Show filters
Swiss X-ray laser reveals the hidden dance of electrons
New X-ray technique at SwissFEL shows how electrons act together – with the potential to show why quantum information slips so easily away.
Electric vehicles could catch on in Africa sooner than expected
Electric vehicles could become economically competitive in many African countries before 2040.
X-raying auditory ossicles – a new technique reveals structures in record time
Using a bone, PSI researchers have demonstrated how the structures of biological materials can be determined on scales from nanometres to millimetres in a very short time.
New process for stable, long-lasting all-solid-state batteries
PSI researchers have developed a novel process that could make all-solid-state batteries more robust and longer-lasting.
Chiral phonons in polar LiNbO3
Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering reveals that lattice vibrations can be chiral in a polar material, with phonons having opposite handedness depending on their direction in momentum space.
Synchronising ultrashort X-ray pulses
Attosecond coherent pulses at SwissFEL will open new experimental possibilities
PSI Year in Review 2025
Twelve PSI research highlights in 2025
Engineering skill and perseverance
Credit for the on-time completion of the major SLS 2.0 upgrade project is due in part to a team of dedicated electrical engineers.
Uncovering Hidden Phases in 3D-Printed Fusion Steels
3D synchrotron X-ray mapping uncovered unexpected internal phase structures in laser-printed steels, showing how processing controls what we cannot see.
Kelvin: The low-temperature scale
The art of engineering means, first of all, the skill required to design and manufacture devices that enable top technical performance. This gallery shows, in five pictures, that this term can also be understood differently if the devices are regarded as works of art with their very own aesthetic, apart from their actual function.
“Collaboration is particularly important in quantum research”
PSI researcher Kirsten Moselund talks about quantum technologies – about their importance and the current situation in Switzerland. And about her own research in the field of nanophotonics.
2nd GIF Molten Salt Reactor workshop at PSI
On 10 December 2025 the 2nd GIF Molten Salt Reactor workshop took place at PSI
SOPHIE - A new endstation for high-resolution soft X-ray ptychography
A new PSI-designed and built soft X-ray ptychography endstation, SOPHIE, has been successfully commissioned. Routine sub-5nm imaging was demonstrated.
Preparing cellulose sample for soft-Xray spectro-microscopy
Different sample preparation techniques for ultrathin samples to be measured at the carbon-K-edge for chemical contrast are presented.
Laser draws made-to-order magnetic landscapes
Researchers at PSI have found a surprisingly inexpensive and fast method to make localised alterations in magnetic materials.
Two-dimensional gradients in magnetic properties created with direct-write laser annealing
Across the fields of magnetism, microelectronics, optics, and others, engineered local variations in material properties can yield groundbreaking functionalities that play a crucial role in enabling future technologies. One-dimensional lateral gradients in material properties give rise to a plethora of new effects in thin-film magnetic systems. However, extending such gradient-induced behaviors to two dimensions has been challenging to realize experimentally. Here, we demonstrate the creation of two-dimensional complex patterns with continuous variations in magnetic anisotropy, interlayer exchange coupling, and ferrimagnetic compensation at the mesoscopic scale in numerous application-relevant magnetic materials. We exploit our engineered gradients in material properties to demonstrate novel magnetic functionalities, including the creation of a spin wave band pass filter and an architecture for passively resetting the position of a magnetic domain wall. Our results highlight the exciting new physics and device applications enabled by two-dimensional gradients in thin film properties.
How microtubules take part in cellular signal processing
Researchers at PSI have investigated on the molecular level how the cytoskeleton transmits commands within the cell. Their findings could provide the medical field with new options for intervention in the event of malfunctions within the organism.
Optimising the treatment of eye tumours
The Insel Group and PSI are expanding their collaboration to provide faster and better coordinated access to proton therapy for patients with eye tumours.
Predicting component lifetimes in nuclear facilities
For 30 years, experiments have been providing unique insight into how metals and ceramics degrade under high-energy proton bombardment.
Anisotropic Band-Split Magnetism in Magnetostrictive CoFe2O4
Single crystal spinel CoFe₂O₄ exhibits the largest room-temperature saturation magnetostriction among non-rare-earth compounds and a high Curie temperature (T₍c₎ ∼ 780 K), properties that are critical to a wide range of industrial and medical applications. Neutron spectroscopy ...
Hydrotalcite-pyroaurite solid solution in cement system...
Wang et al., 2025
Hydrotalcite-pyroaurite solid solutions, which are common minerals both in nature and in modern cementitious materials, hold significant potential for waste immobilization and cement properties yet remain insufficiently studied. In this work, we first synthesized a series of hydrotalcite...
X-rays bring high-resolution brain mapping within reach
A new imaging breakthrough could reveal brain connectivity in 3D detail never before accessible.
Clean biogas – measurable everywhere
A new analytical method can detect even tiny amounts of critical impurities.
Swiss PIC technology transfer centre is inaugurated
Jointly founded by scientific and industrial partners with PSI researchers: the Swiss Photonics Integration Center celebrated its inauguration on 24 November 2025.
Following Twin-Formation in 3D Printed Steel
Using hard-xray microscopy to study the deformation of 3D printed steel.
How the cheese-pasta principle could help counter Alzheimer's
PSI researchers have discovered cellular mechanisms that could help to mitigate diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Atoms under pressure
Zurab Guguchia puts pressure on matter – and in doing so, creates exciting quantum effects such as superconductivity at more easily achievable temperatures.
Acidity scale of carbenium ions in ZSM-5
A combination of Fourier transformed IR spectroscopy and density functional theory elucidates the higher reactivity of benzenium ions over cyclopentenyl cations in ZSM-5.
Operando neutron imaging of an alkaline electrolysis cell for mapping gas distributions
Optimizing hydrogen and oxygen transport within porous electrodes is essential for improving the efficiency of industrial alkaline electrolyzers. In this study, we utilize operando dynamic neutron radiographic measurements to investigate ...
Unravelling the coexistence of insulating and metallic-like excitations in SrIrO₃
A team led by researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI used resonant inelastic X-ray scattering to probe spin and charge fluctuations in atomically engineered SrIrO₃. The results revealed that insulator-like and metallic-like modes can simultaneously emerge in a correlated 5d semimetal, advancing the understanding of “strange metal” behaviour in spin–orbit coupled systems.
MADICES Conference at PSI
The MADICES 3 workshop was about bringing representatives from the open research data (ORD) community, including research data management (RDM) platform developers/maintainers, ontology/semantics experts, those leveraging AI/LLM for RDM tasks, and FAIR principles advocators together to discuss (and implement solutions for) the problems hindering the adoption of ORD and FAIR principles and practices in the sciences.
Electric cars and heat pumps can help the Energy Strategy
In future, flexibly operated heat pumps and electric cars could reduce both electricity imports and electricity prices. That is according to a new study by a Swiss research consortium led by ETH Zurich.
From Melt to Martensite
Real-time synchrotron X-ray diffraction reveals how different phases of steel emerge and evolve under the intense heat of laser powder bed fusion.
Reconstruction kinetics and structural evolutions of chromate and...
Zhang et al., 2025
Understanding the early-stage reconstruction of Mg/Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) is critical for enhancing anion immobilization in low-carbon cementitious systems. Here, we combined in-situ and ex-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction analyses to reveal the time-dependent and reversible layered structure transformation of Mg/Al-LDH from calcined Mg/Al-LDH (CLDH) in cementitious environments enriched with...
Spin-Disorder-Induced Angular Anisotropy in Polarized Magnetic Neutron Scattering
We experimentally report a hitherto unseen angular anisotropy in the polarized small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) cross section of a magnetically strongly inhomogeneous material ...
Terbium duet and other quantum art
To create more stable qubits, PSI researchers make terbium ions perform in pairs. Elsewhere, they are using optical tweezers to position atoms with high precision.
Seeing the subtle structural changes of Pt nanoparticles induced by hydrogen
We show that Pt nanoparticles reversibly expand and detach from Al2O3 in the presence of gas phase H2 and H2 dissolved in solvent.
Single-chain polymer nanoparticles for oil solubilization
We report on the oil solubilization of amphiphilic single chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) based on random copolymers composed of oligo(ethyleneglycol) methacrylate (OEGMA) and anthracene methacrylate (AnMA). Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) combined with molecular dynamics simulations reveal ...
Coexistence of Insulatorlike Paramagnon and Metallic Spin-Orbit Exciton Modes in SrIrO3
We probe the spectrum of elementary excitations in SrIrO3 by using heterostructured [(SrIrO3)m / (SrTiO3)l] samples to approach the bulk limit. Our resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements at the Ir L3 edge reveal ...
Hydrogen bonding exacerbates viscoelasticity of amino acid– and betaine surfactant self-assemblies
Many day-to-day materials rely on formulations of surfactants to control flow, texture and application. Inspired by the pairing of bases between DNA strands, we demonstrate enhanced control ...
Both natural and human emissions shape cloud formation high above Earth
What happens inside the CLOUD chamber?
Particulate pollution re-evaluated
A new study provides data from 43 sites across Europe, showing the respective oxidative stress on the lungs.
Advancing nuclear technologies
NUKEM and Paul Scherrer Institute Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Advance Nuclear Research and Collaboration.
Single-Photon-Counting Detection for Soft X-rays Down to 530 eV
The PSI Photon Science Detector Group has developed the first single-photon-counting pixel detector capable of detecting soft X-rays down to 530 eV. This breakthrough was achieved by combining EIGER readout chips with novel inverse LGAD sensors, developed in collaboration with and fabricated at Fondazione Bruno Kessler (Italy). The detector is now in user operation for ptychographic applications, where it has already enabled significant scientific results at the Fe L₃-edge (707 eV) and even at the O K-edge (530 eV), demonstrating superior detection performance compared to commercially available state-of-the-art detectors.
Measuring How Molecules Communicate
A collaboration between PSI and the University of Vienna has resulted in a new experimental method that, for the first time, enables the direct measurement of partial charges in molecules. Partial charges are fundamental to understanding molecular structure, interactions, and reactivity, yet until now no general technique existed to determine them experimentally.
Slowing time and trapping ions
Cornelius Hempel uses quanta to perform calculations on quantum phenomena. While this sounds logical, it’s actually highly complex. His latest coup: a quantum simulator that slows down time.
Disorder begins at the surface of quantum materials
Ultrafast X-rays from SwissFEL reveal unexpected light responses in quantum materials.
Tuning chirality amplitude at ultrafast timescales in chiral CsCuCl3
We quantify “how chiral” a crystal is, and demonstrate its tunability at ultrafast timescales. This achievement does open up a new direction in chirality-related condensed matter physics and on emergent phenomena, which have both attracted significant attention recently.