Skip to main content
  • Paul Scherrer Institut PSI
  • PSI Research, Labs & User Services

Digital User Office

  • Digital User Office
  • DE
  • EN
  • FR
Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)
Search
Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI)

Hauptnavigation

  • Our ResearchOpen mainmenu item
    • Current topics from our research
    • Future Technologies
    • Energy and Climate
    • Health Innovation
    • Fundamentals of Nature
    • Large Research Facilities
    • Brochures
    • 5232 — The magazine of the Paul Scherrer Institute
    • Research Divisions & Labs (only english)
  • IndustryOpen mainmenu item
    • Overview
    • Technology Transfer
    • Expertise
    • Spin-off Companies
    • Park Innovaare
  • Proton TherapyOpen mainmenu item
    • Overview
    • For patients and family members
    • For physicians, referrers and researchers
  • CareerOpen mainmenu item
    • Overview
    • Job Opportunities
    • Working at PSI
    • Personnel Policy
    • Equal Opportunities, Diversity & Inclusion
    • Training and Further Education
    • Vocational Training
    • PSI Education Centre
    • Career Center
    • Support Program "PSI Career Return Program"
    • PSI-FELLOW/COFUND
  • Visit to PSIOpen mainmenu item
    • Overview
    • Visitor Centre psi forum
    • Schülerlabor iLab
    • Public Events
    • How to find us
  • About PSIOpen mainmenu item
    • PSI in brief
    • Strategy
    • Guiding principles
    • Facts and figures
    • Organisational structure
    • For the media
    • Suppliers and customers
    • Customers E-Billing
  • DE
  • EN
  • FR

Digital User Office (mobile)

  • Digital User Office

You are here:

  1. PSI Home
  2. Our Research
  3. Current topics from our research
  4. Future Technologies

Secondary navigation

Our Research

  • Current topics from our research Expanded submenu item
    • Future Technologies
    • Energy and Climate
    • Health Innovation
    • Fundamentals of Nature
    • ESI Platform
    • Large research facilities
    • Project SLS 2.0
    • Topic Overview
    • Archive
  • 5232 – The magazine of the Paul Scherrer Institute
    • Contact
  • Brochures
  • Films
    • Video series #ThankYouSLS
    • Video series Energy Future
    • Virtual Tour
  • Social Media
    • PSI Community Guidelines
  • Media corner
    • Media Releases

Future Technologies

The manifold characteristics of materials are determined by what type of atoms they are made of, how these atoms are arranged, and how they move. In the research area Future Technologies, scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute are trying to clarify this link between the internal structure and the observable properties of different materials. They want to use this knowledge as fundamental principles for new applications – whether in medicine, information technology or energy generation and storage – or to explore innovative manufacturing processes for industry.

Find out more at: Future Technologies

29 February 2012
teaserbild.jpg

Creating magnetism takes much longer than destroying it

Media Releases Future Technologies 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
7 February 2012

Using heat for storing data

Media Releases Future Technologies 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
23 January 2012
teaserbild.jpg

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

Media Releases Large Research Facilities Future Technologies SwissFEL 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
19 September 2011
teaserbild.jpg

Schweiz beteiligt sich an Neutronenquelle der Zukunft

Media Releases Future Technologies 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
14 September 2011
teaserbild.jpg

Zehn Jahre Forschung in der fliegenden Untertasse

Media Releases Future Technologies 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
20 May 2011
teaserbild.jpg

Der Unterschied zwischen dünn und sehr dünn

Media Releases Future Technologies Materials Research Research with muons

Materialforschung in neuer DimensionViele Materialien haben eine spezielle kristalline Struktur à 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
9 March 2011

The basic structures of sight deciphered

Media Releases Future Technologies 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
13 December 2010
teaserbild.jpg

In the future: processing and memory on a single chip

Media Releases Future Technologies Materials Research Research with 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 à 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
24 November 2010
teaser.jpg

Magnetisierte Bereiche in 3D sichtbar gemacht

Media Releases Future Technologies Materials Research Research Using Neutrons

Magnetisierbare Materialien sind nie völlig unmagnetisch, sondern enthalten immer magnetisierte Bereiche à 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
26 October 2010
teaserbild.jpg

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

Media Releases Future Technologies Materials Research Research Using Neutrons

In strong magnetic fields, type II superconductors tend to form flux lines à 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
17 October 2010
teaserbild.jpg

Moving Monopoles Caught on Camera

Media Releases Future Technologies Materials Research Micro- and Nanotechnology Research Using Synchrotron Light

For decades researchers have searched for magnetic monopoles à 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
24 August 2010

A possible new career for a vital biomolecule

Media Releases Future Technologies Micro- and Nanotechnology Materials Research

As a component of the haemoglobin molecule, porphyrin enables the transport of oxygen within the human body. In a slightly altered form, it may find also applications in technical devices. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute and the University of Basel have shown that a magnetic property of the molecule can be switched on and off by means of a simple chemical procedure, so that the molecule can be used as a tiny molecular switch.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
4 August 2010
teaserbild.jpg

Researchers Find Universal Law For Material Evolution

Media Releases Future Technologies Materials Research Research Using Synchrotron Light

Many important materials are composed of several phases. When such a material is heated, atoms move from one phase to another, which changes the distribution of the phases à and thus, the properties of the material. A team of researchers has now shown that for an important case, there is a general law describing this process that is valid for all classes of materials.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
29 July 2010
20100728 Watts teaser.jpg

Understanding plastic semiconductors better

Media Releases Future Technologies Materials Research Research Using Synchrotron Light

Semiconductors made from polymer materials are becoming increasingly important for the electronics industry à as a basis for transistors, solar cells or LEDs. Usually, they consist of more than one substance as they get their particular electric properties only when several materials are blended. Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute and the University of Cambridge have developed a method that allows them to determine the detailed structure of the material.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
8 February 2010
MM100208 Magnet tn.jpg

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

Media Releases Materials Research Research Using Synchrotron Light Future Technologies

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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
12 November 2009
MM2009112 Experiment Strahllinie.jpg

Aufbau von Materialien nanogenau untersuchen

Media Releases Research Using Synchrotron Light Large Research Facilities Future Technologies 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
17 July 2009
MM090717stoehr matena print tn.jpg

Controlling the electronic surface properties of a material

Media Releases Future Technologies 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
23 February 2009
MM Luetkens Fig3 tn.jpg

Entsteht Supraleitung doch ganz anders?

Media Releases Future Technologies Materials Research Research with 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
16 February 2009
Neutronenmessung 01 tn.jpg

Supraleiter weisen Magneten den Weg

Media Releases Future Technologies 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
12 December 2008
Irontris-bipyridine tn.jpg

Moleküle bei der Arbeit fotografiert

Media Releases Future Technologies 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.

Read more
This is a text from the PSI media archive. The contents may be out-of-date.
  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹‹
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • Next page ››
  • Last page Last »

Topic Overview

Sidebar

5232 3/2023

5232 — The magazine of the Paul Scherrer Institute

03/2023
View in issuu.com
Download
Subscribe to our magazine

Follow PSI

 Twitter
 LinkedIn
 Youtube
 Facebook
 Instagram

All social media channels


Visitor Centre psi forum

Experience research live


The iLab School Laboratory

Experience Science - Explore Research

top

Footer

Paul Scherrer Institut

Forschungsstrasse 111
5232 Villigen PSI
Switzerland

Telephone: +41 56 310 21 11
Telefax: +41 56 310 21 99

How to find us
Contact

Visitor Centre psi forum
School Lab iLab (in German)
Center for Proton Therapy
PSI Education Centre
PSI Guest House
PSI Gastronomie (in German)
psi forum shop

Service & Support

  • Phone Book
  • User Office
  • Accelerator Status
  • PSI Publications
  • Suppliers
  • E-Billing
  • Computing
  • Safety (in German)

Career

  • Working at PSI
  • Job Opportunities
  • Training and further education
  • Career Center
  • Vocational Training (in German)
  • PSI Education Center

For the media

  • PSI in brief
  • Facts and Figures
  • Media corner
  • Media Releases
  • Social Media

Follow us: Twitter (in English) LinkedIn Youtube Facebook Instagram Issuu RSS

Footer legal

  • Imprint
  • Terms and conditions / Privacy policy
  • Editors' login