News 2014

The 13th International Conference on Muon Spin Rotation Relaxation and Resonance (μSR2014),
organized by our Laboratory for Muon Spin Spectroscopy in collaboration with the University of Zürich and the University of Fribourg, closed on
June 6th in Grindelwald.
More than 160 participants from 19 countries submitted 227 contributions, which were intensively discussed during day and evening sessions. The scientific program was centered around invited talks from speakers outside the μSR community, who presented lectures on topics where μSR is giving significant contributions, e.g. magnetism, superconductivity, material science and applications. In addition to an overview about status and progress of the existing facilities in Europe, Canada and Japan, new projects and ideas for μSR facilities in South Korea, China and the USA were presented.

During the conference Roberto De Renzi from the University of Parma was awarded the 2014 Yamazaki Prize for muon science by the International Society for Muon Spin Spectroscopy (ISMS) for his sustained and exceptional contributions to the development of the muon spin relaxation technique to investigate magnetism and superconductivity and for promoting synergies between μSR and NMR. Previous winners of the Yamazaki prize were Y.J. Uemura (2005), E. Morenzoni (2008) and J. Brewer (2011). Roberto De Renzi is well known at our laboratory, where with his group he has been a long-time user.

During the conference Thomas Prokscha, head of the Low-Energy Muon Group at LMU, was chosen as president elect of the ISMS for the next three years as well as Martin Mansson, user of the PSI facility, elected as Vice-President Europe of the Society. Also gratifying for our laboratory is that Evelyn Stilp, PhD student at LMU and University of Zürich, received one of the five best posters awards for her work on “Modifications of the Meissner screening profile due to illumination with visible light of underdoped YBCO”.

The PSI summer school 2014 on Condensed Matter Research will be organized at the Institut Montana in Zug, Switzerland from August 9-15, 2014. The topic of the school will be 'Exploring time, energy and length scales in condensed matter' and the school will be followed by hands-on practical training at the PSI large user facilities SINQ, SμS and SLS. Online registration and detailed information is available from the school's webpage.