenz zwischen Supraleitung und Magnetismus. Ferromagnetismus und Supraleitung vertragen sich eigentlich nicht. Über diese neue Variante im Wettstreit zwischen der Supraleitung und dem Ferromagnetismus berichten sie ab Montag, 16. Februar 2009 in der Online-Ausgabe des Wissenschafts-Journals Nature Materials.
This news release is only available in French and German.

12. December 2008

Moleküle bei der Arbeit fotografiert

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Synchrotron Light

Publikation in Online-Ausgabe von “Science”. Röntgenblitze am Paul Scherrer Institut zeigen, wie sich Moleküle während des Ablaufs einer chemischen Reaktion verändern.
This news release is only available in German.

24. November 2008

Was beim Computer im Kopf vorgeht

Media Releases Matter and Material Materials Research Research Using Muons

Publikation in der Online-Ausgabe von “Nature”. Ein Forscherteam unter der Leitung von Alan Drew (Univ. Freiburg, Schweiz und Queen Mary College, London, England) und Elvezio Morenzoni (Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Schweiz) hat als erstes im Detail die magnetischen Vorgänge in einem Lesekopf – ähnlich dem, der Daten von der Festplatte eines Computers liest – verfolgt.
This news release is only available in French and German.

19. September 2008

Superconductivity and Magnetism

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Neutrons Materials Research

From rivals to partners. The wild world of quantum mechanics produces states that are not predicted by the classical theory of physics. Today's edition of “Science” magazine includes a report of an astonishingly new type of state by an international team of scientists around physicist Michel Kenzelmann from the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland.

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18. July 2008

Super-Resolution X-ray Microscopy unveils the buried secrets of the nanoworld

Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light Micro- and Nanotechnology

Publication in “Science”. A novel super-resolution X-ray microscope developed by a team of researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) and EPFL in Switzerland combines the high penetration power of x-rays with high spatial resolution, making it possible for the first time to shed light on the detailed interior composition of semiconductor devices and cellular structures.

11. January 2008

New discovery in superconductor research

Media Releases Materials Research Matter and Material Research Using Neutrons

Publication in “Science”

Superconductors take advantage of electron pairing to transport electrical current without resistance. They are therefore of central significance in energy research. An international team of scientists has published the latest research results in this field in today's edition of “Science” magazine

27. November 2007

Excursion in the wondrous Mirror World

Matter and Material Particle Physics

In physics, mirror matter, is a hypothetical counterpart to ordinary matter and not be mixed up with antimatter. It could explain symmetry violations observed in several processes of ordinary elementary particles. Symmetry could be restored by so called mirror particles with exactly the same mass as ordinary elementary particles.

22. February 2007

Magnetische Überraschung im Weltall

Media Releases Matter and Material

Unerwartete Röntgenstrahlung eines jungen Sterns. Forschende des Paul Scherrer Instituts (PSI) haben aufschlussreiche Erkenntnisse über die Entstehung massereicher Sterne gewonnen. Die Untersuchungen mit dem Röntgenteleskop auf dem Satelliten XMM-Newton der Europäischen Raumfahrtagentur ESA geben Hinweise, was ein Magnetfeld um einen jungen Stern namens AB Aurigae bewirkt. Ein 20-jähriges Rätsel der Astrophysik könnte sich dadurch lösen.
This news release is only available in German.

31. January 2007

Neutrons for research and nuclear waste disposal

Media Releases Research Using Neutrons Large Scale Facilities Nuclear Power Plant Safety Matter and Material

Key experiment for nuclear technology successfully completed. Megapie is an international pioneering experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen, Switzerland, the goal of which is to produce neutrons from a liquid metal target when hit from a proton beam. In a world first, a high power neutron source was produced from about one megawatt of proton input. Neutrons of high initial energy are used in many research fields and could be used to incinerate nuclear waste. The first phase of the experiment was recently completed and to the great satisfaction of the international scientific community.