Technology at a Glance is a quarterly newsletter from the National Institute of Standards and Technology reporting on research results, funding programs, and manufacturing extension and technology services. If you have comments or general questions about this newsletter or if you would like to receive the four-page, color newsletter in hard copy, please email your mailing address to Gail Porter, editor, or call (301) 975-3392. About Technology at a Glance.

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Dual IDs Urged for Border Checks

A dual approach that employs both fingerprint and facial recognition technology is the best option for a biometric system that would make the nation’s borders more secure, according to NIST scientists.

After studying mature biometric technologies, NIST—in conjunction with the Departments of Justice and State—made the recommendation in a report transmitted in February to Congress. The study was mandated by the USA PATRIOT Act and the Enhanced Border Security Act.

NIST spearheaded evaluations to determine the ability of biometrics to enhance border security. The evaluations looked at two applications: positively identifying visa applicants and verifying that the holder of a visa is the person to whom the visa was issued.

Fingerprint performance was measured on an Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) database of 1.2 million prints of 620,000 individuals. The facial recognition tests evaluated the performance of 10 vendors on a Department of State database of 121,589 images of 37,437 individuals.

Based on the evaluations, as well as practical considerations, NIST recommended (1) the use of at least two fingerprints to positively identify visa applicants and (2) a dual system of face and fingerprint recognition technologies to verify the identities of visa holders at points of entry into the United States.

Face recognition performance was measured by the Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT) 2002. The evaluation of facial recognition systems found that there has been a 50 percent reduction in error rates since comparable tests in the FRVT 2000. For verification (i.e., determining whether a person is who he or she claims to be), the best facial recognition systems are equivalent to 1998 fingerprint matching technologies, yielding a 90 percent verification rate with a 1 percent false acceptance rate.

The researchers also evaluated demographic factors impacting the ability to recognize faces. These results show that males are easier to identify than females, and older people are easier to recognize than younger people.

NIST managed the FRVT 2002 with sponsors and support from 16 government agencies, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Departments of Defense, Justice, and State. More information is available at www.frvt.org.

Contact: Jonathon Phillips, jonathon@nist.gov.

Better Chemistry Through Nanorings

Gold rings suddenly have new cachet, and it has nothing to do with the price of gold or trends in marriage. Moreover, in this case, smaller rings are better.

NIST scientists and collaborators have demonstrated that when a gold ring has a radius of about 60 nanometers, it acquires special properties that could make it a useful container for nanoscale experiments that would provide unusually clear results. Such experiments would be of interest to the drug industry and biochemical researchers, among others.

Metal nanoparticles are attracting research interest because they can absorb and emit certain types of light very efficiently, depending on particle size and shape. In a recent paper, NIST physicists and collaborators in Sweden and Spain documented that gold nanorings have unique optical and electromagnetic properties that can be “tuned” by varying the ratio of the ring radius and wall thickness.

When light is directed at the ring, it excites the electrons at the metal and creates a wave that oscillates in certain ways depending on the wavelength of light and ring geometry. The effect is similar to that of wind hitting a swimming pool, where the resulting wave movement depends on wind velocity and pool shape. The NIST team determined how to synchronize the energy of the incoming light and the pool of electrons, so that they “resonate” on the same wavelength.

This resonance creates a strong and spatially uniform electromagnetic field that oscillates inside the ring cavity. The figure above depicts the field within and around a ring with a radius of 60 nm and a wall thickness of 10 nm. The colors indicate the field strength, ranging from blue (weak) to green and yellow (strong and uniform) to red (very strong). The arrows indicate the direction of the field created by the pool of excited electrons.

The field inside a ring with these dimensions is optimized for the near-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The ring cavity could, therefore, be a useful container for experiments in which molecules are tested with light, because it would amplify infrared signals. For example, researchers study the chemical bonds in biomolecules like proteins by probing them with lasers and detecting how much of the light is absorbed and re-emitted at specific frequencies. By conducting such experiments inside a nanoring, researchers could obtain amplified infrared signals and clearer results.

Contact: Javier Aizpurua, (301) 975-8560, aizpurua@nist.gov.

NIST Investigates Nightclub Fire

NIST has launched an investigation into the tragic fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I. The work is being conducted under the authorities of the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act. NIST is working with a team of public and private-sector fire and safety experts to carry out the
investigation.

Under the act, NIST is responsible for conducting fact-finding investigations of building-related failures that result in substantial loss of life.

The team’s primary objectives are to:

• determine the conditions in the nightclub prior to the fire, such as the materials of construction and contents; the location and conditions of doors, windows, and ventilation; the installed fire protection systems; and the number of occupants and their approximate locations;
• reconstruct the fire ignition, fire spread, and survivability within the building using computer models;
• examine the impact on survivability of having an installed sprinkler system, all other conditions being the same; and
• analyze the emergency evacuation and occupant responses to better understand the impediments to safe egress.
  

The NIST investigation is being conducted in close cooperation with other federal and private-sector agencies, as well as state and local fire and law enforcement agencies.

The decision to launch the NIST investigation was made following an onsite evaluation conducted by two NIST fire researchers and discussions with other investigators on the scene in Rhode Island.

The NIST investigation could result in recommendations for specific changes to building codes, standards, and practices.

In accordance with the NCST Act, any report resulting from the investigation can not be admitted as evidence or used in any suit or action for damages related to the nightclub fire. In addition, NIST employees are not permitted to serve as expert witnesses.

For more on the NCST, go to www.nist.gov/public_affairs/factsheet/constructionact.htm.

Web Site Features Tiny Technologies

Ever smaller and ever faster. The pursuit of nanotechnology—chips, sensors, pumps, gears, lasers, novel materials, and an unending assortment of other useful “things” with features on the scale between one-billionth of a meter (about 10 hydrogen atoms across) and 100-billionths of a meter—is driving science and engineering to extremes.

A recently launched Web site, www.nist.gov/nanotech, details work under way at NIST, where research truly is pushing the limits of technology. NIST scientists and engineers are building atom and electron counters, single-photon turnstiles, ultracold ion and atom traps, and lasers that generate uniform pulses of light that last only a few trillionths of a second.

The nanotechnology Web site explains how NIST’s seven major laboratories are developing measurements, standards, and data crucial to private industry’s development of products for a nanotechnology market that could reach $1 trillion during the next decade. Topics covered on the Web site include: NIST and the National Nanotechnology Initiative; fundamental science and basic measurement capabilities; characterization of nanostructured materials; nanoscale electronics, optoelectronics and magnetics; nanochemistry and nanobiotechnology; and quantum computing and communications. There’s even a just-for-fun quiz, “What’s Your Nano IQ?”

A separate Web site, www.nist.gov/public_affairs/factsheet/quantum.htm, features a more in-depth look at NIST research on quantum information systems.

Contact: Barbara Goldstein, (301) 975-2304.

Using Ocean Color To Measure Carbon

The Earth’s oceans may look a bit bluer than they did before in satellite images—meaning there may be less carbon or biomass in the oceans than previously thought—as a result of recent measurement corrections made possible by a unique NIST-designed instrument.

The tabletop-sized instrument, called the “traveling SIRCUS,” was transported to Hawaii last year to calibrate marine buoys that measure the color and magnitude of light reflected from and within the ocean. Data from these buoys are used to calibrate instruments on satellites that map the color of the Earth’s oceans. Ocean color is important in climate research because variations in the visible light region of the spectrum reflect the concentration of microscopic marine plants, which absorb carbon from the ocean and atmosphere for photosynthesis. These phytoplankton absorb blue light and reflect predominantly green light, whereas pure water reflects predominantly blue light.

The traveling SIRCUS (a miniature version of NIST’s Spectral Irradiance and Radiance Calibrations with Uniform Sources facility) helped to resolve discrepancies in the buoy’s measurements of blue light and corrected errors caused by stray light. The stray light corrections resolved a major measurement problem in the buoy systems and increased confidence in the overall results. The laser-based instrument offers unique calibration capabilities, not only because it is portable but also because it can be tuned to produce intense light of any single color (or wavelength), across the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared parts of the spectrum.

The corrections are having an impact on scientists’ calculations of the biomass and carbon concentrations in the oceans, which will provide a more accurate understanding of Earth’s carbon balance and its effect on climate. Initial estimates using SIRCUS results suggest that ocean biomass (as measured by chlorophyll concentrations) may be about 6 percent lower than previously thought.

The project was a collaboration between NIST and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with additional funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Contact: Steven Brown, (301) 975-5167.

NIST FY 2003 Funding Approved
On Feb. 20, 2003, President Bush signed into law the fiscal year 2003 omnibus appropriation, which includes $707.5 million for NIST. The FY 2003 NIST appropriation represents a 3.4 percent increase over the FY 2002 amount of $684.5 million, and provides funding to all of the agency's four major programs.

Included in the FY 2003 budget are: $351.9 million for the NIST Laboratories; $5.2 million for the Baldrige National Quality Program; $178.8 million for the Advanced Technology Program; $105.9 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership; and $65.7 million for Construction of Research Facilities. The last category includes high priority safety, capacity, maintenance and major repair projects; construction and renovation projects at NIST’s Boulder, Colo., laboratories; and moving costs and final lab adjustments for the nearly complete NIST Advanced Measurement Laboratory in Gaithersburg, Md.

For more information see: www.nist.gov/public_affairs/budget.htm.

Building a Better Mixer

Mixing ingredients for a cake or a batch of cookies is a pretty simple matter. Mixing in industry is often more difficult. For example, mixing a gas into a liquid is typically a complicated procedure. Now, NIST researchers have developed a new device that can do the job in a matter of seconds rather than hours. Developed to improve measurements for the gas industry, the new mixer uses a hollow rotor shaped like a double helix. The rotor is placed in a closed container filled with the desired liquid and gas is pumped through it. An external magnetic field spins the rotor and the gas circulates through strategically placed holes, allowing quick distribution throughout the liquid. The new mixer also has been used for facilitating chemical reactions and for extractions such as removing heavy metals from water, an application with important environmental implications. The research team will continue to develop new applications for the mixer. A patent is pending. Contact: Thomas Bruno, (303) 497-5158, bruno@boulder.nist.gov.

‘Hairs’ to Better Drug Testing

There’s a relatively new weapon in the battle against illicit drug use—hair. Unlike urine or other body fluids, hair tissue retains traces of cocaine and other drugs for at least 90 days (not just two or three). Hair also is easier to collect and harder to switch or contaminate. As a result, hair analysis increasingly is used to screen job applicants, athletes, and others for illicit drug use. The accuracy of such tests now can be checked through the use of two new NIST Standard Reference Materials (SRMs). The standards consist of human hair segments that have been soaked in solutions containing target drugs and then carefully measured for drug concentrations. SRM 2379 is designed for calibrating tests of stimulants (“uppers”) such as cocaine and PCP, while SRM 2380 helps check tests for depressants (“downers”), such as codeine and THC (the active ingredient in marijuana). Drugs usually are not detectable in hair samples until 10 days after use, so hair analysis is likely to complement rather than completely replace traditional screening methods. Contact: Michael Welch, (301) 975-3100.

NIST Helps U.S. Capitol with ‘Overhead’ Problem

When the 150-year-old dome of the U.S. Capitol began leaking during heavy rainstorms a few years ago, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol asked NIST welding experts for help. Their daunting request: return the cast-iron supporting structure of the dome’s outer shell to its original condition without replacing the cracked castings or losing any of the iron work’s historical integrity. An initial attempt in 1998 failed when the test welds cracked. NIST engineers went back to the drawing board (and the lab) to develop and test other options. The best-working technique turned out to be oxyacetylene braze welding (a flame repair process where the filler metal melts at a temperature below that of the casting) combined with a copper-zinc alloy called low-fuming bronze. The bronze forms joints that are very similar in strength to the original castings. NIST’s experts have submitted their recommendation to the Architect’s office. Contact: Thomas Siewert, (303) 497-3523, siewert@boulder.nist.gov.

‘Ice Dancing’ with Lasers

Pulsed lasers are like middle schoolers at a dance. You can put them in the same physical space, but they still don’t pair up very well. Recently, however, NIST researchers at JILA (a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado) have coaxed ultrafast pulsed lasers with different wavelengths not only to match the timing of their pulses but also to lock into the same “phase,” or cycle of peaks and troughs. To extend the analogy, they’ve made unruly, ultrafast lasers do the equivalent of two middle schoolers moving in perfect synchrony like Olympic ice dancers. The technique provides an important new tool for studying the motions and vibrations of atom groups within molecules. By synchronizing and locking the wave forms of two sub-picosecond lasers together, they have made a well-controlled, tunable source of infrared radiation that can be used to precisely break specific bonds or produce specific rotational or vibrational changes in large molecules. The technique also may be useful for transmitting ultraprecise frequency signals or for mapping the chemical composition of living cells with pulses so quick they don’t damage the living tissue. Contact: Jun Ye, (303) 735-3171, Ye@jila.colorado.edu.

Fire Safety—Carelessly dropped cigarettes are the largest single cause of U.S. fire deaths. To help combat this problem, New York soon will become the first state to require that cigarettes sold in the state meet a standard that limits their ability to start furniture or bed fires. The test method, issued by ASTM International, was developed by NIST in 1993 and refined in 2002. ASTM’s standard test method is available at www.astm.org. The NIST report, Test Methods for Quantifying the Propensity of Cigarettes to Ignite Soft Furnishings, is available at http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs. Contact: Richard Gann, (301) 975-6866.

Health Information—NIST information security experts are teaming up with URAC, also known as the American Accreditation Health Care Commission, to identify best practices for information security in health care. The Security Health Care Certification and Accreditation Workgroup is reviewing draft security guidelines recently published by NIST and the new security rules being phased in under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Ultimately, the group hopes to develop a common set of health care security standards that will cover security policies, procedures, controls and auditing practices. Contact: Arnold Johnson, (301) 975-3247.

Cancer Detection—Researchers from NIST and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are developing technology that may lead to more accurate methods of detecting and diagnosing breast tumors. The team is using a characterized coaxial probe to measure the electric and magnetic properties of healthy human breast tissue. The development of this technology is an important first step toward the future use of such probes to distinguish between healthy tissue and malignancies based on these properties. Contact: Christopher Holloway, (303) 497-6184, holloway@boulder.nist.gov.

About Technology at a Glance:

NIST is an agency of the US Department of Commerce's Technology Administration. NIST develops and promotes measurement, standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life. Technology at a Glance is produced by Public and Business Affairs, NIST, 100 Bureau Dr., Stop 3460, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-3460. Any mention of commercial products is for information only; it does not imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST. Technology at a Glance Editor: Gail Porter, (301) 975-3392, email: gail.porter@nist.gov. For patent information, call (301) 975-3084.

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