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Modern science is helping medicine
Philipp Schütz is head of the University Medical Clinic at the Aarau Cantonal Hospital. In an interview, he talks about joint projects with PSI that contribute to research on healthy ageing.
High-precision insights into bones, the brain and cell nuclei
Some cells and structures in our bodies undergo particularly marked changes with advancing age: bone fractures become more frequent, and the brain usually doesn’t perform as well as it used to. Fundamental research at PSI provides insights at the nanoscale, yielding information that could help improve quality of life.
Together, for a strong Switzerland.
Together, for a strong Switzerland. At PSI, global expertise comes together to drive innovation and develop solutions for society.
Congratulations to Đorđe Petrovic, PostDoc from ANS group
Đorđe Petrovic, PostDoc from ANS group of LSM was selected as recipient of the FR26 Young Generation Paper Recognition.
When Quantum Magnets Lose Their Sense of Scale
Scale invariance asks whether the same patterns can govern nature across very different lengths, from microscopic matter to large natural structures. Magnets offer one of the cleanest examples: near a critical point, where order disappears, details of the material fade and universal laws take over.
Lord of the data
Between physics and software: Stefan Ritt and his work at the limits of measurement. A portrait in data, experiments, and “forbidden” decays.
“Fall in love with the problem – not the solution”
Georges Khneysser, Venture Capitalist at Park Innovaare, explains what science-based spin-offs need to understand about market requirements and why trust matters more than the perfect pitch.
Machine learning helps refine aerosol measurement characterization
Machine learning, applied to year-long observations from the Zeppelin Observatory on Svalbard, was capable of refining aerosol chemical characterization specifically those measured with state-of-the-art mass spectrometric techniques.
Surface-confined spiral state with a doubled magnetic period in Cu2OSeO3
Magnetism in solid materials originates from tiny atomic “compasses” called electron spins. In many magnetically ordered compounds, these spins simply align parallel or antiparallel to each other. However, in more complex systems they can arrange into ...
Towards digital twin of an in-situ experiment: a physics-enhanced machine-learning framework for inverse modelling of mass transport processes
Peng et al., 2026
As a prove of concept for experimental geochemistry, an advanced 3D numerical framework, here and after called Digital Twin (DT), of a diffusion experiment conducted at a synchrotron beamline, has been implemented using....
AI against cancer
A blood sample and artificial intelligence. PSI researchers are developing a method for cancer diagnosis using chromatin-based pattern recognition.
New insights into 3D-printed materials for future fusion reactors
X-ray and neutron experiments give valuable clues.
Compositional and structural controls on Fe(III) trapping in LDH phases
Ban et al., 2026
Understanding Fe incorporation in layered double hydroxide (LDH) phases is important for revealing the steel/cement interface interaction in low carbon cement. In this study, synchrotron-based characterization is....
Pollution from aircraft
Researchers at PSI have measured how flight operations at Zurich Airport affect the atmospheric concentration of ultrafine particulate matter. In the process, they also found lubricating oil compounds in the air.
AiiDAlab: software that drives research forward
The software platform AiiDAlab was developed for computer simulations in materials research. It’s now becoming clear that it's also useful in many other areas, such as atmospheric research, controlling experiments and teaching.
Alkali-Metal Interlocking of 2D V4O10 Sheets Defines Discretized Interlayer Shear Relationships
Low-dimensional materials manifest structural anisotropy, quantum confinement, and tightly bound excitonic states, which make them attractive building blocks that can be assembled within three-dimensional laterally stitched heterostructures, stacked van der Waals solids, and complex moiré superlattices ...
Cooling without pumps: New measurement data for modular reactors
In an international collaboration, researchers at PSI have, for the first time, collected high-resolution measurement data from passive cooling systems for small modular nuclear reactors – an important basis for developing future generations of reactors.
Pore-scale reactive transport modeling of minerals dissolution and precipitation.
Mahrous et al., 2026
With the aim of identifying the strengths and limitations of current reactive transport models in simulating dissolution-precipitation reactions, this work validates experimentally a newly developed pore-scale model. The model is developed....
When Tungsten Meets Steel: Designing Interfaces for Fusion
Additive manufacturing enables new tungsten–steel designs for fusion reactors—but also creates complex microstructures. PSI researchers reveal how phases form and evolve at the interface during processing.
Wind energy and scenic landscapes: balancing beauty and power through better planning
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and ETH Zurich have drawn up the first Europe-wide map of landscape quality and highlighted where wind energy and landscape protection overlap.
Cascade of Spin Moiré Superlattices with In-Plane Field in Triangular Lattice Semimetal EuAg4Sb2
EuAg4Sb2 is a rhombohedral europium triangular lattice material that exhibits a rich phase diagram of spin moiré superlattices (SMS) and single-q magnetic phases. In this paper, we characterize ...
LEAPS AISBL inaugurated in Brussels as formal legal entity
Europe’s leading photon science facilities enter a new phase of strategic coordination.
Experimental observation of short-range magnetic correlations in amorphous Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 thin films
We use muon spin rotation/relaxation/resonance (μSR) to investigate the magnetic properties of niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) and tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) thin films. In both oxides, we observe a magnetic response at the lowest available temperature of 2.8 K ...
Not every brain ages in the same way
Over a lifetime, our brain ages – in particular its volume decreases. However, the brains of some people display a greater resistance to age-related change and to the protein deposits associated with dementia.
Vanishing ordered moment in the frustrated triangular lattice antiferromagnet CuNdO2
The steady decline of neutron imaging (NI) facilities—driven in part by the shutdown of several research reactors—has increased the need to maximize the use of existing infrastructure. In this context, a collaborative effort between PSI-CNM, PSI-NES, and EPFL-LRS has led to the development ...
Collaborative Development of a New Neutron Imaging Beamline at the Zero-Power CROCUS Reactor
The steady decline of neutron imaging (NI) facilities—driven in part by the shutdown of several research reactors—has increased the need to maximize the use of existing infrastructure. In this context, a collaborative effort between PSI-CNM, PSI-NES, and EPFL-LRS has led to the development ...
Radiopharmacy: past, present and future
Radiopharmaceuticals allow some types of cancer to be targeted with tailor-made therapies. The current state of the art was preceded by decades of intensive research – and the future promises even better treatment options.
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.
Swiss biomethane has potential
By using biomass intelligently, Switzerland could meet a substantial percentage of its own gas needs, making itself less dependent on the global market.
Taking the fear out of cancer
Researchers at PSI are developing new technologies and drugs to eliminate tumours more effectively: with greater precision and personalised approaches
Exploring 3d systems for quantum spin liquids
Using neutron and muon experiments, a team from South Korea, the USA, the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), and ISIS investigated the structure under ambient conditions and dynamics of a magnetic field-induced intermediate ...
Bridging in-situ chemical imaging and pore-scale reactive transport modelling: mechanistic insight into CaCO3 polymorph dynamics
Peng et al., 2026
Understanding the growth and dissolution behavior of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) polymorphs is fundamental for studying biomineralization, environmental geochemistry, and reactive transport processes in porous systems. Among numerous carbonate phases, amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) often plays....
Laboratory diffusion experiments with HTO, D2O, H218O, 36Cl−, Br−, I−, 79SeO42−, 22Na+, 85Sr2+, 133Ba2+ and 226Ra2+ in Opalinus Clay parallel to the bedding plane: experimental results and modelling
Van Loon et al., 2026
The diffusion of a suite of trace solutes (radiotracers and stable isotope species) through Opalinus Clay was studied on rock material from two different boreholes (BDR-2, BMA-A1) of the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory in Switzerland. Most tests were carried out on samples from borehole BDR-2, where the DR long-term diffusion-retention experiment was....
A time machine to the most stable state
GEMS allows scientists to model the chemistry of complex systems. A new national consortium now guarantees the long-term development of this open-source software.
In-situ straining with a MEMS device
Researchers from an international collaboration between Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Taiwan have developed a device for the in situ straining of freestanding ferroic films alllowing for ptychographic imaging whilst applying a mechanical strain. The results have been published as Editors' Suggestion within Physical Review B.
Emergence of a Fluctuating Ground State in Y-Kapellasite under Pressure
Y-kapellasite [Y3Cu9(OH)19Cl8], which hosts an original anisotropic kagome sublattice, is a promising candidate for studying elusive and complex correlated physics. It exhibits a theoretically predicted in-plane (1/3; 1/3) magnetic order, but its magnetic interaction values place it close to a phase boundary to a spin liquid state ...
Green biomass as a sustainable source of protein
The food industry is increasingly focusing on sustainable products. Proteins from green biomass are a promising option, as a research team involving the MLZ has discovered. These can be used, for example, as stabilisers in emulsions, such as in plant-based alternatives to yogurt, milk, ice cream, or cheese.
Sharper, smaller, brighter: Improved Focusing at PX III after the SLS 2.0 Upgrade
The first experimental results from the upgraded X06DA-PX III beamline after the SLS 2.0 upgrade show measurable improvements of the focusing capabilities. Comparing the focus size before the SLS upgrade and afterwards, the benefit of the new storage ring becomes immediately evident.
Why cells respond “incorrectly” in old age
Researchers at PSI have established why the cells in our body react differently to stimuli and signals in old age compared with young cells. Their studies on human skin cells have shown that the chromatin, the packaged form of the DNA in the cell nucleus, plays a key role in this.
Versatile Magneto- Dielectric Response of Epitaxial Thin Films of the High Entropy Oxide Perovskite Nd(Cr0.2Mn0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2)O3
We report the dielectric and magnetic properties of epitaxial thin films of the high entropy oxide (HEO) perovskite Nd(Cr0.2Mn0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2)O3, which orders magnetically below Tmag ≈ 190 K.
At T ≫ Tmag, the dielectric response reveals ...
Congratulations to Israa for winning the Poster Competition award for her poster “Efficient QR based Column Subset Selection through Randomized Sparse Embedding”
Doctoral student Israa Fakih, supervised by Prof. Laura Grigori, won the 1st place in Poster Competition award for her poster “Efficient QR based Column Subset Selection through Randomized Sparse Embedding”, at the SWICCOMAS Annual Event 2026, held at the University of Bern, Switzerland.
Imaging electrical switching of ultraefficient memory devices
SLS illuminates how electrical switching in layered materials works
Characterization of Stable NiOx/ SrTaOxNy Bilayers Boosting the Oxygen Evolution Reaction for Solar Water Splitting
SrTaOxNy (STON) is a well-known visible light-responsive semiconductor with ideally located band edges that allow the operability of overall water splitting. Like many oxynitrides, STON shows evidence of detrimental physicochemical changes under oxygen evolution reaction (OER) conditions involving strong caustic electrolytes. ...
Blood pressure-lowering drug with a light switch
From off to on: PSI researchers have observed how the potency of a blood pressure medication can be switched using light.
Resolving Complex Multiscale Structure of Magneto- and Electroactive Polymer Composites With an Ionic Liquid
A multiscale understanding of the structure of ionogels – nanoparticle-free polymer composites incorporating ionic liquids – is essential for enhancing their macroscopic functional properties and unlocking their potential in critical applications such as energy storage, sensing, and actuation. We establish ...
Mechanistic Thermodynamic Model for Zn2+ Uptake on Saponite
Stotskyi et al., 2026
Zn uptake by the synthetic trioctahedral clay mineral saponite was investigated in batch sorption experiments over a wide range of conditions....
PSI as a city
If you look closely, PSI resembles a small city. We present a selection of 11 facilities and services located on the institute’s 342,000-square-metre campus. They are available to PSI’s 2,300 employees – and in some cases well beyond.
Algebraic Loop Liquid in the Pyrochlore CsNiCrF6
The β-pyrochlore CsNiCrF6 is a charge ice—each tetrahedron of the pyrochlore lattice is occupied by two Ni2+ and two Cr3+ according to an ice rule, resulting in fully packed same-species loops with power-law length distribution. Using inelastic neutron scattering and numerical simulations, we show ...