Scientific Highlights
Outstanding high gradient performances of two test structures produced at PSI for the CLIC project
X-band (12 GHz) radio-frequency (RF) accelerating structures are under consideration for future free electron lasers, medical linacs and linear colliders. Two such structures, built by PSI in the framework of a CERN/PSI collaboration, are currently being tested at high power at CERN.
Dipolar Spin Ice States with a Fast Monopole Hopping Rate in CdEr2X4 (X = Se, S)
Excitations in a spin ice behave as magnetic monopoles, and their population and mobility control the dynamics of a spin ice at low temperature. CdEr2Se4 is reported to have the Pauling entropy characteristic of a spin ice, but its dynamics are three orders of magnitude faster than the canonical spin ice Dy2Ti2O7.
LEAPS join forces with the European Commission to strengthen Europe’s leading role in science
“A world where European science is a catalyst for solving global challenges, a key driver for competitiveness and a compelling force for closer integration and peace through scientific collaboration.” This is the vision of LEAPS, League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources, on which the LEAPS Strategy 2030 is based. Director Jean-David Malo, DG Research and Innovation, received the strategy today at the Bulgarian Presidency Flagship Conference on Research Infrastructures.
When man-made stones meet natural rocks – Shedding light on Mg-rich phases appearing at the interface between concrete and clay
Claystones and cement-based materials are key materials for safe disposal of radioactive waste in deep geological repositories. In Switzerland, Opalinus Clay, was selected as geological host material. At the Mont Terri rock laboratory the alteration of cement in contact with the natural clay is studied in a several years lasting experiment. The formation of different magnesium containing phases at the interface was studied using X-ray absorption micro-spectroscopy at the PHOENIX beamline of the Swiss Light Source (SLS).
First Single-Shot SASE spectra of SwissFEL successfully measured
The team of the Laboratory for Advanced Photonics (LAP) has succeeded to perform the first set of shot-to-shot measurements of the SwissFEL generated spectrum.
HERCULES at the Swiss Light Source
In the week of March 18-23 PSI welcomes 20 PhD students and postdocs taking part in the HERCULES 2018 school on Neutron and Synchrotron Radiation. They will attend lectures and perform two days of practical courses at several beam lines of the Swiss Light Source.
Spin-liquid-like state in a spin-1/2 square-lattice antiferromagnet perovskite induced by d10 – d0 cation mixing
A quantum spin liquid state has long been predicted to arise in spin-1/2 Heisenberg square-lattice antiferromagnets at the boundary region between Néel (nearest-neighbor interaction dominates) and columnar (next-nearest-neighbor interaction dominates) antiferromagnetic order. However, there are no known compounds in this region. Here we use d10 – d0 cation mixing to tune the magnetic interactions on the square lattice while simultaneously introducing disorder.
BSAF-2: Analysis of Unit 3 accident and fission product transport
The Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which occurred in March 2011, had a very strong impact on the nuclear community. Three reactors suffered core damage and fission products were released to the environment. Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) has participated in an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) project, Benchmark Study of the Accident at the Fukushima (BSAF). The project aimed to evaluate and analyse the accident progression, likely end-state of the reactor core after the accidents, and the release of radioactivity to the environment. PSI has concentrated on the analysis of unit 3 using MELCOR 2.1. Hundreds of calculations have been performed and a plausible scenario which predicted remarkably well the main signatures has been selected.
Time-resolved copper speciation during selective catalytic reduction of NO on Cu-SSZ-13
Through the combination of time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy and transient experimentation, we were able to capture an ammonia inhibition effect on the rate-limiting copper re-oxidation at low temperature.
Time-resolved copper speciation during selective catalytic reduction of NO on Cu-SSZ-13
Through the combination of time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy and transient experimentation, we were able to capture an ammonia inhibition effect on the rate-limiting copper re-oxidation at low temperature.