Activities & Calendar
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.
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.
Immagine: CERN, SwitzerlandAxions 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.
Immagine: XENON collaborationThe 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.
La tomografia ad emissione di positroni (PET) aiuta i medici a rilevare il cancro e molte altre malattie. Un team di ricercatori guidato dal professor Günther Dissertori sta lavorando a una nuova generazione di scanner per PET che in futuro potrebbero essere di grande utilità nella ricerca farmacologica e nel trattamento dei malati di Alzheimer. L'innovazione tecnica si basa, tra l'altro, sulla ricerca fondamentale al CERN.
Immagine: USZ/Alfred Buck, Jannis FischerFCC - queste tre lettere rappresentano la visione di un nuovo acceleratore circolare che potrebbe essere costruito presso il laboratorio europeo di fisica delle particelle CERN a Ginevra. Con questo obiettivo a lungo termine, cinque anni fa i fisici svizzeri hanno fondato l'iniziativa di ricerca CHART. Ora è disponibile il dimostratore di un potente magnete. Se i test hanno esito positivo, verrà raggiunto un primissimo passo verso progressi decisivi nelle infrastrutture per la ricerca di base, ma anche in applicazioni come, ad esempio, strumentazione innovativa per terapie mediche.
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.
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.
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.
This week’s drafting session marks final discussions for the update of the European strategy for particle physics
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 (pronuncia: Schutska) ha 33 anni e già professore di Fisica delle particelle elementari presso l'Istituto Federale Svizzero di Tecnologia di Losanna (EPFL). "Al momento non riesco a immaginare di fare qualcosa di diverso dalla fisica", afferma il ricercatore, che si occupa di particelle che finora esistono solo nelle menti dei fisici teorici.
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.
Nessuna particella elementare attraversa più frequentemente l’universo degli schivi neutrini. Le ricerche delle piccolissime particelle quasi senza massa è al centro dell’odierna fisica delle particelle elementari. Probabilmente il contributo più importante degli ultimi vent’anni alla conoscenza del neutrino lo dobbiamo al rivelatore giapponese Super-Kamiokande in cui diversi gruppi di ricercatori Svizzeri sono coinvolti. Una visita alle montagne in Giappone.
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.
Nel 2025, l’esperimento 'Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment' (DUNE) prenderà il via nel nord degli Stati Uniti d’America, vi lavorano i fisici che aspirano a conoscere meglio il neutrino – la particella elementare ancora misteriosa. Una componente importante dell’esperimento DUNE è in costruzione all’Università di Berna.
Michał Rawlik, scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) is awarded the CHIPP Prize 2019. The 29-year-old researcher receives the award for his doctoral thesis on the electric dipole moment of the neutron. The experiment he co-developed could one day help answer the question of why there is much more matter in the universe than antimatter.
A partire da 2026, le prestazioni dei grandi esperimenti al laboratorio Europeo di fisica delle particelle, il CERN, a Ginevra, saranno aumentate notevolmente. I lavori di preparazione per l’upgrade del grande acceleratore LHC e dei vari esperimenti è in pieno fermento. Un importante contributo viene dall’Università di Berna, dove il dottorando Armin Fehr (di 26 anni) e i suoi colleghi stanno lavorando su una componente dell’esperimento ATLAS. Questa componente renderà possibile acquisire i dati alla frequenza grandemente aumentata prevista dal 2026 in poi.
CERN in Geneva is the leading particle physics laboratory worldwide. Large particle accelerators based on the most innovative technologies are used there for fundamental research. One year ago, the innovation park “PARK INNOVAARE” in Villigen (AG) launched, together with CERN, the BIC of CERN program: it supports start-ups and high-tech micro-companies using CERN technologies for commercial applications. These days the second call for proposals has started.
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.
La forza di gravità ci accompagna in ogni momento della nostra giornata – dalla mattina, quando ci alziamo dal letto, fino a tardi la sera quando stanchi morti cadiamo sul materasso. Sebbene nessuna altra forza condizioni le nostre vite tanto quanto la gravità, essa ci rimane quasi sconosciuta. Molti scienziati nel mondo stanno cercando di svelare i segreti della gravità. Uno di questi sta conducendo le sue ricerche nel cantone Argau: la 32enne fisica delle particelle Anna Soter.
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.
Nella primavera del 2020, la comunità europea della fisica delle particelle deciderà una nuova strategia europea che evidenzi gli obiettivi strategici a lungo termine in questo importante settore della ricerca fondamentale. Nel dicembre 2018 gli scienziati svizzeri - organizzati dall'Istituto svizzero di fisica delle particelle / CHIPP - hanno formulato il loro contributo alla nuova strategia europea. Günther Dissertori - professore al Politecnico federale di Zurigo, membro del Consiglio direttivo del CHIPP e Nuovo delegato scientifico della Svizzera al Consiglio del CERN - spiega i punti principali del contributo strategico svizzero.
PiA offers 24 entertaining physics experiments to do yourself again this year. Due to the great interest from abroad, physics will be available in English during Advent, just like last year.
Laetitia Laub was born and raised near Lausanne. She studied mathematics and physics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Since August 2017, the 24-year-old junior scientist is writing her doctoral thesis in theoretical physics at the University of Bern. In her thesis she deals with the anomalous magnetic dipole moment of the muon and the reaction of this particle in the magnetic field. "Many people are currently working on this theoretical problem with the aim of further reducing the calculation error of the dipol moment. This is also because a better experimental value for the dipole moment will be probably found at Fermilab in the US and J-Parc experiment in Japan soon, " says Laetitia Laub.
At the end of August, climate change and the future energy supply of Switzerland were among the topics of several keynote speeches at the Annual Meeting of the Swiss Physical Society (SPS) and the Swiss Institute of Particle Physics (CHIPP) in Lausanne. Maurice Bourquin, former professor of physics at University of Geneva, gave a keynote lecture about the ongoing transformation of the Swiss energy system. Professor Bourquin was also Rector of the University of Geneva (1999 - 2003) and President of the CERN Council (2001 - 2003). The 77 year-old scientist’s speech was titled: “Thorium-based systems – A new direction for nuclear waste elimination and energy production.” In the interview that follows, Professor Bourquin explains why he still believes in nuclear power.
In order for physicists at CERN to carry out their experiments for the understanding of matter, the large particle accelerator LHC must be operated with the utmost precision. Ensuring this precision both now and in the future was the overriding goal of a doctoral thesis that Claudia Tambasco recently completed at the EPFL in Lausanne. For this work, the young researcher was today (28.08.2018) awarded the prize of the Swiss Institute of Particle Physics (CHIPP) at a ceremony in Lausanne.
Geneva, 28 August. Six years after its discovery, the Higgs boson has at last been observed decaying to fundamental particles known as bottom quarks. The finding, presented today at CERN by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is consistent with the hypothesis that the all-pervading quantum field behind the Higgs boson also gives mass to the bottom quark. Both teams have submitted their results for publication today.
Am 22. August bringt die Schweizerische Nationalbank die neue 200-Franken-Note in Umlauf. Auf der neuen Banknote wird die wissenschaftliche Schweiz durch die Elementarteilchenphysik repräsentiert. Die Auswahl dieses Sujets ist Ausdruck des hohen Stellenwerts, den die teilchenphysikalische Grundlagenforschung in der Schweiz geniesst.
Many Swiss physicists are now in Seoul (Korea) for the very prestigious conference ICHEP2018. We report here their latest findings and contributions to the conference.
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.
On 15 June, the European Particle Physics Laboratory (CERN) in Geneva officially celebrates the upcoming upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). By the year 2026, the performance of the world's largest particle accelerator will be significantly improved by many technical optimizations in order to empower new insights into the nature of matter.
Swiss high school students participated at the second European Physics Olympiad in Moscow (Russia) from May 28 to June 1 this year.
ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN describe for the first time the interaction of the two heaviest elementary particles of the Standard Model. Members of the Department of Physics of the Swiss institutes: the University of Geneva, the University of Zurich (UZH) and ETH Zurich have been involved in the analysis in a leading manner.
Results from XENON1T, the world’s largest and most sensitive detector dedicated to a direct search for Dark Matter in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), are reported today (Monday, 28th May) by the spokesperson, Prof. Elena Aprile of Columbia University, in a seminar at the hosting laboratory, the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), in Italy.
Five of Switzerland’s best-in-physics high school students will take part in the European Physics Olympiad, which will be held at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in Russia from May 28 to June 1 this year.
In 2021, the European research satellite Euclid will be launched into space. With Euclid, scientists from Switzerland and 15 other countries want to gain a better understanding of dark matter and dark energy. These two 'things' fill large parts of the universe in the view of modern astronomy, but neither dark matter nor dark energy have been directly observed so far. Researchers at the University of Zurich have prepared a complex computer simulation of dark matter in preparation for the Euclid mission. This mission is of great interest not only to astronomers and astrophysicists but also to particle physicists since particle physics is on the quest for the discovery of the nature and structure of dark matter with its own experiments.
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.
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.
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.
Quest’autunno all’Istituto Paul Scherrer comincerà la costruzione di un nuovo esperimento di fisica delle particelle per determinare il dipolo elettrico del neutrone. Rimpiazzerà il precedente esperimento, che al momento ci ha fornito la misura alla lunga piú precisa degli ultimi anni e la cui analisi dei dati è ancora in corso. Il nuovo esperimento, disegnato in collaborazione tra il dottorando di ETH Michal Rawlik, puó rivelare delle caratteristiche del magnetismo inimmaginabilmente piccole. Un risultato positivo dell’esperimento potrebbe aiutare a spiegare perché c’è tanta piú materia nell’universo rispetto all’antimateria.
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.
Nel 2012, il bosone di Higgs è stata scoperto dagli esperimenti ATLAS e CMS del CERN. Da allora, si sente spesso dire che il Modello Standard è un modello completo per la fisica delle particelle. "Non è del tutto vero!" dice Alain Blondel, professore di fisica all’Università di Ginevra. C’è ancora il neutrino, che, da quello che sappiamo oggi, non rientra perfettamente nel Modello Standard. Ci sono notizie eccitanti pubblicate recentemente riguardo questa inafferrabile particella: Nuove osservazioni dell’esperimento T2K in Giappone forniscono le prime indicazioni che chiariscono una delle domande centrali della fisica moderna: Perché l’universo consiste solo di materia mente l’antimateria manca totalmente ?
Particle physics is a basic science that forms our image of matter and the universe. However, the findings of this discipline also have practical applications that directly influence our daily lives. One example is the company DECTRIS AG in Baden-Dättwil. At the joint annual conference of the Austrian Physics Society (ÖPG), the Swiss Physical Society (SPS) and the Swiss Institute for Particle Physics (CHIPP) in Geneva in August, the company presented its latest business ventures.
La rilevazione sperimentale della materia oscura è una delle grandi sfide della ricerca nella fisica moderna. Quest’anno il premio dell’Istituto di Fisica delle Particelle (CHIPP) è stato assegnato al fisico Johanna Gramling per il suo contributo alla ricerca di questa componente misteriosa della materia.
The international T2K Collaboration strengthened its previous hint that the symmetry between matter and antimatter may be violated for neutrino oscillation.
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.
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.
As complicated as particle physics may be, experiments such as those conducted at CERN make it clear how researchers in this discipline work. . However, theoretical physicists, whose work is based on mathematical models, have more difficulty explaining their work. A project from ETH Zurich attempts to provide easy-to-understand insight into a current field of research in theoretical physics.
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.
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.
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.
Bahar Behzadi, physics teacher at the Freies Gymnasium Zürich, participated with her pupils in the last year's competition "Physics in Advent". The class performed excellently in the competition and was granted a visit to the Swiss Science Center Technorama in Winterthur. In the interview, the 44-year-old teacher reports on her experiences.
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.
Once more, clever pupils from all over Switzerland are invited to the pre-Christmas competition 'Physics in Advent'. Starting on December 1st, participants are asked to solve a simple physical task every day. Special prices for individual pupils as well as for whole school classes are provided. Indeed, teachers from Swiss schools are invited to participate in the competition with their class. One of the prizes is a class trip to CERN.
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.
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.
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).
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 — 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'.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The experimental detection of gravitational waves this spring confirmed with much fanfare Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Until the phenomenon of gravitation is fully understood, however, physics has a Herculean task before it. A giant next step is the LISA experiment, which is being carried out with participation of the University and ETH Zurich.
Un cours d’introduction en libre accès et gratuit permet aux personnes intéressées une approche peu compliquée au monde de la physique subatomique. Dr. Mercedes Paniccia et Prof. Martin Pohl du Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire de l’Université de Genève ont conçu ce cours composé de 57 leçons en vidéo. Pour le moment il n’est disponible qu’en français.
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.
L'Académie suisse des sciences naturelles a célébré son 200e anniversaire à Sion le dernier weekend de septembre. La tournée scientifique 'Recherche live' a passé quatre jours dans le chef-lieu du canton du Valais. La double projection du documentaire 'Particle Fever' au sujet de la découverte du Boson de Higgs a fait partie du programme d'anniversaire.
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.
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.
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.
Da inizio giugno, dopo due anni di pausa tecnica, il Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – il potente acceleratore di particelle del CERN – è stato riattivato e ha ripreso a fornire nuovi dati sperimentali. I dati consentiranno agli scienziati di tutto il mondo di acquisire nuovissime conoscenze sulla struttura della materia. Uno dei fisici che partecipano ai lavori è Tobias Golling (39). Il fisico delle particelle, che ha completato la sua formazione nelle città di Friburgo, Heidelberg, Bonn e al Fermilab di Chicago, dall’autunno 2014 insegna presso l’Università di Ginevra con il titolo di «Associate Professor» ed è uno dei ricercatori dell’esperimento ATLAS per LHC. Secondo Golling i dati che l’LHC fornirà nei prossimi mesi e anni potrebbero far compiere un importante passo avanti alla concezione del mondo della fisica moderna.
Cosa sia a tenere insieme il mondo nell’intimo suo essere è la domanda che si pone Heinrich Faust, l’erudito protagonista della famosa opera teatrale di Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Per trovare una risposta Faust si dà addirittura alla magia. Anche Lilian Witthauer di Basilea, esperta in fisica delle particelle, si occupa di quest’importante domanda nella sua tesi di dottorato e ha trovato le risposte non con l’aiuto della magia ma con esperimenti approfonditi sugli acceleratori di elettroni. Per l’ottima qualità del suo lavoro scientifico è stata insignita il 29 giugno con il premio CHIPP 2015.
Quest'anno l’accademia svizzera di scienze naturali (SCNAT) festeggia i 200 anni dalla sua costituzione. In occasione dell'evento sarà proiettato in agosto e settembre il film "La particella di Dio" sulla scoperta del bosone di Higgs, in tre città svizzere. La particella "trovata" nel 2012 al Cern di Ginevra è una delle scoperte scientifiche più spettacolari degli ultimi anni.
Quando la scienza approda sul grande schermo, l'intento solitamente è di stupire il pubblico con grandi effetti speciali. Diverso il taglio dato alla pellicola inglese "La teoria del tutto", un film biografico sulla vita dell'astrofisico Stephen Hawking e sul suo rapporto con la prima moglie Jane, diretto da James Marsh e basato sulla sceneggiatura di Anthony McCarten. Il film narra il progressivo decadimento fisico del protagonista affetto da sclerosi laterale amiotrofica o SLA, e sottolinea come la moglie sopporti enormi sacrifici per curare il marito, fino al limite delle sue forze, e come gli rimanga fedele.
La tavola rotonda di mercoledì 10 dicembre con Ruth Durrer (professoressa di fisica all'Università di Ginevra) e con l'artista ginevrino Christian Gonzenbach prometteva di essere costruttivo e appassionato. La promessa è stata mantenuta. Il dibattito, dal titolo "Materia oscura - l'invisibile esiste", è stato moderato da Elisabeth Chardon, giornalista del quotidiano 'Le Temps'.
Grâce à l'expérience AMS pour la mesure du rayonnement cosmique, les astrophysiciens espèrent en découvrir plus sur la mystérieuse matière noire dont notre univers doit être gorgé mais dont la nature demeure inexpliquée. Les derniers résultats de l'expérience AMS ne fournissent pas encore de découverte décisive, mais ils apportent, avec la participation de l'université de Genève, un aperçu dans le rayonnement cosmique d'une précision inconnue jusqu'à présent.
Allo Swiss Science Center Technorama di Winterthur il fisico del CERN Hans Peter Beck, lo specialista in scienze della comunicazione Mike Schäfer e la psicologa sociale Clara Kulich hanno discusso sulle possibilità e sui limiti dell'insegnamento della fisica delle particelle al grande pubblico. Il dibattito ha preso spunto dal film-documentario sulla scoperta del bosone di Higgs "Particle fever" del regista americano Mark Levinson. La prima del film per la Svizzera tedesca è stata proiettata il 1° ottobre 2014 nell'Auditorium del Technorama.
Com'è la vita dei fisici moderni? A questa domanda cerca di rispondere Mark Levinson con il suo documentario "Particle Fever". La prima del film per la Svizzera tedesca sarà proiettata questo mercoledì nel Swiss Science Center Technorama di Winterthur. Abbiamo visto il film in anteprima. Una recensione.
Le CERN à Meyrin près de Genève ou le projet Human Brain sur l'Arc lémanique sont deux paquebots qui concentrent de nombreux scientifiques et des moyens financiers importants. Au détriment de quoi ? La question a été débattue lors d'un débat à Microcity à Neuchâtel.
Il nuovo polo tecnologico Microcity è stato inaugurato a maggio 2014 a Neuchâtel. Il centro di ricerca, fortemente voluto dal Cantone di Neuchâtel e dal Politecnico di Losanna, aspira a divenire un centro di competenza nell’ambito della microtecnologia. Ma come si colloca Neuchâtel rispetto ai grandi progetti di ricerca come il Laboratorio europeo di fisica delle particelle di Ginevra (CERN) o lo Human brain project (Hbp), il progetto «faro» sul cervello umano finanziato dall'Unione europea e diretto dal Politecnico federale di Losanna? Ne parliamo con il dr. Eduard Kaeser, pubblicista scientifico di Berna.
Durante la riunione annuale congiunta dell'Istituto Svizzero di Fisica delle Particelle (CHIPP) e della Società Svizzera di Fisica (SPS), è stato indetto il 2 luglio all'Università di Friburgo un dibattito con ospiti illustri che hanno discusso sull'"influenza del CERN sulla Svizzera e sulla società svizzera". In occasione del sessantesimo anniversario del Laboratorio europeo di fisica delle particelle (CERN), il dibattito ha trattato il tema dei grandi vantaggi così come delle opportunità mancate.
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.
Olivier Schneider, prof. de physique des particules élémentaires à l'Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), est le président du 'Swiss Institute of Particle Physics', l'organisation qui comprend tous les physiciens des particules travaillant en Suisse. A l'occasion du 60ème anniversaire du CERN, Olivier Schneider explique l'importance du CERN pour la société suisse.
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.
Nel ricco Occidente la ricerca e la didattica universitaria sono un'ovvietà: in questi paesi esiste un ampio spettro di istituti per tutte le possibili discipline del sapere. Invece, nei paesi in via di sviluppo l'istruzione rimane ancora spesso un bene che scarseggia. Ciò vale anche per la fisica delle particelle. I rappresentanti del Laboratorio europeo di fisica delle particelle (CERN) di Ginevra si sono mossi con un'iniziativa privata per diffondere anche in Nepal l'amore per questa disciplina fondamentale.
Seuls quatre pour cent de notre univers se composent de matière inconnue. En revanche, la physique moderne est convaincue que la majeure partie de l'univers se compose d'énergie noire. Personne ne peut encore vraiment expliquer ce qu'est cette énergie noire. Un astrophysicien de l'ETH de Lausanne (EPFL) fournit quelques indices pour une meilleure compréhension du phénomène : le jeune chercheur de 26 ans Timothée Delubac analyse des données du ciel étoilé qui devraient permettre une meilleure compréhension de l'énergie noire à l'avenir. Au cours de derniers mois, Delubac a acquis de nouvelles connaissances fascinantes dans le cadre de l'expérience BOSS.
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.
Ma serve? La domanda è legittima. Miliardi di franchi investiti per scoprire una nuova particella e…? Già: e poi? Che cosa ne deriva per il miglioramento della vita delle persone? Insomma, a che serve la fisica? Quali ricadute ha nell’ambito della medicina, per esempio? Proprio di questo hanno discusso per un paio d’ore, nel pomeriggio di venerdì 4 aprile, Martina Bucciantonio e Franco Cavalli, moderati dal giornalista Gerhard Lob, in un appassionante confronto dal titolo “Materia viva o materia morta - La ricerca in medicina, la ricerca in fisica”, davanti a una cinquantina di studenti di quarta del Liceo di Locarno.
Ogni dubbio è fugato: i neutrini muonici possono trasformarsi in neutrini tauonici. Gli scienziati impegnati nell'esperimento OPERA che si svolge nei laboratori sotterranei del Gran Sasso in Italia, e vede tra gli altri la collaborazione dei fisici dell'Università di Berna, hanno dimostrato questo fenomeno con una precisione finora sconosciuta. Il risultato è stato presentato nell'ambito di un seminario scientifico ai Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso.
Einem internationalen Forscherteam ist mit dem Mikrowellenteleskop Bicep2 am Südpol der Nachweis von Gravitationswellen gelungen. Dies gaben die Wissenschaftler am Montag bekannt. Hält diese Nachricht einer unabhängigen Überprüfung stand, handelt es sich um eine der spektakulärsten Entdeckungen der modernen Physik. Damit würden erstmals die Gravitationswellen experimentell nachgewiesen, die Albert Einstein in seiner Relativitätstheorie vorausgesagt hatte. Im Interview erläutert die an der Universität Genf tätige Kosmologin Ruth Durrer die Hintergründe.
In Svizzera sono relativamente poche le giovani donne che studiano fisica. Diversamente in Italia, dove lo studio della fisica per le donne è una cosa che avviene più con naturalezza. Non è un caso, quindi, che è stato un fisico italiano donna Fabiola Gianotti che a nome dell'esperimento ATLAS al CERN ha annunciato nel Luglio 2012 la scoperta della particella di Higgs. Anche Martina Bucciantonio è un fisico italiano, e anche lei lavora al CERN. All'inizio della sua carriera la giovane scienziata si è occupata soprattutto di questioni fondamentali, tra cui l'analisi dei dati. Ora nella sua tesi di dottorato si dedica alle applicazioni mediche della fisica. Il 4 aprile Martina Bucciantonio prenderà parte ad un dibattito al Liceo cantonale di Locarno con il noto oncologo Franco Cavalli sul tema: "Materia viva o materia morta - La ricerca in medicina, la ricerca in fisica."
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.
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.
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.
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'.
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.
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.
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.
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.