- News
- Press release
Leading Xenon Researchers unite to build next-generation Dark Matter Detector
Image: XENON collaboration1/12- News
Making the invisible visible
2/12- News
- Press release
Particle physics for everyone
Image: B. Vogel3/12- News
- Press release
Various results shake up the Standard Model
Image: M. Hoferichter4/12- News
- Press release
FASER - the 'ForwArd Search ExpeRiment' at the CERN particle accelerator
Image: Claire Antel / FASER5/12- News
- Press release
CERN scientists develop a ventilator
Image: Foto: Maximilien Brice; Julien Marius Ordan/CERN6/12- News
- Press release
Claudia Merlassino wins the CHIPP Prize 2020
7/12- News
- Press release
CHIPP President Prof. Rainer Wallny on the updated "European Strategy for Particle Physics
Image: ETHZ, Switzerland8/12- News
- Press release
CHIPP Statement on European Strategy Particle Physics Update
9/12- News
- Press release
The start-up Positrigo uses findings from particle physics for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
Image: USZ/Alfred Buck, Jannis Fischer10/12- News
- Press release
Swiss research initiative CHART works on particle accelerators of the future
Image: CHART, Switzerland11/12Annual Reports
12/12
Test of lepton universality in beauty-quark decays, LHCb experiment results
Video: How Particle Physics Works: Episode III - The Anomalies Strike Back
CHIPP Roadmap
This is achieved by keeping a continuous dialogue between the particle physicists of different cantonal universities and federal institutes. CHIPP is recognized as the representative of Swiss particle physics both nationally and internationally. It awards yearly a Prize to a PhD student, supports workshops and conferences, organises PhD schools, and develops outreach projects.
UPDATES: 16-06-2021
Particle physics for everyone article link
EB minutes document
Various results shake up the Standard Model article link
FASER article link
CHIPP Roadmap link
2021 CHIPP Prize announcement link
New Event announcement: Unveiling hidden Physics Beyond the Standard Model at the LHC Workshop - link
CERN scientists develop a ventilator link
- Tasks and Functions 2021 document
Particle physics news
Events, News, Publications
Particle physics for everyone
The European Research Centre for Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva is currently working on making the measurement data from four large-scale experiments available to the public via internet. This form of 'open science' benefits particle physicists around the globe, but also students or high school students - for example in Switzerland.
Image: B. VogelVarious results shake up the Standard Model
At the beginning of April, the US research laboratory Fermilab published a new result for the magnetic dipole moment of the muon. The result caused a broad media response because it deviates from the theoretical predictions and thus questions the previous understanding of the laws of nature. Researchers from the Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics (AEC) at the University of Bern were involved in the theoretical predictions. Prof. Martin Hoferichter, theoretical physicist at the AEC, explains the background.
Image: M. HoferichterExciting news from CERN experiment with Swiss participation
Almost ten years ago, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) made headlines with the discovery of the Higgs particle. These days, the LHCb experiment at CERN has published results that also have the makings of a real scientific sensation: studies of the so-called beauty quark suggest that there could be a fifth, super-weak force in addition to the four known forces of nature (electromagnetism, gravitation, strong and weak interaction). However, CERN researchers still have a lot of work ahead of them to confirm this spectacular hypothesis. At the forefront: particle physicists from the University of Zurich and EPF Lausanne
Image: LHCb, CERNMartin Pohl packs a century of particle physics between two book covers.
Until his retirement in 2017, Martin Pohl was a physics professor at the University of Geneva and worked on particle physics research projects for almost half a century. Drawing on this wealth of experience, a book has been written in which Pohl knowledgeably traces the developmental strands of this fundamental discipline. The culmination is the 'Standard Model' of particle physics - for Pohl a scientific highlight and a burden at the same time.
CHIPP Roadmap
This community roadmap presents the visions for future research in particle and astroparticle physics in Switzerland and formulates the needs of these fields in terms of research infrastructure in the years 2025-2028 and beyond. It was established under the auspices of the Swiss Institute of Particle Physics (CHIPP), which issued its first roadmap already in 2004 and conducted dedicated roadmap-planning workshops in 2018 and 2020.
Recent Results from LHCb Challenge Leading Theory in Physics
Swiss Particle Physics researchers are very proud to announce that UZH people worked directly on this measurement and had a leading role on this analysis, EPFL and UZH are very prominent in LHCb in both analysis and hardware.
CERN scientists develop a ventilator
The technical know-how that physicists use in research could soon serve in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. An international team of scientists with strong Swiss participation has developed a ventilator in record time that could help in the future against lung diseases like Corona, especially in countries with a precarious medical infrastructure.
Particle physicists create artificial atoms for research purposes
In the laboratories of modern physics the elementary components of matter are studied. To do this, scientists sometimes build artificial atoms to help them understand the laws of matter. A research team at the Paul Scherrer Institute (Villigen/AG) uses a specifically modified helium atom to determine the exact mass and other properties of pions. Pions could help to understand more precisely where atomic nuclei get their mass from.
The Economics of Big Science
Presents a novel combination of essays with contributors from big research organizations, funding agencies and experts in economics
Claudia Merlassino wins the CHIPP Prize 2020
Claudia Merlassino was born in Genoa, studied physics in Milan and completed her doctorate at the University of Bern in October 2019, since then she has been doing research at Oxford University in the UK. At the age of 28, the Italian experimental physicist has already made a remarkable journey as a researcher. She is now receiving the PhD prize in Swiss particle physics - among other things for her findings in the context of the most massive of all elementary particles.
Geneva school wins “Beamline for Schools” 2020 competition
The delta+ is a type of baryon, the family of sub-atomic particles to which the more well-known proton and neutron belong. A team of physics enthusiasts at the International School of Geneva is working intensively on these extremely unstable elementary particles. In September they will travel to Hamburg for an experiment at the renowned particle physics research institute DESY. They owe this extraordinary research trip to winning this year's “Beamline for Schools” (BL4S) competition at CERN.
Zurich particle physicists make headlines with XENON collaboration
Axions are elementary particles with extremely low mass. So far they exist only in the brains of theoretical physicists, nobody has observed them. Really? Measurement results at detector XENON1T in Italy make one sit up and take notice.
CERN collaborations present new results on charmed particles at online conference
The ALICE, CMS and LHCb collaborations present new measurements that show how particles containing charm quarks can serve as “messengers” of hadrons and the quark–gluon plasma, carrying information about these forms of matter. This media update is part of a series related to the 2020 Large Hadron Collider Physics (LHCP2020) conference, taking place 25–30 May 2020.
The start-up Positrigo uses findings from particle physics for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
Positron emission tomography (PET) helps medical doctors to detect cancer and many other diseases. A team of researchers led by ETH Professor Günther Dissertori is working on a new generation of PET scanners that could in future be of great use in pharmacological research and in the treatment of Alzheimer's patients. The technical innovation is based, among other things, on fundamental research at CERN.
Swiss research initiative CHART works on particle accelerators of the future
FCC - these three letters stand for the vision of a new ring accelerator that could be built at the European particle physics laboratory CERN in Geneva. With this long-term goal in mind, Swiss physicists founded the CHART research initiative five years ago. Now the demonstrator of a powerful magnet is available. If the tests are successful, a very first step towards decisive progress in infrastructure for basic research, but also in applications such as, e.g., innovative instrumentation for medical therapies will be achieved.
University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland researches astroparticles of the Sun
Scientists at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) have spent around ten years building the Spectrometer / Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX). Since 10 February, the research instrument is travelling to the Sun. It will provide accurate measurements of the solar atmosphere and the solar wind and will also cover the polar regions of the Sun that cannot be observed from Earth.
California-based neutrino researcher François Drielsma
With its European particle physics laboratory CERN, Geneva attracts many researchers to Switzerland. This was also the case with François Drielsma (28). In a doctoral thesis supervised by Prof. Alain Blondel (University of Geneva), the Belgian-born scientist investigated a completely new way to build a particle accelerator.
Rainer Wallny on the CERN Future Circular Collider (FCC) project
Particle physicists from all over Europe are currently discussing the future of European particle physics, when the current ring accelerator LHC will be decommissioned around 2035. Next May, the decision could be taken launch technical and financial feasibility studies for the construction of a new, even more powerful particle accelerator.
Particle physicists formulate future of the field
This week’s drafting session marks final discussions for the update of the European strategy for particle physics
About the movie "Les Particules" by Blaise Harrison.
Elementary particle physics and the large-scale CERN research facility have repeatedly inspired artists to engage with modern scientific research. The latest example is the movie 'Les Particules' by French-Swiss filmmaker Blaise Harrison (39). In this art piece scientific research serves as an escape and dream world for an adolescent.
Lesya Shchutska wants to prove the existence of heavy neutrinos
Lesya Shchutska (pronounced: Schutska) is 33 years old and already Professor of Elementary Particle Physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). "At the moment I can't imagine doing anything other than physics," says the researcher, who deals with particles that so far only exist in the minds of theoretical physicists.
Visiting the Japanese Super-Kamiokande detector (part 2)
In deep underground tunnels of former mines near the Japanese Alps, teams of scientists with Swiss participation are researching various types of elementary particles. Over the next few years, powerful research instruments will be put into operation with which scientists want to discover the nature of neutrinos. The hoped-for results could lead to solving of deep puzzles in our understanding of the universe.
Visiting the Japanese Super-Kamiokande detector (part 1)
Hardly any elementary particle occurs more frequently in the universe than the elusive neutrino. The investigation of the almost massless tiny particle is a focus of current elementary particle physics. Perhaps the most important contribution to the understanding of neutrino has been made over twenty years by the Japanese Super-Kamiokande detector, in which several Swiss research groups are involved. A visit to the Japanese mountains.
Fermilab and University of Bern join forces for neutrino physics
Neutrinos are ubiquitous yet elusive particles that could shed light on the early evolution of the universe. As one of the world’s major laboratories for neutrino physics, Fermilab partners with leading organizations around the globe to get a firmer grasp on these subtle particles.
Callum Wilkinson prepares the DUNE experiment at the University of Bern
In 2025, the 'Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment' (DUNE) will be launched in the north of the USA, with which physicists want to learn more about neutrino - a still mysterious elementary particle. An important component of the DUNE experiment is currently being prepared by scientists from the University of Bern.
Every second fifty terabits of data
From 2026, the performance of the large-scale experiments at the European particle physics laboratory, CERN, in Geneva will be significantly increased. The preliminary work for the upgrade of the large particle accelerator LHC and the associated detectors is currently in full swing. An important contribution is made by the University of Bern, where doctoral student Armin Fehr (26) and his colleagues are working on a component for the ATLAS detector. This component will enable the read-out of the greatly increased data rates from 2026 onwards.
The LHCb collaboration at CERN has discovered a type of CP violation unobserved so far
The LHCb collaboration at CERN has seen, for the first time, the matter–antimatter asymmetry known as CP violation in a so-called D0 meson. LHCb is one of the four large experiments performed at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) with Swiss participation of Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and University of Zurich.
Anna Soter Wants to use Exotic Atoms for a Subtle Experiment
Gravity accompanies us in our everyday lives—from early morning, when we get out of bed, to late evening, when we drop tiredly onto the mattress. Although no other force of nature shapes our lives as much as gravity, we still know little about it. Many scientists around the world are working to uncover the secrets of gravity. One of them is researching in Canton Aargau: the 32-year-old particle physicist Anna Soter.
Astroparticle Physics European Consortium (APPEC) elects the new Scientific Advisory Committee Chair and the new General Assembly Chair.
Professor Laura Baudis (U. Zurich) was elected Chair of the SAC by representatives of the member countries of the group which coordinates research in Astroparticle Physics in Europe. Professor Teresa Montaruli (U. Geneva) was elected Chair of the General Assembly.
Swiss input for the discussion on the European Strategy for Particle Physics
In the first workshop in April, the status of the field was reviewed and discussed. The CHIPP input for the discussion of the ESPP update was then agreed during the second workshop held in September. This document describes the CHIPP position on the ESPP update focused on the scientific issues.
In the triangle Uni Zurich-PSI-CERN
Anyone who studies physics at the University of Zurich knows Lea Caminada for her lectures. Most of the time, however, you will not find the particle physicist on the Irchel campus, but at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen in the canton of Aargau doing research. There, the 36-year-old scientist develops sophisticated measuring instruments, which are then used at CERN for cutting-edge research. In a questionnaire, Lea Caminada gives an insight into her everyday life as an experimental physicist.
The best way to new physics
If you are looking for unknown things, you usually do not know which way to go to find the unknown. This dilemma is also faced by scientists who want to advance into previously unknown areas of elementary particle physics. And yet they have to find a consensus on which experiments promise the greatest gain in knowledge in the next years and decades. For this purpose, the Swiss particle physicists are currently working on a new research roadmap.
Mobile phone sensors, fit for cutting-edge research
The large particle accelerator LHC at CERN in Geneva enables scientists to get precious clues to understand the nature of matter in the next two decades of data taking. The power and performance of this huge research apparatus needs to be constantly improved for this task. A silicon sensor, which the junior researcher Claudia Merlassino is currently testing at the University of Bern, is planned to be used from 2025 in a large LHC experiment: ATLAS.
Drugs from the particle physics research lab
CERN in Geneva is the world's largest facility for the study of fundamental particles. The equipment that usually serves science can sometimes be used for practical purposes too. That's for example the case for the protons emerging from the Proton Synchrotron Booster (PSB): they are used in the large particle accelerator LHC for scientific experiments. The protons can also be used to produce isotopes that are useful in radiation medicine. Such isotopes are produced in the recently opened facility CERN-MEDICIS.
A Touch of Magnetism
This fall at the Paul Scherrer Institute, the construction of a new particle physics experiment will begin to determine the electric dipole of the neutron. It will replace a previous experiment, which has performed the so far most sensitive measurement in recent years and for which data evaluation is still ongoing. The new experiment, co-developed by ETH Ph.D. student Michał Rawlik, can detect almost inconceivably small features of magnetism. A successful outcome of the experiment would help explain why there is so much more matter in the universe than antimatter.
An Unimaginably Sharp Image of Antiprotons
Researchers of the Baryon-Antibaryon-Symmetry experiment (BASE) at CERN have achieved a remarkable success: They have determined the magnetic moment of the antiproton with a previously unattained accuracy. The measurement is more precise than the best measurement for the magnetic moment of the proton.
LHC provides data again
After a half-year break, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN will go into operation again in June. During the last few months, intensive maintenance work on the particle accelerator has been done. The physicist community is hoping to gain new insight into the building bricks that make up our world.
Artistic View on Physics
The highly complex research of elementary particle physics is for most people not immediately comprehensible. An artistic approach can help overcome the inaccessibility of this discipline and make particle physics understandable. This is the basic idea of the art @ CMS program, which is celebrating its five-year anniversary this year.
Heart surgery at CERN
During the recent service pause of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a key component of the CMS experiment was replaced at the beginning of March: the new pixel detector is even more powerful than its predecessor – raising hopes for new insights in elementary particle physics.
Research as a peace project
The laws of particle physics apply regardless of place and time, but the laws can’t be explored or their applications studied equally well in any location. Particularly in poorer countries, cost-intensive research projects face big challenges. Against this background, there is a ray of hope that the first Synchrotron in the Middle East for the production of high-brilliance X-ray radiation, called SESAME, will be launched during summer 2017. Switzerland has contributed to the success of this project.
Blocked future
The Chinese writer Cixin Liu has landed an international bestseller with the novel 'The Three-Body Problem'. Now his story about the fight between the Earth and the Trisolaran population is also available in German translation. In the dress of a science fiction novel, the 53-year-old author expresses his deep conviction: without fundamental research in physics, technical progress remains on the line.
"We do not see the whole picture"
Laura Baudis, Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Zurich, recently talked about the extremely difficult search for Dark Matter at the TEDxCERN event in Geneva. In the talk, which is available as a video recording, she gives a well understandable insight into one of the hotest topics of current particle physics research.
"Like the CEO of a multinational company"
The abbreviation CMS stands for one of the currently largest physics experiments worldwide. Günther Dissertori, a particle physicist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, was recently appointed to the three-headed spokesperson-team of the CMS experiment, which is located at the large particle accelerator at CERN in Meyrin near Geneva. The 47-year-old scientist has to cope with a task that can be compared to the management of an international company with 4,000 employees.
Track and trap – the long search for magnetic monopoles
Is there an elementary particle carrying magnetic charge? This fundamental question is being addressed by an experiment currently performed at CERN near Geneva. Recently the MoEDAL research collaboration published its first findings. No discovery has been made so far, but now the experiment will enter in its hot period. Prof. Philippe Mermod and his team at the University of Geneva play a vital role in the search for the hypothesized fundamental magnetic particle.
Precision with a Broad Benefit
Marco Valente is a PhD student, born in Ticino and is currently working at the University of Geneva. He is evaluating the performance of a method from which it is expected to improve important measurements of the ATLAS experiment at CERN. For his current studies, the 23 years old researcher has just been awarded with a poster prize given by the Swiss Physical Society (SPS).
Mohamed Rameez wins the CHIPP Prize 2016
The prize of the Swiss Institute of Particle Physics (CHIPP) 2016 goes to Mohamed Rameez. The 27-year-old neutrino researcher who just has earned his PhD at the University of Geneva has been awarded for his outstanding contributions to the IceCube Collaboration.
The deuteron too poses a mystery
The deuteron — one of the simplest atomic nuclei, consisting of just one proton and one neutron — is considerably smaller than previously thought. This finding was arrived at by an international research group that carried out experiments at the Paul Scherrer Institute, PSI. The new result is consistent with a 2010 study by the same group, in which the researchers measured the proton and found a significantly smaller value than previous research using different experimental methods. The result from 2010 formed the basis for what has been known since then as "the proton radius puzzle". The new measurement of the deuteron’s size has now given rise to an analogous mystery. It is possible that this will lead to an adjustment of the Rydberg constant, a fundamental quantity in physics. Another possible explanation is that a physical force as yet unknown is at work. For their experiments the researchers used laser spectroscopy to measure so-called muonic deuterium: an artificial atom consisting of a deuteron orbited by an exotic elementary particle known as a muon. The experiments took place at PSI because the world’s most powerful muon source, available here, was needed to produce sufficient muonic deuterium. The researchers have published their new study of the deuteron’s size in the renowned journal 'Science'.
Glimpses Beyond the Standard Model
A highlight of the traditional Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany, which ended on July 1st, was a distinguished panel on particle physics that tried to glimpse beyond the standard model.
In the front row of neutrino research
Over 30 Nobel Laureates will debate this year in Lindau, Germany with about 400 young scientists from nearly 80 countries. The 66th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting from June 26th to July 1st is dedicated to the field of physics with a special focus on particle physics including neutrino physics. Prof. André Rubbia (ETH Zurich) is one of the leading neutrino experts in Switzerland. In the interview the 50-year-old researcher gives a glance at the hot topics of current research in worldwide neutrino physics and highlights the contribution of Swiss particle physicists.
Is a window to New Physics about to open?
The Higgs particle was detected by the CERN large particle accelerator in 2012. Now there are hints that CERN’s worldwide unique particle accelerator will help physicists discover a new elementary particle. Excitement is rising.
"Particlephysics.ch" is now on the SCNAT portal
The outreach portal of CHIPP - the Swiss Institute of Particle Physics - has now been migrated to the new thematic portal of SCNAT on particle physics. This is an important step towards a better visibility of particle physics among the other fields of natural sciences.
Auch Kinder verstehen Teilchenphysik
Nein, ganz einfach ist Teilchenphysik nicht zu verstehen. Doch wenn man die richtigen Worte und Bilder findet, können auch Kinder schon eine Vorstellung von der Welt der Elementarteilchen gewinnen. Das zeigt die Sendung 'Rosanna checkt's' des Schweizer Fernsehens, die am 29. September ausgestrahlt wurde.
'Particle Fever' im Doppelpack
Am letzten September-Wochenende feierte die Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz in Sitten ihren 200. Geburtstag. Für vier Tage machte die Wissenschaftstournee 'Forschung live' in der Kantonshauptort des Wallis Halt. Ein Programmpunkt der Jubiläumsveranstaltung war die zweimalige Aufführung des Dokumentarfilms 'Particle Fever' über die Entdeckung des Higgs-Bosons am CERN.
Open Air Kino Aarau
Vom 26. bis zum 29. August feiert die Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz (SCNAT) in Aarau mit der Wissenschaftstournee 'Forschung live' ihren 200. Geburtstag. Aus diesem Anlass wurde am Aarauer Open Air Kino der US-amerikanische Dokumentarfilm 'Particle Fever' über die Entdeckung des Higgs-Teilchens am CERN gezeigt. Ein Highlight des Filmabends setzte die Physikerin Lea Caminada (Universität Zürich). Die Forscherin sprach zum Auftakt der Filmvorführung über die Tätigkeit am CERN und über ihr Selbstverständnis als Naturwissenschaftlerin. Impressionen von einem gut besuchten Filmabend auf dem Gelände der Pferderennbahn Schachen in Aarau.
Das 'Higgs' nochmals neu entdecken
Am 23. August 2015 läuft im Rahmen der Wissenschaftstournee «Forschung live» am Aarauer Open Air Kino der Film 'Particle Fever' über die Entdeckung des Higgs-Teilchens. Live dabei: die Zürcher Teilchenphysikerin Lea Caminada. In einer einführenden Talkrunde wird die CERN-Wissenschaftlerin den Kinobesucherinnen und -besuchern über sich und ihre Arbeit als Physikerin Auskunft geben. In ihrer aktuellen Forschung befasst sich Lea Caminada mit Detektortechnologie und arbeitet darauf hin, die Eigenschaften des 2012 entdeckten Higgs-Teilchens noch besser zu verstehen.
Open Air Kino Luzern
Am 9. August 2015 wurde am Open Air Kino Luzern der Dokumentarfilm 'Particle Fever' (Regie: Mark Levinson) über die Entdeckung des Higgs-Teilchens am CERN gezeigt. Es war die erste Aufführung der amerikanischen Produktion in einem Schweizer Kino, noch bevor sie drei Tage später am Filmfestival in Locarno lief. Die Kinopremiere war Teil der Wissenschaftstournee 'Forschung live', mit der die Akademie der Naturwissenschaften Schweiz am zweiten Augustwochenende in Luzern ihren 200. Geburtstag feierte. Zum 'Forschung live'-Event in der Leuchtenstadt gehörten neben dem Filmabend eine Ausstellung am Kornmarkt in der Altstadt und beim Bahnhof, zudem Veranstaltungen in zahlreichen Luzerner Institutionen. Hier einige Fotoimpressionen von dem anregenden 'Particle Fever'-Filmabend vor der bezaubernden Kulisse des Luzerner Seebeckens.
The dawn of „new physics“
The Large Hadron Collider LHC, CERN´s largest particle accelerator, restarted operating in early June after an almost two year shutdown. It is delivering new data that will enable physicists around the world to gain completely new insights into the composition of matter. Tobias Golling (39) is one of the participating scientists. His academic career took him to Freiburg, Heidelberg, Bonn and the Chicago Fermilab. Since fall 2014 he has been Associate Professor at the University of Geneva as well as researcher at the LHC´s ATLAS experiment. According to Golling the data that the LHC will deliver in the coming months and years could take our understanding of modern physics a big step forward.
CHIPP Price 2015
In Goethe´s renowned play “Faust” polymath Heinrich Faust poses the question “whatever holds the world together in its inmost folds”. In his search for an answer he even commits himself to the realm of magic. Lilian Witthauer, particle physicist from Basel, deals with this same big exact question in her doctoral thesis. She found her answers not with the help of magic but through elaborate experiments with particle accelerators. As a reward for the superb quality of her scientific work she received the CHIPP Prize 2015 on July 29th 2015.
SCNAT-Anniversary
The Swiss Academy of Sciences is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year. On this occasion we will screen the movie ‘Particle Fever’, that describes the discovery of the Higgs-Boson at CERN. The screening will take place in three Swiss cities in August and September. The Higgs-Boson is one of the most spectacular finds in the field of natural sciences in recent years.
Hawking-movie: “The theory of everything”
If physics ever makes it to the movie theatres it is usually in the form of a science fiction. Not so in the British movie “The theory of everything”. The production of James Marsh (director) and Anthony McCarten (script) is a biopic: In its center stands the astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and the relationship with his first wife Jane. The movie depicts the physical decline of the scientist, who is suffering from Motor Neuron Disease. It recounts how Hawking’s devoted wife cares selflessly for him, without regard for her own needs, and how she stays truthful to him.
Debate Geneva
The panel discussion with Ruth Durrer (Professor for physics at the University of Geneva) and the Geneva artist Christian Gonzenbach on Wednesday December 10, 2014 promised to be passionate and insightful. It kept this promise. The talk was moderated by Elisabeth Chardon, journalist with the daily newspaper ‘Le temps’.
Noch behalten die Positronen ihr Geheimnis für sich
Vom AMS-Experiment zur Vermessung der Kosmischen Strahlung erhoffen sich Astroteilchenphysker Hinweise auf die rätselhafte Dunkle Materie, die unser Weltall ausfüllen muss, deren Natur aber bislang ungeklärt ist. Zwar liefern die neusten Resultate des AMS-Experiments noch keinen Durchbruch. Doch gewähren die Resultate, die unter Mitwirkung der Universität Genf zustanden gekommen sind, einen Einblick in die Kosmische Strahlung von bisher ungekannter Präzision.
Debate Particle Fever
What are the chances and the limits when communicating about particle physics with a broader public? CERN physicist Hans Peter Beck, media scientist Mike Schäfer and social psychologist Clara Kulich discussed this question at the Swiss Science Center Technorama in Winterthur. The debate was prompted by the documentary ‘Particle Fever’. The movie, directed by the US-American Mark Levison, describes the discovery of the Higgs-Boson. Its premier in German-speaking Switzerland took place in the Swiss Science Center Technorama in Winterthur on October 1st 2014.
A Visit With Einstein’s grandchildren: movie "Particle Fever"
How do modern physicists conduct their research? Mark Levison’s documentary ‘Particle Fever’ gives an answer to this question. The movie’s premier in German- speaking Switzerland will take place in the Swiss Science Center Technorama in Winterthur this Wednesday. We had the chance to see ‘Particle Fever’ beforehand. A review.
Debatte Neuenburg
Das CERN in Meyrin bei Genf oder das Human Brain Project in Lausanne und Genf sind zwei wissenschaftliche Ozeandampfer mit zahlreichen Wissenschaftlern und erheblichen finanziellen Mitteln. Wer profitiert davon? Diese und weitere Fragen wurden während einer Debatte in der Microcity von Neuenburg diskutiert.
Kaeser zu Big science
Im Mai 2014 wurde in Neuenburg die Microcity eröffnet. Mit diesem Zentrum für Mikrotechnik wollen der Kanton Neuenburg und die ETH Lausanne den Forschungsplatz Neuenburg stärken. Doch wie behauptet sich Neuenburg gegen Grossforschungsprojekte wie das Europäische Labor für Teilchenphysik in Genf (CERN) oder das in Lausanne angesiedelte EU-Leuchtturmprojekt Human-Brain-Project? Dazu ein Gespräch mit dem in Bern lebenden Wissenschaftspublizisten Dr. Eduard Kaeser.
Panel 60 years CERN
A panel with prominent participants discussed the influence of CERN on Switzerland and its society at the joint annual conference of the physics-organizations CHIPP and SPS at the University of Fribourg on July 2nd 2014. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) the debate focused on CERN´s enormous contributions but also its missed chances.
CHIPP Prize 2014
ETH doctoral candidate Marco Peruzzi has been awarded the CHIPP prize 2014 at the CHIPP annual meeting in Fribourg. The 26-year old physicist of Italian descent analyses the so called diphoton decay in the CMS experiment at CERN. His research is a valuable contribution to a better understanding of the Higgs-particle.
60 Jahre CERN
Olivier Schneider, Professor für Teilchenphysik an der ETH Lausanne (EPFL), ist Präsident des 'Swiss Institute of Particle Physics' (CHIPP), einer Organisation, welche alle in der Schweiz tätigen Teilchenphysiker umfasst. Anlässlich des 60 Jahr-Jubiläums, das das CERN in diesem Jahr feiert, erläutert Olivier Schneider im Interview die Bedeutung des CERN für die Schweiz.
Auf der Suche nach dem 'sterilen' Neutrino
In wenigen Monaten startet am Fermilab bei Chicago (USA) ein aufsehenerregendes Experiment, mit dem Physiker abklären wollen, ob neben den drei bekannten Typen von Neutrinos ein vierter Typ besteht. Bemerkenswert an diesem Experiment ist auch die personelle Zusammensetzung der Kollaboration: Die rund 120 beteiligten Forscherinnen und Forscher stammen vorwiegend aus den USA, aber die wissenschaftliche Leitung des Experiments obliegt aber einem Schweizer, nämlich dem Berner Physikprofessor Michele Weber.
Kathmandu is calling
University education and academic excellence in research and teaching are taken for granted in affluent Western nations. We are used to having a broad spectrum of institutes in any possible field that exist in our part of the world. In developing countries though higher education is still a rare resource for many. This is also true for the field of particle physics, which is why representatives of the European Laboratory for Particle Physics CERN have launched a private initiative to take the seeds of this basic discipline to Nepal in order to let it grow there.
BOSS-Experiment
Nur vier Prozent unseres Universums bestehen aus der uns bekannten Materie. Der grösste Teil des Weltalls hingegen – davon ist die moderne Physik überzeugt – besteht aus Dunkler Energie. Was diese Dunkle Energie ist, kann heute noch niemand wirklich erklären. Hinweise zu einem besseren Verständnis des Phänomens liefert ein Astrophysiker der ETH Lausanne (EPFL): Dort wertet der 26jährige Nachwuchsforscher Timothée Delubac Daten vom Sternenhimmel aus, die in Zukunft einmal eine besseres Verständnis von Dunkler Energie erlauben könnten. In den letzten Monaten hat Delubac im Rahmen des BOSS-Experiments faszinierende neue Erkenntnisse gewonnen.
Kosmische Strahlung aus noch unbekannter Quelle
Seit dem 19. Mai 2011 ist das Alpha Magnetic Spektrometer (AMS) auf der Internationalen Raumstation ISS in Betrieb. Das Hightech-Messgerät funkt seither ständig Messdaten über die kosmische Strahlung zur Erde. Nach knapp zwei Jahren macht das Experiment mit spektakulären Ergebnissen auf sich aufmerksam.
Discussion in Locarno
Is it really worth it? Is it worth to invest Billions of Swiss Francs in the discovery of a new particle? And does the result really improve people´s lives? What benefit does physics bring to people? Which impact does it have on the medical field? These were some of the questions that the physicist Martina Bucciantonio (35) and medical doctor Franco Cavalli (71) passionately discussed in Locarno on April 4th 2014. The discussion under the headline “Living matter or dead matter” took place in Locarno´s high school in front of 50 pupils attending 13th grade. It was facilitated by journalist Gerhard Lob.
Neutrino
Jetzt ist es so gut wie sicher: Myon-Neutrinos können sich in Tau-Neutrinos verwandeln. Das haben Wissenschaftler des OPERA-Experiments in Gran Sasso (Italien) – darunter Physiker der Universität Bern – mit bisher ungekannter Genauigkeit nachgewiesen. Dieses Ergebnis gaben die Forscher heute anlässlich eines Seminars in Gran Sasso bekannt.
Protonentherapie
In der Schweiz studieren vergleichsweise wenig junge Frauen Physik. Anders in Italien, wo das Physikstudium für Frauen eine Selbstverständlichkeit darstellt. Kein Zufall daher, dass es mit Fabiola Gianotti eine italienische Physikerin war, die im Juli 2012 im Namen des ATLAS-Experiments am CERN die Entdeckung des Higgs-Teilchens bekanntgab. Auch Martina Bucciantonio ist italienische Physikerin, und auch sie arbeitet am CERN. Während sich die Nachwuchswissenschaftlerin zu Beginn ihrer Forscherkarriere vor allem mit grundlegenden Fragestellungen unter anderem in der Datenauswertung befasste, beschäftigt sie sich in der Doktorarbeit aktuell mit Fragen medizinischer Anwendungen. Am 4. April diskutiert Martina Bucciantonio an der Kantonsschule Locarno mit dem bekannten Krebsarzt Franco Cavalli zum Thema: „Lebendige Materie oder tote Materie – Forschen in der Medizin, Forschen in der Physik“ (geschlossene Veranstaltung). Bereits am 20. März findet um 16 Uhr ein Google-Hangout zum selben Thema statt.
Was die Teilchenphysik heute weiss
Dr. Hans Peter Beck, Privatdozent für Physik an der Universität Bern und Teilchenphysiker am Europäischen Labor für Teilchenphysik (CERN) in Genf gewährt in einem Interview mit der Webplattform Xecutives.net Einblick in das Weltbild der modernen Physik. Er erläutert die Hintergründe, die 2012 zur Entdeckung des Higgs-Teilchens führten, er spricht über die Geheimnisse der Dunklen Materie und erklärt aus seiner Sicht, was Physik und Mathematik verbindet.
Future Circular Collider
The Higgs boson was discovered in the particle accelerator LHC (Large Hadron Collider) at CERN in 2012 – and scientists are expecting to gain more groundbreaking insights from this large research facility in Geneva during the next twenty years of its operation. Nevertheless physicists are already working meticulously on a new and even bigger accelerator with the name FFC that shall make particle collisions of even higher energy possible. Stefan Antusch, Professor for Theoretical Physics at the University of Basel, explains the state and the aim of this new project.
Top-Quark
Sieht man vom Higgs-Teilchen ab, war das Top-Quark das letzte Elementarteilchen des heute gültigen Standardmodells, das experimentell nachgewiesen wurde. Dieser Nachweis gelang 1995 am Fermilab unweit von Chicago/USA. Wissenschaftlern dieser Forschungseinrichtung ist nun eine weitere Entdeckung rund um das Top-Quark gelungen: Sie haben einen neuen, sehr selten zu beobachtenden Weg experimentell nachgewiesen, auf dem das Top-Quark erzeugt werden kann.
Debatte Brugg
Teilchenphysikerinnen und Teilchenphysiker leisten mit ihrer Forschung einen Beitrag zum Verständnis der Welt. Sie tragen aber oft auch bei zur Weiterentwicklung der Wirtschaft durch innovative Produkte. Diesen Aspekt hat am 12. Februar 2014 eine Podiumsdebatte am Hightech Zentrum Aargau in Brugg beleuchtet, an der Roland Horisberger, ETH-Professor und Leiter der Hochenergiephysik am Paul Scherrer Institut in Villigen/AG, mit Wirtschaftsvertretern diskutierte. Am 23. April 2014 fand mit den Teilnehmern eine Internetdiskussion (Hangout) zum gleichen Thema statt (die Aufzeichnung finden Sie auf dieser Seite ganz unten). Podiumsgespräch und Hangout waren Veranstaltungen im Rahmen des vom Schweizerischen Nationalfonds geförderten Projekts 'Interactions'.
Proton accelerator
Materials research, particle physics, molecular biology, archaeology – for the last forty years, the Paul Scherrer Institute’s large-scale proton accelerator has made top-flight research possible in a number of different fields. Initially, it was supposed to help clarify issues in particle physics by producing pions. Later, the facilities around the accelerator were expanded so that its proton beam could also be used to generate neutrons and muons for a wide range of experiments – frequently in research fields that nobody had even considered during the construction of the plant. Today, about twenty experiments can take place simultaneously here. The PSI’s large proton accelerator currently delivers the most powerful proton beam in the world. The experience that the researchers and engineers at the PSI have gained at the facility also formed the basis for the development of proton therapy, which has already been used to treat several thousand cancer patients successfully at the PSI.
Quantencomputer
Einzelne Ionen als Qubits eines zukünftigen Quantencomputers lassen sich sehr effizient mit Hilfe von Laserstrahlen kühlen und detektieren. Ein neu gestartetes Projekt möchte dieses Wissen nun auch zur Kühlung und Detektion einzelner (Anti-)Protonen nutzbar machen. Bei erfolgreicher Demonstration bietet sich eine hochinteressante Perspektive: die Anwendung der experimentellen Techniken zur Kühlung von Antiprotonen am BASE-Experiment am CERN in Genf.
Antiwasserstoff
Einem Forscherteam am Europäischen Labor für Teilchenphysik (CERN) in Genf ist es erstmals gelungen, einen Strahl aus Antiwasserstoff-Atomen herzustellen. Dies ist ein wichtiger Zwischenschritt hin zu einem besseren Verständnis von Antimaterie. Dieses Verständnis könnte eine Grundlage schaffen, damit Physiker in Zukunft einmal die grosse Frage beantworten können, warum unser Universum und wir Menschen aus Materie, nicht aber aus Antimaterie bestehen. Stefan Ulmer, der im Rahmen des ASACUSA-Experiments Antiwasserstoff untersucht, erläutert die aufsehenerregenden neuen Erkenntnisse.
Forschungssoziologie
Die österreichische Psychologin Dr. Clara Kulich (32) arbeitet an der Universität Genf und hat zusammen mit einem Kollegen untersucht, wie Forscherinnen und Forscher im Forschungszentrum CERN zusammenarbeiten. Die Resultate haben sie in Genf vorgestellt.
PSI-Myonenforscher
Wie findet ein Physiker – oder eine Physikerin – einen Sachverhalt, der das Wissen über unsere Welt auf ein neues Fundament stellt? Durch Knochenarbeit, lautet eine simple Antwort. Dies weiss auch Andreas Knecht, ein Schweizer Nachwuchsforscher, der am Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) im aargauischen Villigen zur Zeit ein Experiment aufbaut, das an den Grundfesten unseres Weltbildes rütteln könnte. Doch bis Ergebnisse vorliegen, braucht der Teilchenphysiker Geduld. Viel Geduld. Ein Jahrzehnt mindestens. (Bild: Myonen-Forscher Andreas Knecht in der Experimentierhalle des Paul Scherrer Instituts. Foto: BV)
CERN-Wettbewerb
Das CERN ist bekannt für den Large Hadron Collider (LHC), aber das Europäische Labor für Teilchenphysik in Genf ist mehr als der LHC. So nehmen Teilchenstrahle, bei denen Strahlen auf fixierte Materialproben gelenkt werden, um diese zu untersuchen, grossen Raum in den Forschungs- und Entwicklungsaktivitäten des CERN ein. Die Teilchenstrahle werden für eine grosse Vielfalt von Experimenten verwendet, etwa um zu untersuchen, wie Protonen im Innern zusammenwirken, oder um die geheimnisvolle Antimaterie zu verstehen.
Mesonenzerfall
Forschende des Paul Scherrer Instituts haben aus den am CMS-Detektor am CERN gemessenen Daten erstmals den sehr seltenen Zerfall des Bs-Mesons in zwei Myonen mit hinreichender Sicherheit beobachtet und seine Häufigkeit bestimmt. Ihre Ergebnisse stimmen sehr gut mit den Voraussagen des Standardmodells der Teilchenphysik überein.
Debatte Neufeld
Der Physiker Jonas Knüsel (SWAN Isotpen AG) und Nuklearmedizinerin Sabine Weidner (Inselspital Bern) haben bei einer Podiumsdiskussion am Gymnasium Neufeld in Bern über Nutzen und Perspektiven der Medizinphysik insbesondere im Bereich der Krebsdiagnostik diskutiert. Bereits zuvor hatte eine Internetdebatte (Hangout On Air) zum selben Thema stattgefunden. Dabei handelte es sich um den zweiten von sieben Double dialogues im Rahmen des vom Schweizerischen Nationalfonds finanzierten Projekts 'Interactions'. Beide Diskussionsveranstaltungen standen unter dem Titel 'Physik macht – gesund!'.
Debatte Rämibühl
Die Physikerin Laura Baudis (Universität Zürich), der Theologe Luzius Müller (Basel) und der deutsche Lyriker Jochen Winter haben bei einer Podiumsdiskussion am Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Gymnasium (MNG) Rämibühl vor 400 Schülerinnen und Schülern über Aussagekraft und gesellschaftliche Relevanz der modernen Physik diskutiert. Bereits am 22. Oktober hatten die Podiumsteilnehmer in der gleichen Zusammensetzung eine Internetdebatte (Hangout On Air) geführt. Bei der Doppelveranstaltung handelte es sich um den ersten von sieben Double dialogues im Rahmen des vom Schweizerischen Nationalfonds finanzierten Projektes Interactions. Beide Diskussionsveranstaltungen standen unter dem Titel Mit welcher Sprache begreifen wir die Welt?.
Volkshochschule
Günther Dissertori, Professor für Teilchenphysik an der ETH Zürich, sprach an der Volkshochschule Zürich vor interessierten Laien über das Phänomen Supraleitung. Im Interview berichtet er über seine Erfahrungen bei dem Vortrag – und erklärt, was Supraleitung mit dem Higgs-Mechanismus gemeinsam hat.
Nobelpreis 2013
Die Königlich-Schwedische Akademie der Wissenschaften hat den diesjährigen Nobelpreis für Physik an Peter Higgs und François Englert vergeben. Wir befragten dazu Heinrich Leutwyler, bis zu seiner Pensionierung Professor für theoretische Physik an der Universität Bern. Leutwyler, der am 12. Oktober seinen 75. Geburtstag feiern kann, hat international anerkannte Beiträge zur Entwicklung der Quantenchronodynamik geleistet. Er hat die Entwicklung des modernen Standardmodells der Teilchenphysik von Anfang an miterlebt und in Teilen mitgeformt. Im Interview erläutert der Berner Physiker den historischen Kontext, der zur Entdeckung des Higgs-Mechanismus führte, und er erläutert die Bedeutung des Nobelpreises für die heutige Gesellschaft.
Beschleuniger im Bonsai-Format
Computerchips brauchen dank technischem Fortschritt immer weniger Platz. Dieser Trend zur Miniaturisierung könnte bald auch die Teilchenphysik erfassen. US-amerikanische Forscher arbeiten an einer neuartigen Technik, die längerfristig zu kleineren und günstigeren Beschleunigern in der physikalischen Grundlagenforschung, aber auch für medizinische Anwendungen führen könnte.
„Zur Zeit herrscht ein goldenes Zeitalter“
Das Jahr 2013 machte mit aufsehenden Entdeckungen von sich reden: mit der Entdeckung des Higgs-Teilchens im Juli 2013, und zuvor schon im März 2013 mit der präzisen Messung der Fluktuationen in der Temperaturverteilung bei der Entstehung des Universums aus dem Urknall durch den Planck-Satelliten. Wir stellten dem in Basel geborenen Physiker und heute an der Universität Genf tätigen Kosmologen Martin Kunz ein Paar Fragen am Rande der "Nacht der Europäischen Forscher" Origins 2013.
Europäische Strategie
Klaus Kirch, Vorsitzender des Swiss Institute of Particle Physics CHIPP, Leiter der Teilchenphysik am Paul Scherrer Institut PSI und Physikprofessor an der ETHZ, beleuchtet in einem Autorenbeitrag die Europäische Strategie für Teilchenphysik und erläutert deren Konsequenzen aus Schweizer Sicht. Kirch betont dabei die Bedeutung des CERN-Standorts Genf für die Schweizer Teilchenphysik und plädiert für die Einrichtung einer zweiten Schweizer Professur für Beschleunigerphysik. Zugleich signalisiert er Offenheit für Diskussionen zum Projekt eines neuen Linearbeschleunigers in Japan und ruft dazu auf, international die Kräfte für ein 'long-baseline' Neutrinoexperiment zu bündeln.
Bombenbauer aus gutem Grund
Am Manhattan-Projekt – dem Bau der US-amerikanischen Atombombe während des Zweiten Weltkriegs – war auch der Schweizer Atomphysiker Felix Bloch beteiligt. Der Schriftsteller Alex Capus zeichnet in seinem neusten Roman den Lebensweg des jüdischen Wissenschaftlers literarisch nach. Er zeigt an seiner Lebensgeschichte, wie Blochs physikalische Erkenntnisse zu Massenvernichtungswaffen, aber gleichzeitig zu Geräten von erheblichem medizinischen Nutzen geführt haben.
Einstein & Grossmann
Zwischen Physik und Mathematik – also zwischen der Beschreibung der physischen Welt und den Strukturen mathematischen Denkens – besteht seit jeher ein Spannungsfeld. Norbert Straumann, emeritierter Professor für Theoretische Physik der Universität Zürich, hat am Beispiel des Physikers Albert Einstein und des Mathematikers Marcel Grossmann dargestellt, wie sich die beiden Disziplinen im Idealfall anregen und ergänzen. Die Zusammenarbeit der an der ETH Zürich tätigen Wissenschaftler führte von 1912 bis 1915 zur Entstehung der Allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie.
Forschung in der Quantenphysik
Uwe-Jens Wiese, Professor für Theoretische Physik an der Universität Bern, wird vom Europäischen Forschungsrat (ERC) mit einem «ERC Advanced Grant» ausgezeichnet. Für sein Projekt zur Quantenphysik erhält er rund 2,4 Millionen Franken.
Neutrinoforschung
Was bereits beobachtet wurde, konnte nun signifikant nachgewiesen werden: Es gibt eine weitere Umwandlung von Neutrinos – denjenigen Elementarteilchen, die wichtig sind für das Verständnis unseres Universums. Am Gross-Experiment in Japan sind auch Berner Teilchenphysiker beteiligt.
Physikdidaktik
Karl-Heinz Lotze (62), Professor für Physik und Didaktik an der Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, führt vom 15. - 17. Juli in Jena und - zusammen mit Frau Prof. Gesche Pospiech (Universität Dresden) - vom 22. - 26. Juli in Bad Honnef zwei Weiterbildungsveranstaltungen unter anderem für deutsche Physiklehrkräfte durch. Mit von der Partie sind mit Prof. Norbert Straumann (Universität Zürich, emeritiert) und PD Dr. Hans Peter Beck (Universität Bern/CERN) zwei Schweizer Teilchenphysiker, die ihr jeweiliges Wissen einbringen. Im Interview erläutert der Didaktikspezialist Lotze, wie Teilchenphysik Breitenwirkung entfalten kann.
„The right balance between main research axes and diversity“
At the CHIPP annual meeting from the 24 to 26 June 2013 in Sursee, particle physicists active in Switzerland have discussed the 'European Strategy for Particle Physics', which had been released one month earlier by the CERN council. The strategy defines the fields of research and the large-scale projects that particle physicists want to develop in the future. The central elements of the strategy are the operation and disassembling of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, as well as the European participation in the project of a new linear accelerator (International Linear Collider, ILC). Tatsuya Nakada, physics professor at the EPF Lausanne (EPFL), share his impressions.
CHIPP infos
Contact
Swiss Institute of Particle Physics (CHIPP)
c/o Prof. Dr. Rainer Wallny
ETH Zürich
IPA
HPK E 26
Otto-Stern-Weg 5
8093 Zürich
Switzerland
CHIPP Outreach Portal
IPPOG Collaboration
ippog.org
European Particle Physics Communication Network
- EPPCN
- EPPCN Role
CHIPP TASKS & FUNCTIONS document
Statutes of the Association CHIPP link
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