May 2012 – Congratulations to 
March 2012 - 
February 2012 - Temperatures below -10°C and strong winds have united to produce amazing pieces of art along lake Geneva, here in Versoix.
November 2011 – One dimensional charge density wave discovered by scanning tunneling microscopy in CaC6, a superconducting graphite intercalate compound. Collaboration with the 
September 2011 - MaNEP and the University of Geneva are celebrating 100 years of superconductivity. 
May 2011 – The anisotropic surface stress induced by Bi-nanolines is found to block the formation of embedded structures and stabilizes the nucleation of manganese silicide islands which grow in a preferred direction, forming nanowires on Si(001). 
March 2011 – The oxygen migration scenario for electroresistive switching in manganites gets new support. Mobile oxygen adatoms and defects have been observed by scanning tunneling microscopy with atomic resolution at the surface of PrSr2Mn2O7. Collaboration with the 
November 2010 - Migrating surface charges can simulate the giant piezoresistance observed in silicon nano- and micro-structures. See also comments in 
September 2010 – A promising Silicon only template for nanoscale patterning has been self assembled into the Si(001) surface. This work has been selected by the 
May 2010 – Congratulations to 
April 2009 – The PhysiScope draws the attention of Nature Materials. See also the 
April 2008 – Giant piezoresistance observed in a metal silicon hybrid structure. See also Single Atom Wires
Single atom metallic wires of arbitrary length are of immense scientific and technological interest. Much of the novel and exotic physics expected of one dimensional systems is described in great details by theory but is still lacking thorough experimental verification and characterization. We are developing a promising alternative to step edges and vicinal surface templating commonly used to self assemble isolated nanowires.
We are exploiting a striking Si reconstruction forming at the Si(001) surface when exposed to low doses of bismuth. This so-called Haiku structure offers a number of exceptional features, not least the prospect of self assembling a novel category of subsurface atomic chains on Si(001).
Most recently, we found a 1D electronic state extending along the centre of the Haiku core exposed after hydrogenating the Bi nanolines. This is a promising candidate to explore transport in a truly isolated and 1D wire.
Further reading :
Bianco et al. Phys.Rev.B 2011
Owen et al. Appl.Phys.Lett. 2010