PSI Scientific Report 2010
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PSI Scientific Report 2010 Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland Tel. +41 (0)56 310 21 11, Fax +41 (0)56 310 21 99 www.psi.ch PSI Scientific Report 2010 Cover photo: PSI researchers Marcel Hofer and Jérôme Bernard working an Pharmacist Susanne Geistlich preparing a fuel-cell system developed in the inactive components of a collaboration with Belenos Clean radio pharmaceutic at PSI‘s Center for Power AG. Radiopharmaceutical Sciences. (Photo: Scanderbeg Sauer Photography) (Photo: Scanderbeg Sauer Photography) PSI Scientifi c Report 2010 PSI Scientifi c Report 2010 Published by Paul Scherrer Institute Editor Paul Piwnicki English language editing Trevor Dury Coordination Evelyne Gisler Design and Layout Irma Herzog Photographs PSI, unless stated otherwise Printing Sparn Druck + Verlag AG, Möhlin Available from Paul Scherrer Institute Communications Services 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland Phone +41 (0)56 310 21 11 www.psi.ch PSI public relations [email protected] Communications offi cer Dagmar Baroke ISSN 1662-1719 Copying is welcomed, provided the source is acknowledged and an archive copy sent to PSI. Paul Scherrer Institute, April 2011 Table of contents 3 4 World-class research benefi ts our industry Foreword from the director 7 SwissFEL 17 Research focus and highlights 18 Synchrotron light 28 Neutrons and muons 36 Particle physics 40 Micro- and nanotechnology 44 Biomolecular research 48 Radiopharmacy 52 Nuclear Chemistry 54 Large research facilities 56 Proton Therapy 60 General Energy 70 CCEM-CH 72 Nuclear energy and safety 84 Environment and energy systems analysis 91 User facilities 92 PSI accelerators 96 Swiss Light Source (SLS) 98 Spallation Neutron Source (SINQ) 100 Ultra-Cold Neutron Source (UCN) 102 Swiss Muon Source (SμS) 105 Technology transfer 111 Facts and fi gures 112 PSI in 2010 – an overview 114 Commission and committees 116 Organizational Structure 117 Publications Photo: Scanderbeg Sauer Photography Foreword 5 World-class research benefi ts our industry Dear Reader, DECTRIS. This company is now selling its products all over the What do automobile components, batteries, chain saws, choco- world and, for this achievement, received the Swiss Economic late, computer processors, concrete, fuel cells, luxury watches, Award in June 2010. Currently, scientists at PSI and DECTRIS are medicines, satellites, semiconductors, soap and yoghurt all have investigating the potential of this technology for applications in common? The answer is that they, among many other objects, in the fi eld of medical imaging. have all been examined at the Paul Scherrer Institute by indus- Beside these two examples, numerous other technologies de- trial companies. Looking inside a combustion engine or a bio- veloped at PSI are now used by industry; for example, power molecule is possible through the use of the large-scale scien- supplies for highly dynamic magnets, high-precision step-motor tifi c facilities of PSI: the Swiss Light Source (SLS), the Spallation control systems, various components for proton-therapy treat- Neutron Source (SINQ), and the Swiss Muon Source (SμS), or the ments, catalysts for exhaust gas aft er-treatment, fuel cells as hot-cells for radioactive materials. These facilities are all avail- power supplies, or optical components for neutron sources, as able for industrial partners to use, for investigations that are not produced by SwissNeutronics, another PSI spin-off company. possible anywhere else in Switzerland, or – in some cases – even The next large facility to be built at PSI will be the SwissFEL X-ray anywhere in the world. free-electron laser. In building this facility, it is one of our highest Besides this direct use of PSI facilities by industry, other indirect priorities to involve future users at the earliest possible stage of benefi ts also exist for industry from PSI’s own internal develop- its conception, as we want to provide a facility which is pre- ments. Indeed, PSI scientists oft en require technologies for their cisely tailored to the needs of Swiss research groups in both own experiments that are not available on the market and this universities and industry. At the same time, we are being con- therefore necessitates specifi c in-house development to achieve fronted by considerable technological challenges, which we want a solution. It regularly happens that PSI products which derive to solve together with industrial partners. In this way, know-how from such developments can be used in various other types of from PSI will – again – be transferred to industry, enabling the industrial applications. Two particularly notable examples of companies involved to acquire knowledge and innovation capa- such technology transfers originated from fundamental research bilities. at PSI. To conclude, although it is clear that most research performed The fi rst is an oscilloscope, the size of a thumbnail, which had at PSI is of a fundamental character, considerable direct and been developed for precision experiments at PSI and can per- indirect benefi ts also result for our industry and, consequently, form the same functions as a conventional device the size of a our society, not to mention the benefi ts which accrue from the shoebox. PSI is currently looking for the best way to market this signifi cant training and educational component of PSI’s mission. product. In the second example, PSI researchers developed an innovative detector for the CMS experiment at the new Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, to reveal the presence and paths of elementary particles. Further adaptation of this device for Professor Dr. Joël Mesot X-ray detection resulted in the creation of the spin-off company Director, Paul Scherrer Institute SwissFEL 7 8 SwissFEL – Project overview and An important milestone in the realization of the new SwissFEL facil- new developments ity was reached on 24 August 2010, when the core of the new Swiss Free-Electron Laser facility (SwissFEL) was set into operation at the Paul Scherrer Institute. The newly inaugurated injector pre-project is motivated by the challenging electron beam requirements necessary for the SwissFEL accelerator facility. Its main goal is to extensively study the generation, transport and time compression of high- brightness beams and to support the component development necessary for the SwissFEL Project. The new SwissFEL facility will open the door to discoveries, in many areas of current research, that cannot be achieved using existing methods. The unique properties of the SwissFEL will enable experi- ments to be carried out at a very high resolution in both time and space. For example, it will be possible to observe the progress of extremely fast chemical and physical processes, including details down to the scale of a molecule. This will not only result in a signifi cant increase in knowledge, it will also provide the basis for a vast range of technical and scientifi c developments. The SwissFEL Project is progressing very well and, in May 2010, the new SwissFEL web site went online: www.swissfel.ch. In July 2010, the SwissFEL Injector Conceptual Design Report – Accelerator Test Facility for SwissFEL (PSI Bericht Nr. 10-05) – was completed. Furthermore, the SwissFEL Conceptual Design Report (CDR – PSI Bericht Nr. 10-04) was published, describing the technical concepts and parameters used for the SwissFEL baseline design. Both documents are available via the SwissFEL Website: http://www. swissfel.ch. The next highlight took place at the 32nd International Free-Electron Laser Conference in Malmö, Sweden, where the prestigious 2010 FEL Prize was awarded to Sven Reiche, of the SwissFEL Beam Dynamics Inauguration of the SwissFEL injector: team. Sven was presented with this award for his “outstanding con- Joël Mesot, PSI director, and Didier Burkhalter, Federal Councillor, tributions to the advancement of the fi eld of Free-Electron Laser at the injector tunnel. science and technology”. 8 SwissFEL PSI Scientifi c Report 2010 Preparations for SwissFEL science Bruce Patterson, Rafael Abela, Bill Pedrini, Mirjam van Daalen, Matthias Kläui, Hans Sigg, Jacinto Sa, Christoph Hauri, Izabela Czekaj, Anastasija Ichsanow, Jeroen van Bokhoven, Christian David, Vitaly Guzenko, SwissFEL Project, PSI Novel experimental methods for use in condensed matter science at the SwissFEL X-ray laser are being developed. These include the ultrafast initiation of surface catalytic reactions using terahertz pulses and cross-correlation analysis of scattering data from randomly-oriented particles. The ability at the SwissFEL to rapidly initiate a catalytic process will allow the characterization of short-lived intermediate states and will aid in the development of more effi cient catalysts. With cross-correlation scattering, it will be possible to track in detail the time-depend- ent conformations of biomolecules, and hence to follow their biological function. Beginning in the year 2017, the SwissFEL X-ray laser will provide curs more readily as one proceeds from Pd to Rh to Ru, along users with coherent, ultra-bright X-ray pulses, with a duration row 5 of the periodic table, and as one goes from a (111) to a of approximately 20 femtoseconds. Two important fi elds of (100) crystal surface. It is also believed that the energy bar- application for this facility are the characterization of short- rier involved, ΔEdiss, is a function of direction along the surface. lived intermediate states during catalytic chemistry and the Our proposal is to adjust the sample temperature to just below structural determination of biomolecules in solution. These the point where the thermally-induced reaction occurs and to are currently the subjects of investigation by the SwissFEL use directed half-cycle THz pulses to interact with the CO dipole Photonics Group at PSI. moment, eff ectively lowering ΔEdiss and hence momentarily increasing the reaction probability. Terahertz initiation of catalytic chemistry It is foreseen that the SwissFEL facility will include an inde- pendent, synchronized source of terahertz (THz) pump puls- es, which will permit THz-pump / X-ray probe experiments in condensed matter, without the complications of hot electron production by a visible laser.