Muoniverse is a new National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR). Building on the muon facility at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), this project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, brings together universities, industry, and museums to advance progress in the fields of quantum technologies, renewable energies, archaeology, and cultural heritage.

Using muons—the heavy cousins of electrons—the hidden structures of materials can be investigated in a non-destructive manner. This research project is developing new methods, training the next generation of researchers, and offering the public unique opportunities to engage with cutting-edge research.

The Conservation Research Department of the Swiss National Museum, together with the Museum Augusta Raurica, is responsible for establishing the “Museum and Cultural Heritage Platform” and for applying and further developing the technology in the examination of cultural heritage objects. For objects in the fields of art history and archaeology, new possibilities are emerging to non-destructively examine a wide variety of objects, images, and artifacts. In the long term, this should enable, for example, the uncovering of hidden layers, the detection of forgeries or the determination of the geographical origin of a work’s raw materials.

Project website