PSI Paul Scherrer Institut’s Post

Congratulations 🎉👏 ERC Starting Grant for Maximilian Beyer Physicist Maximilian Beyer receives a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his research into laser cooling of molecular helium. Beyers research is focused on precision measurements of the simplest molecules in our universe - molecular hydrogen (H₂) and its ion (H₂⁺) – to test quantum electrodynamics. https://lnkd.in/ed-yQAzQ

Exciting news! Stellarex Inc. and Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics have signed an MOU to collaborate on advancing stellarator science and technology. This partnership aims to validate stellarator power plant performance, a crucial step towards the development of commercial fusion energy. Learn more about this groundbreaking collaboration: [Link to the news article] #StellaratorScience #FusionEnergy #Partnership #Innovation

Today marks an important milestone for Proxima Fusion, as we signed a framework agreement with the PSI Paul Scherrer Institut to advance the development of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology, with applications for both #fusionenergy and particle physics research. This new long-term collaboration will begin with several members of the Proxima team relocating from Munich to Switzerland Innovation Park Innovaare in Villigen, where they will be supported by Proxima Co-Founder and Head of Engineering Martin Kubie and work closely with PSI scientists and engineers. This agreement is a testament to the strength of European innovation, and the advantages of cooperation between European engineers and scientists with a shared commitment to solving hard problems. Joining forces with PSI on the development of HTS magnets is a critical step toward Proxima’s goal of leading Europe into a new era of clean energy, for good. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ee5dV8cz Pictured below, Proxima Co-Founder and COO Lucio Milanese (left) and PSI Director Christian Rüegg (right) sign the new collaboration agreement.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐬? 💡 Together with two of our industrial shareholders the Italian ASG Superconductors S.p.A. and the German RI Research Instruments GmbH Instruments and our partners from research institutions CERN, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Paul Scherrer Institut PSI and Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik - IPP (Greifswald), we discussed this question during a joint two-day #workshop at the Institute for Experimental Physics (ITEP) of KIT. ▶️ Among the topics discussed were the high level of development of low-temperature superconductors, the rapid development and industrial applicability of high-temperature superconductors, and the possibility of preparing separable coils for a wide range of applications. Michael Pekeler Antonio Pellecchia #FusionEnergy #FusionPower #FusionWithIntegrity #FusionPowerPlant #SustainableFuture #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy

Ghost Particle Unmasked: Project 8’s Neutrino Mass Breakthrough. Project 8 has innovatively used Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy to observe electron behavior in tritium decay, setting an upper limit for neutrino mass. This marks progress in a long-standing challenge in particle physics, with the potential to improve our understanding of the universe’s evolution - https://lnkd.in/gU934weS

New paths to fusion energy happen with theoretical exploration as much as physical experimentation. Professor Nathaniel Fisch, associate director for academic affairs at PPPL, and a Professor of Astrophysical Sciences and director of the Program in Plasma Physics at Princeton University, is investigating what Fisch calls the "holy grail" of clean fusion energy. Instead of fusing or combining the nuclei of hydrogen isotopes, he and his research team are exploring how to exploit the fusion reaction of a proton with a boron-11 ion (pB11). “Our ideas on this are a real long shot,” Fisch said. “But I figure we have an obligation to fully explore the upside potential of pB11 fusion. Our proposal is purely theoretical, so it does not require the large resources associated with experiments. However, should our ideas work out, perhaps unlikely but fantastic if they do, we will need partners to help us navigate the key uncertainties experimentally.” Read more in the 2023 issue of Quest magazine: https://bit.ly/3OlSFtU

In our second member Q&A session of 2024 on the 17th April, we discussed enabling technologies for fusion – what are they and what recent progress has been made. Our experts were Rajesh Maingi and Dr. Michael Ford from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), with a focus on magnetic confinement fusion. Rajesh and Michael spoke about how we are edging closer to realised fusion power, but that there are critical ‘game changing’ technologies which will enable fusion power plants. Read our latest article to find out the three key insights from this event - https://lnkd.in/gQUmXUs3 #FusionEnergy #FusionTechnology #MagneticConfinement

Great to see this published! This paper lays out the path forward for Realta Fusion. BEAM is the next-step fusion device that Realta is developing, building on the herculean work done by the WHAM team at University of Wisconsin-Madison and beyond. This lays out the size & magnetic field requirements for a break-even class simple magnetic mirror; how we aim to achieve magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability; the main technology development path items; and the potential use/upgrade of BEAM as a fusion volumetric neutron source (FVNS) and fusion materials and blanket testing facility. Well done to all involved, not the least Cary Forest, Jay Anderson, Doug Endrizzi, Jen Egedal, Sam Frank, Mykola Ialovega, Jeremiah Kirch, Bob Harvey, Ben Lindley, Yuri Petrov, Jonathan Pizzo, Tony Qian, Kunal Sanwalka, Oliver Schmitz, John Wallace, Dmitry Yakovlev and Mason Yu.

Physicists have achieved a groundbreaking step towards unlocking the mysteries of positronium, an exotic atom composed of matter and antimatter that exists for only 142 billionths of a second. By successfully freezing positronium with lasers, scientists have opened new pathways for research in physics, potentially revolutionizing fields from cancer treatment to space travel. This leap overcomes the challenge posed by positronium's rapid movement, allowing for unprecedented analysis. CERN's Dr. Ruggero Caravita shares the enthusiasm: "Physicists are in love with positronium. It is the perfect atom to do experiments with antimatter." This innovation not only paves the way for testing fundamental theories, such as Einstein's Theory of General Relativity in antimatter, but also hints at practical applications like gamma ray lasers for medical imaging and even interstellar propulsion. The effort to cool positronium to more than -100C is a significant milestone, with ambitions to reach -260C for optimal research conditions. As teams worldwide race to explore positronium's potential, this discovery at CERN's antimatter factory marks the dawn of a new era in physics and beyond. https://lnkd.in/gRyDRMak #Physics #AntiMatter #IP #VC #Patents #DeepTech

Now space will not be an excuse. Researchers led by Bjorn "Manuel" Hegelich from The University of Texas at Austin, have developed a compact particle accelerator less than 20 meters long that produces an electron beam with an energy of 10 GeV. Up to date, in order to reach such high energies, were needed accelerators approximately 3 kilometers long. The findings have been published in Matter and Radiation at Extremes (15 November, 2023). https://lnkd.in/dicXrqQ6 #physics #physicsnews #particlephysics #particleaccelerators