© Adobe Stock
Des chercheurs du PSI ont mesuré le rayon de charge de l’hélium-3 à l’aide d’hélium muonique avec une précision inégalée – une étape majeure pour les théories concernant les noyaux atomiques légers. L’image symbolique illustre le noyau d’hélium-3 avec deux protons (rouges) et un neutron (jaune). © Adobe Stock
22.05.2025
•Fondements de la nature
•8 min

Nouveaux jalons en physique nucléaire

Des scientifiques du PSI mesurent le rayon du noyau de l’hélium-3 muonique avec une précision inégalée à ce jour et mettent à l’épreuve les théories de la physique atomique.

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La serrure miniature de l’époque romaine
La serrure miniature de l’époque romaine, qui date du IIIe ou IVe siècle après Jésus-Christ, est à peine plus grosse qu’un ongle et artistiquement fabriquée en or. Le mécanisme interne en fer s’est longtemps soustrait à l’observation, car les méthodes d’imagerie conventionnelles échouaient en raison de la densité du cylindre en or. C’est uniquement grâce à la neutronographie au PSI que l’on a pu scruter ses secrets sans la détruire. © LWL/S. Brentführer
01.05.2025
•Grands instruments de recherche
•9 min

Une minuscule serrure en or de l’époque romaine

Grâce aux neutrons, David Mannes du PSI a percé le secret d’un fascinant artefact archéologique.

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Christian Rüegg
18.12.2024
•Grands instruments de recherche
•7 min

Décision concernant IMPACT: la mise à niveau de l’installation de recherche du PSI sera réalisée

Le financement des transformations à l’accélérateur de protons du PSI a été avalisé par le Parlement suisse.

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Many functional materials are composed of coherent domains or grains, where molecules and atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern that determines performance. X-ray Linear Dichroic Orientation Tomography (XL-DOT) allows 3D mapping of material microstructure at the nanoscale. Here, the technique is applied to a pillar of vanadium pentoxide catalyst, used in the production of sulfuric acid. The colours in the tomogram represent the different orientation of grains.
Many functional materials are composed of coherent domains or grains, where molecules and atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern that determines performance. X-ray Linear Dichroic Orientation Tomography (XL-DOT) allows 3D mapping of material microstructure at the nanoscale. Here, the technique is applied to a pillar of vanadium pentoxide catalyst, used in the production of sulfuric acid. The colours in the tomogram represent the different orientation of grains. © Paul Scherrer Institute PSI/Andreas Apseros
11.12.2024
•Technologies d’avenir
•9 min

Mapping the Nanoscale Architecture of Functional Materials

A new X-ray technique reveals the 3D orientation of ordered material structures at the nanoscale, allowing new insights into material functionality.

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PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences

The PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences uses neutrons and muons to explore and understand matter and materials.

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Morano et al

Absence of Altermagnetic Magnon Band Splitting in MnF2

Altermagnets are collinear compensated magnets in which the magnetic sublattices are related by rotation rather than translation or inversion. One of the quintessential properties of altermagnets is the presence of split chiral magnon modes. Recently, such modes have been predicted in MnF2. 

Here, we report inelastic neutron scattering results ...

Khasanov et al

Pressure effect on the spin density wave transition in La2PrNi2O6.96

High-pressure studies reveal a stark contrast between the superconducting properties of double-layer Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) nickelates La2⁢PrNi2⁢O7 and La3⁢Ni2⁢O7. While La2⁢PrNi2⁢O7 exhibits bulk superconductivity, La3⁢Ni2⁢O7 displays filamentary behavior, suggesting that superconductivity is confined to phase interfaces rather than the bulk. Since magnetism emerges ...

Sakrikar et al (2)

Pressure tuning of competing interactions on a honeycomb lattice

Exchange interactions are mediated via orbital overlaps across chemical bonds. Thus, modifying the bond angles by physical pressure or strain can tune the relative strength of competing interactions. Here we present a remarkable case of such tuning between the Heisenberg (J) and Kitaev (K) exchange, which respectively establish magnetically ordered and spin liquid phases on a honeycomb lattice. We observe ...

Graham et al

Tailoring the Normal and Superconducting State Properties of Ternary Scandium Tellurides, Sc6MTe2 (M = Fe, Ru, and Ir) Through Chemical Substitution

The pursuit of a unifying theory for non-BCS superconductivity has faced significant challenges. One approach to overcome such challenges is to perform systematic investigations into superconductors containing d-electron metals in order to elucidate their underlying mechanisms. Recently, the Sc6MTe2 (M = d-electron metal) family has emerged as a unique series of isostructural compounds exhibiting superconductivity across a range of 3d, 4d, and 5d electron systems. 

In this study, muon spin rotation, neutron diffraction, and magnetization techniques are employed to probe ...

Wang et al

Achieving Uniform Phase Structure for Layer-by-Layer Processed Binary Organic Solar Cells with 20.2% Efficiency

Layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition has become a facile and promising method to fabricate highly efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). However, characterization and optimization of 3D morphology remain a grand challenge for LBL- processed active layers, and their correlation with photovoltaic properties of OSC devices is not clear to date. 

Here, to address this issue, ...

Marc Janoschek

Prof. Dr. Marc Janoschek appointed new Head of the PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences (CNM)

Prof. Dr. Marc Janoschek will take over as Head of the PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences (CNM) on 1 June 2025.

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Swiss Spallation Neutron Source SINQ

Neutron scattering techniques are highly versatile and powerful tools for studying the structure and dynamics of condensed matter. A wide scope of problems, ranging from fundamental to solid state physics and chemistry, and from materials science to biology, medicine and environmental science, can be investigated with neutrons. In addition to scattering, non-diffractive methods like imaging techniques allows for non-destructive inspection of materials and components, providing information on their internal structure, composition, and integrity with growing relevance also for industrial applications.
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Synoptic quantum many body methodology of corre-lated electron systems

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The CNM center hosts 300 members of staff, in addition 40 PhD students perform their thesis work within CNM

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The center is organized in 5 laboratories and 1 staff group.

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Paul Scherrer Institut
Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences CNM

WHGA/345
5232 Villigen PSI
Switzerland