The Microspectroscopy Group has a long experience in synchrotron based hyperspectral imaging for a wide variety of materials and involving many different scientific disciplines. In particular we study the nanostructures of novel organic materials and the magnetic properties of thin films and multilayers employing a combination of X-ray microscopy and spectroscopy. We operate two beamlines at the SLS, PolLux and ISS. At these beamlines we perform our research and provide support for external users.
Recent Scientific Highlights and News:
A B.B. King recording brings PSI scientists and tape preservation experts together to rethink magnetic tape degradation
PSI researchers have shown that several apparently different forms of magnetic tape degradation share the same underlying chemical origin but fail for different microscopic reasons – resolving a preservation puzzle first raised by an unplayable B.B. King recording from the Claude Nobs Collection of the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Supersampled Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy
Researchers from a Swiss-German collaboration have developed a new method for scanning transmission X-ray microscopy substantially reducing the impact of mechanical vibrations and imaging overheads, allowing for routine high-resolution imaging experiments
Preserving film sound in the cold at the British Film Institute: new evidence for archives
Can magnetic film sound be stored in the cold? A collaboration between the British Film Institute and PSI found no detectable damage in the studied samples and points to a broader future for archives, in which laboratory methods and synchrotron techniques at the Swiss Light Source SLS help guide the preservation of complex audiovisual media.