Particle physics
25. January 2013
Proton size puzzle reinforced!
Media Releases Particle Physics Research Using Muons Large Scale Facilities Matter and MaterialAn 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.
7. January 2013
The weak side of the proton
Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Muons Particle PhysicsAn 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.
4. July 2012
Observation of a New Particle
Media Releases Matter and Material Particle PhysicsIn 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.
23. November 2011
Erkenntnis aus dem Nichts
Media Releases Matter and Material Particle Physics Research Using MuonsZwei 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.
25. January 2011
How strong is the weak force?
Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Muons Particle PhysicsA 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.
8. July 2010
Protons – smaller than we thought
Media Releases Matter and Material Research Using Muons Particle PhysicsThe 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 MaterialCERN 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.
1. December 2009
The PSI proton accelerator
Matter and Material Research Using Synchrotron Light Research Using Neutrons Research Using Muons Large Scale Facilities Particle PhysicsThe 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 PhysicsNeutrons, 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.
27. November 2007
Excursion in the wondrous Mirror World
Matter and Material Particle PhysicsIn 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.