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Second place for the best oral presentation at the 12th International Conference on Isotopes
Marie Théry, postdoctoral researcher in the Radionuclide development group, was awarded second place for the best oral presentation
Where analysis meets flavours
Some see brewing as an art, others as a science – Luc Van Loon combines both these virtues at his brewery. With the nose of a sommelier and the precision of a chemist, the former PSI researcher creates world-class beers.
PSI and NUKEM Sign Memorandum of Understanding
The Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and NUKEM Technologies Engineering Services GmbH (NUKEM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a close research and development collaboration focused on advanced nuclear fuel and reactor technologies.
How hydrogen affects titanium implants
Researchers use Swiss Spallation Neutron Source SINQ to study how medical implants change inside the body.
Measuring time at the quantum level
Physicists using the Swiss Light Source SLS have found a way to measure the time involved in quantum events and found it depends on the symmetry of the material.
Presentation Prize 2026 (Doktorandentag, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ETH Zurich)
Benjamin Hunkeler, PhD student in the “Nuclide Chemistry Group” received the price for the best oral presentation
Best Presentation Award 2025 (SwyMIC Day 2025 in Lausanne)
Jerome Schmid, PhD student in the “Nuclide Chemistry Group” received the price for the best oral presentation at the SwyMIC Day 2025 in Lausanne
Room-Temperature Magnetic Skyrmions and Intrinsic Anomalous Hall Effect in a Nodal-Line Kagomé Ferromagnet MnRhP
Topological magnetic semimetals with kagomé lattices have attracted significant attention due to their nontrivial electronic band structures and pronounced electromagnetic responses. The search for kagomé-lattice topological semimetals exhibiting magnetic ordering above room temperature is essential ...
Filming a vitamin B12 photoreceptor in action
SwissFEL shows the molecular events that occur when a vitamin B12 photoreceptor absorbs light
PSI Founder Fellowship for AI platform and solid-state batteries
PSI researchers Mohsen Sadr and Mohammadhossein Montazerian are receiving financial support and guidance for their business ideas through the PSI technology transfer team.
Muon Knight Shift as a Precise Probe of the Superconducting Symmetry of Sr2RuO4
Muon spin rotation (𝜇SR) measurements of internal magnetic field shifts, known as the muon Knight shift, are used for determining pairing symmetries in superconductors. While this technique has been especially effective for 𝑓-electron-based heavy-fermion superconductors, it remains challenging ...
Surgery for quantum bits
Researchers show how quantum operations can be carried out while actively correcting errors – a key step toward reliable quantum computers.
Low-frequency electrochemical pulsing to manage flooding and salt precipitation in zero-gap CO2-to-ethylene electrolyzers
The electrochemical conversion of CO2 to ethylene offers a promising approach to expand manufacturing of commodity chemicals and fuels. Specifically, ethylene is a critical precursor for polyethylene a $240B industry. Expanding productivity ...
One thousand modules for CERN
At CERN near Geneva, tiny particles with extremely high energies are blasted at each other to answer big questions about the universe. The detectors that observe the collisions of these particles require regular upgrades. Lea Caminada and her High Energy Particle Physics research group at PSI play an important role in this quest.
Driving forces of mineral recrystallization in aqueous solutions derived from...
Curti et al., 2026
Recrystallization in aqueous solutions is a ubiquitous process susceptible to control the entrapment and release of toxic contaminants in the subsurface. However, unraveling the underlying mechanisms and driving forces has proven to be elusive, as recrystallization frequently follows different kinetic pathways even for the same mineral, depending on its initial state and pre-treatment. To obtain a better insight, a large body of experimental data from isotope tracer experiments carried out....
Swelling of Na-montmorillonite in the presence....
Owusu et al., 2026
Various dissolved gases, such as CO, H, and CH, may be present in the near-field geological repository due to metal corrosion or the degradation of organic waste. However, the influence of dissolved gases on the swelling behavior of bentonites, commonly used as backfill material, is still poorly understood. In this study, classical molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to....
Examining the pH dependence of Fe behavior in.....
Ban et al., 2026
Hydrotalcite-group layered double hydroxide (LDH) phases are important in many technical and geological contexts, and in applications ranging from environmental processes to catalysts to cements. This study systematically investigates the roles of Fe in LDH structures across varying....
Important funding for muon research
PSI gets an NCCR: The Muoniverse project will further expand research on the beamlines for elementary particles called muons – at the world’s leading facility for muon beams.
Advanced muon-spin spectroscopy with high lateral resolution using Si-pixel detectors
Muon-spin spectroscopy at continuous sources has stagnated at a stopped muon rate of ∼40kHz for the last few decades. The major limiting factor is the requirement of a single muon in the sample during the typical 10µsdata gate window. To overcome this limit ...
“We’re pulling out all the stops”
PSI is increasing the intensity of its muon beams a hundredfold. This opens up entirely new possibilities for physics and materials research.
Realizing Blume-Capel Degrees of Freedom with Toroidal Moments in a Ruby Artificial Spin Ice
Realizing exotic Hamiltonians beyond the Ising model is a key pursuit in experimental statistical physics. Onesuch example is the Blume-Capel model, a three-state spin model, whose phase diagram features a tricritical point where second-order and first-order transition lines converge, leading to a coexistence of paramagnetic, ferromagnetic, and disordered phases. Here, we realize ...
Designing antiferromagnetic domains by stretching membranes in STXM
Researchers from an international collaboration between the United Kingdom and Switzerland have performed imaging of an antiferromagnetic iron oxide membrane using soft X-ray microscopy. By stretching the membranes using a gas cell, the team investigated the modification of domain structures under strain.
Identifying the sources of Sarajevo’s smog
Fumes from wood and coal burning as well as from cooking are the main sources of the heavy smog in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. That’s the finding of a comprehensive mobile measurement campaign by PSI researchers.
ISS @SLS 2.0
ISS received the first light on 10.07.2025. After that, the endstation has been reconnected and aligned. During the shutdown period, the ScientaOmicron R4000 HiPP-2 analyser has undergone maintenance and upgrade. It features now a new detector (new MCP and 70 Hz camera) and ethernet communication.
First in-house and pilot users have measured in November and December 2025. A first official call for proposals will open in February 2026 (deadline March 16th 2026, beamtime periods scheduled from September to December 2026). Please contact Dr. Luca Artiglia for more information.
A comprehensive energy system model for Switzerland
Energy systems face complicated, long-term challenges with a high degree of uncertainty. To explore these challenges and support decision-making, the STEM energy systems model from the Energy Economics Group at PSI has become a key tool.
Surface-localized magnetic order in RuO2 thin films revealed by low-energy muon probes
Ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) has recently emerged as an altermagnetic candidate, but its intrinsic magnetic ground state in thin films remains widely debated. This study aims to clarify the nature and spatial extent of the magnetic order in RuO2thin films grown under different conditions ...
Investigating the hidden content of Tibetan bronze statues using modern neutron imaging techniques
Bronze statues hold deep significance in Buddhism and Bon, often containing relics sealed within their hollow interiors. Traditional scholarly methods, such iconographic analysis, cannot access the hidden contents of these statues without risking physical damage. This study proposes ...
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.
Discovery of high-temperature charge order and time-reversal symmetry-breaking in the kagome superconductor YRu3Si2
Identifying high-temperature unconventional charge order and superconductivity in kagome systems is crucial for understanding frustrated, correlated electrons and enabling future quantum technologies. Here, we report that ...
“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 ...