Scientists at #SwissFEL have made a breakthrough in creating and controlling magnetic waves in materials. Spins carried by atoms are the building blocks of magnetism. In a ferromagnet, they all align in the same direction, a feature used to store data on hard drives. In antiferromagnets, they align in opposite directions. In spin liquids, like the surface of a stormy sea where water mountains build up here and there, disappearing as fast as they come, the spins fluctuate without an ordered magnetic state. Scientists have now succeeded in using short THz pulses of light to synchronise the spins in a spin liquid, reminiscent of how wind can create highly periodic patterns of waves 🌊 on water. When the spins fleetingly align, it generates a magnetic field inside the material. These magnetic waves could be detected using the ultrashort X-ray pulses of the Bernina experimental station at SwissFEL. The ability to induce such magnetic states on ultrafast timescales could be useful for new, fast data storage or to control material properties such as electrical conductivity or magnetic state. As well as the technological implications of this discovery, it showcases the powerful capabilities of SwissFEL for materials science. Full Scientific Highlight: https://brnw.ch/21wM6pN Original paper on Nature Communications: https://brnw.ch/21wM6pJ CC: Lightsources.org #FutureTechnology #ResearchAtPSI #ResearchMatters
PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
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Das Paul Scherrer Institut PSI entwickelt, baut und betreibt grosse und komplexe Forschungsanlagen und stellt sie der nationalen und internationalen Forschungsgemeinde zur Verfügung. Eigene Forschungsschwerpunkte sind Materie und Material, Energie und Umwelt sowie Mensch und Gesundheit. Die Ausbildung von jungen Menschen ist ein zentrales Anliegen des PSI. Deshalb sind etwa ein Viertel unserer Mitarbeitenden Postdoktorierende, Doktorierende oder Lernende. Insgesamt beschäftigt das PSI 2100 Mitarbeitende, das damit das grösste Forschungsinstitut der Schweiz ist. Das Jahresbudget beträgt rund CHF 400 Mio. Das PSI ist Teil des ETH-Bereichs, dem auch die ETH Zürich und die ETH Lausanne angehören sowie die Forschungsinstitute Eawag, Empa und WSL.
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http://www.psi.ch
Externer Link zu PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
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- Forschungsdienstleistungen
- Größe
- 1.001–5.000 Beschäftigte
- Hauptsitz
- Villigen PSI, Aargau
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- Regierungsbehörde
- Gegründet
- 1988
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- Large Research Facilities, Experiments with Synchrotron Light, Neutrons and Muons, Proton Therapy und Energy Research
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Forschungsstrasse 111
OVGA
Villigen PSI, Aargau 5232, CH
Beschäftigte von PSI Paul Scherrer Institut
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🌟 🌠 The synthesis of elements heavier than iron within stars typically aligns well with theoretical models—except for one puzzling outlier: cerium-140. An international team of scientists, including researchers from PSI, has conducted groundbreaking experiments at CERN'sneutron time-of-flight (n_TOF) facility, yielding results that could challenge current understanding. 💬 "We might need to completely rethink the theoretical model for how elements heavier than iron are formed inside stars," says Emilio Maugeri from PSI's Laboratory for Radiochemistry. The formation of these heavy elements is primarily governed by two processes: the slow (s) and rapid (r) neutron capture processes. The s-process, in particular, has been accurately modeled, matching the observed abundance of these elements in certain stars within the Milky Way. ⭐ However, in some stars, where cerium-140 is produced via the s-process, astrophysicists have observed a significantly higher abundance of this isotope than predicted. If both the measurements and the model are correct, an unknown mechanism must account for this discrepancy. 🤔 Physicists have long theorized a potential third process, the intermediate (i) process, which might explain these findings. Emilio Andrea Maugeri is excited: "We may have just opened up an entirely new field of research." Next year, experts plan to convene at a dedicated conference to discuss the next steps forward. Read the full story here: https://brnw.ch/21wM4zK #ResearchAtPSI # #Astrophysics #Cerium140 #SpaceResearch #CERN
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🎓 Lehrabschlussfeier 2024 🎓 29 junge Menschen haben diesen Sommer ihre Lehre am PSI erfolgreich abgeschlossen – diesen Anlass haben wir am 16. August gemeinsam mit ihnen und ihren Eltern gefeiert. 🎉 Bei einem festlichen Nachtessen würdigten wir die beeindruckenden Leistungen unserer frischen Absolvent*innen. 👩🎓👨🎓 Die tollen Abschlüsse machen sie zu Fachkräften, die unsere Zukunft mitgestalten werden. 🌟 Wir sind unglaublich stolz auf euch und freuen uns darauf, euren zukünftigen Werdegang zu verfolgen. Herzlichen Glückwunsch an alle! 🎊 #LehreAmPSI #SwissMadeExcellence #Berufsbildung #Berufslehre #amPulsderForschung #PSICampus
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#Hydrogen, too, leads to greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers at the PSI Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis (LEA) Systems Analysis and Carnegie Science and have compiled geographical, economic data and forecasts to describe the development of a hydrogen economy in four different scenarios and have analysed which regions of the world could produce hydrogen most cost-effectively. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: ➡ Depending on the scenario, the demand for hydrogen could lie between 111 and 614 megatonnes per year in 2050. ➡ In purely economic terms, the best regions for producing hydrogen include Canada, the USA, northwestern Europe, and parts of Australia and the Sahara. ➡ The environmental impacts of a hydrogen economy need to be considered beyond its impact on our climate. 💧🌱It’s clear: simply replacing fossil fuels by electricity and hydrogen will not put an end to greenhouse gas emissions. Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/d92WxynU #EnergyTransition #ResearchAtPSI CC: Tom Terlouw, Christian Bauer, Russell McKenna, Lorenzo Rosa, Stanford University, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT), ETH Zurich
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🚀 Today and tomorrow (19-20 August), ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (#Juice) will make a remarkable return to Earth, performing a historic double flyby. The #spacecraft will first pass by the 🌕 Moon, followed by 🌍 Earth, in a double world first - the first-ever lunar-Earth flyby and the first-ever double gravity assist manoeuvre. This manoeuvre will put Juice on a faster route to #Jupiter via #Venus. 🔬 On board the high-tech detector RADEM developed at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI. Among other things, RADEM will provide information about the complex radiation conditions and the highly dynamic magnetic environment of the Jupiter system. 🌌 Read more on RADEM here: https://lnkd.in/dJNj633u #SpaceMission #Space #ESA #ESAJuice https://lnkd.in/db-6tHfY
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🚀 Willkommen am PSI: Der Start für unsere neuen Lernenden und Praktikant*innen! 🌟 Am 5. August durften wir 31 neue Lernende und Praktikant*innen bei uns begrüssen. Mit kreativen Plakaten, informativen Vorträgen und einer spannenden Erkundungstour über den PSI-Campus begann ihre Reise in die Berufswelt. Neben wichtigen Einblicken in Themen wie Strahlenschutz und Sicherheit blieb auch genügend Zeit, um sich beim gemeinsamen Grillieren besser kennenzulernen. Wir freuen uns darauf, euch auf diesem aufregenden Weg zu begleiten, und wünschen euch eine erfolgreiche und lehrreiche Zeit am PSI! 🎉 #LehreAmPSI #SwissMadeExcellence #Berufsbildung #Berufslehre #amPulsderForschung #PSICampus
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📽 The installation of the new arcs in the #SwissLightSource #SLS is progressing rapidly. By the end of July, 7 of the 12 new arcs had been installed, and work had begun on the new insertion devices, cavities, and experiment station fronts. In this SLS 2.0 update video, you can see how the arcs are reassembled, and the magnets closed. First, the top halves of the magnets are removed to fit the vacuum chamber into the openings. After inserting the vacuum chamber and aligning the pump blocks and beam position monitors, the top halves of the magnets get reassembled and re-tightened. All in all, more than 1,000 new magnets will be installed in the electron storage ring during the SLS 2.0 upgrade project. The precision of these magnets is crucial to ensure that the electrons stay exactly on their path inside the electron storage ring, where they they emit X-rays for research. #UpgradingSLS #SLS2.0 #LightSourceScience #WorldChangingScience #SynchrotronScience #ScienceForSociety #ScienceNeverStops #MoreBrilliantLightForResearch
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💻 Miniaturising computer #chips is one of the keys to the #digital #revolution. It allows computers to become smaller and more powerful - a prerequisite for autonomous driving, AI and the 5G standard for mobile communications. PSI researchers Iason Giannopoulos, Yasin Ekinci, Dimitris Kazazis, Michaela Vockenhuber, and Iacopo Mochi from the Laboratory of X-ray Nanoscience and Technologies at PSI Paul Scherrer Institut reached unprecedented 5 nm half pitch resolution with extreme ultraviolet light #EUV #lithography at the #SwissLightSource SLS. A new density record in chip manufacturing technology, surpassing the current state of the art of 12nm (6000 times thinner than a human hair)! 💬 Dimitris Kazazis notes, “Our results show that EUV lithography can produce extremely high resolutions, indicating that there are no fundamental limitations yet. This is really exciting since it extends the horizon of what we deem as possible and can also open up new avenues for research in the field of EUV lithography and photoresist materials.” Full story: https://lnkd.in/de7w8WBx #FutureTechnologies #Research #XRays #SLS #SwissLightSource #ResearchAtPSI
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#UsersAtPSI - Using X-ray imaging at the #SwissLightSource #SLS, researchers at Queen Mary University of London and The University of Bonn (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) unlocked life history secrets of Jurassic mammals and revealed dramatic differences in growth patterns between ancient and modern mammals. The researchers found that the first signs of the modern mammal growth pattern – high growth rates in young animals that are arrested at puberty – originated amongst the earliest true mammals around 130 million years ago. The #SciencePic created by the UK palaeoartist James Brown is a digital reconstruction of two coexisting species from the Late Jurassic period in Portugal studied by the researchers. The research team used a technique called synchrotron X-ray tomography at the #TOMCAT beamline at #SwissLightSource #SLS to image growth rings in fossilised tooth roots. These rings are similar to those found in trees, but on a microscopic scale. By counting the rings and analyzing their thickness and texture, the researchers were able to reconstruct the growth patterns and lifespans of these extinct animals. "This is the first time we've been able to reconstruct the growth patterns of these early mammals in such detail," said co-lead Dr Elis Newham, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Queen Mary University of London and Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the University of Bonn, first author of the study. "By studying the spacing and texture of these growth rings, we can not only tell how fast they grew at different stages of life, but also make inferences about their metabolism and overall life history." "It’s been so exciting to be involved in this project. Putting Jurassic fossils into a particle accelerator (the synchrotron) and reconstructing the past from it sounds like science fiction, but we can actually do it!" said Dr Jen Bright, co-author of the study and Zoology programme director at the University of Hull. Full story: https://brnw.ch/21wLNOi Original Article: https://brnw.ch/21wLNOj CC: ESRF - The European Synchrotron, Lightsources.org #ResearchMatters #LightSourceScience #WorldChangingScience #SynchrotronScience #ScienceForSociety #ScienceNeverStops
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🧬🧫 Researchers at the PSI Paul Scherrer Institut and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur have published the first visualization of the complete structure of the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC). This receptor protein plays a crucial role in allowing pathogens such as the #malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax and the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus to infect cells, and it is also associated with increased susceptibility to #HIV infection. By utilizing cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), the researchers identified unique structural features of the DARC protein that may account for its distinct pharmacological and functional properties. Understanding these mechanisms is vital, particularly in the context of rising drug-resistant infections. This research paves the way for the development of new therapies to combat drug-resistant malaria, Staphylococcus infections, and HIV. #DARCStructure #ProteinStructure #CryoEM #DrugResistance #BiomedicalResearch Image: Basavraj Khanppnavar, PhD
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