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Boulder

Coming Soon: Tabletop Molecular Movies

November 5, 2012

One of the most urgently sought-after goals in modern science is the ability to observe the detailed dynamics of chemical reactions as they happen – that is, on

New Boulder Clean Room Open for Business

November 2, 2012

After months of construction, installation, troubleshooting, and testing, the new clean room at NIST's Precision Measurement Laboratory complex on the Boulder

Deborah Jin standing on the staircase at JILA

Deborah Jin of JILA Selected for 2013 Women in Science Award

October 22, 2012

Deborah Jin, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) who works at JILA, has been selected as the North American recipient for

David Wineland leans over a table of lasers to adjust a laser beam

NIST's David J. Wineland Wins 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics

October 9, 2012

David J. Wineland, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in

Physicist David J. Wineland of NIST Boulder Laboratories in Colorado

Congratulations to David Wineland! 2012 Nobel Laureate in Physics

October 9, 2012

We are thrilled at the news that NIST's David Wineland has been awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Professor Serge Haroche of the Collège de

Applied Chemicals and Materials Division

Our division, based in Boulder, CO, characterizes the properties and structures of industrially important fluids and materials. Our work provides a diverse stakeholder community with innovative measurements and models and dissemination of critically evaluated data, leading to improved processes and

Near-Field Scanning Microwave Microscope: Big at the Nanoscale

September 28, 2012

NIST's ability to determine the composition and physics of nanoscale materials and devices is about to improve dramatically with the arrival of a new near-field

New NIST Screening Method Identifies 1,200 Candidate Refrigerants to Combat Global Warming

September 18, 2012

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new computational method for identifying candidate refrigerant fluids

The World's Most Stable Laser

September 10, 2012

The world's most stable laser – with frequency variation of no more than 2 parts in 10,000 trillion – has been developed and tested by an international

President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivering the dedication address at NIST's campus in Boulder, Colo., in September 1954.

Lost and Found: Audiotape Surfaces of President Eisenhower's 1954 Dedication of NIST Boulder

September 5, 2012

Almost exactly 58 years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke at the 1954 dedication ceremony for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Simulating the Sun for Photovoltaic Research

August 29, 2012

PML researchers have devised a novel source of portable sunlight that may fill an urgent need in renewable energy research – namely, light sources that generate

Koch wins Hano Award

Jonathan (Jay) Koch is recognized for his exceptional support of the research objectives at the National Institute of Standards and

NIST's Speedy Ions Could Add Zip to Quantum Computers

August 8, 2012

Take that, sports cars! Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can accelerate their beryllium ions from zero to 100 miles per

Ullom wins Boom Award

Dr. Ullom is recognized for his exceptional breakthroughs in applied superconductivity and cryogenic engineering. These breakthroughs

Nathan Newbury Receives Flemming Award

Nathan Newbury was recognized for the invention and application of fiber-laser frequency combs to address some of the world's most

New High Standards for Emergency Wireless Devices

July 27, 2012

First responders rely increasingly on wireless communication devices, and in emergencies they cannot afford major signal loss or delay caused by attenuation

2012 PECASE - Ian Coddington

Dr. Ian Coddington is recognized for pioneering rapid, precision metrology tools based on robust, low-cost fiber frequency comb sources that

The State Armory Building in Boulder, Colorado, was the first home of JILA

JILA Named 'Physics Historic Site' on its 50th Anniversary

July 11, 2012

JILA, a Colorado laboratory known around the world for creating new states of matter and novel laser designs and applications, turns 50 this year and will

Black background. Blue structure that looks like an egg carton with red and yellow globes in each pocket

Thousands of Atoms Swap 'Spins' in Quantum Square Dance

August 3, 2007

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have induced thousands of atoms trapped by laser beams to swap "spins" with partners

Magnetic Tape Analysis "Sees" Tampering in Detail

July 20, 2007

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed an improved version of a real-time magnetic microscopy system that converts evidence of

Illustration of a nano-layerof Ruthenium in a magnetic sensors

Nano-layer of Ruthenium Stabilizes Magnetic Sensors

August 3, 2007

A layer of ruthenium just a few atoms thick can be used to fine-tune the sensitivity and enhance the reliability of magnetic sensors, tests at the National

Artist's conception of JILA's advance in atomic force microscope (AFM) design.

Not-So-Precious: Stripping Gold From AFM Probes Allows Better Measurement of Picoscale Forces

June 27, 2012

Gold is not necessarily precious—at least not as a coating on atomic force microscope (AFM) probes. JILA researchers found that removing an AFM probe's gold

JILA Frequency Comb Helps Evaluate Novel Biomedical Decontamination Method

June 14, 2012

Like many new measurement tools, the laser frequency comb seemed at first a curiosity but has found more practical uses than originally imagined. The technique

NIST Measures Challenges for Wireless in Factories

August 30, 2007

Factories have much to gain from wireless technology, such as robot control, RFID tag monitoring, and local-area network (LAN) communications. Wireless systems

New JILA Apparatus Measures Fast Nanoscale Motions

March 16, 2007

A new nanoscale apparatus developed at JILA—a tiny gold beam whose 40 million vibrations per second are measured by hopping electrons—offers the potential for a

JILA Physicist is Finalist for Service to America Medal

August 30, 2007

Konrad Lehnert, a physicist at JILA, is a finalist for the 2007 Service to America medals, presented annually by the non-profit, non-partisan Partnership for

Colorized micrograph of a silicon micro-cantilever

'Radio Wave Cooling' Offers New Twist on Laser Cooling

September 13, 2007

Visible and ultraviolet laser light has been used for years to cool trapped atoms—and more recently larger objects—by reducing the extent of their thermal

man sits on a chair in front of a power meter

Laser Radiometry: Powering Up

June 11, 2012

"If you made a long distance phone call or sent an email today, or if you're wearing clothes, then you are benefiting directly from our laser services," says

illustration of NIST's modified field-effect transistor

New Quantum Dot Transistor Counts Individual Photons

October 11, 2007

A transistor containing quantum dots that can count individual photons (the smallest particles of light) has been designed and demonstrated at the National

Looking At and Into the Ultra-Small

June 8, 2012

NIST is taking a huge step into the ultra-small with the Precision Imaging Facility (PIF) now being outfitted in new Precision Measurement Laboratory on the