U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Communications Technology Laboratory

Spectrum Technology and Research Division

Projects/Programs

Displaying 1 - 18 of 18

Adaptive Closed-Box Interference Susceptibility Testing

Ongoing
The primary project objective is to develop new methods for experimental characterization of dynamic interference impacts on adaptive, closed-box COTS communication links. Specific goals include: Dissemination of low-cost, general-purpose testbed designs for interference testing. Methods to assess
Long_Feature_Image

Bringing the SI to Global Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Measurement

Ongoing
This multifaceted program leverages expertise in three complementary technical focus areas- all of which involve SI-traceable measurements of relevant atmospheric species such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and oxygen. The efforts include gravimetrically based preparation of primary

CBRS Sharing Ecosystem Assessment

Ongoing
Background: In 2020, FCC auction 105 auctioned licenses in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). CBRS (3.55 GHz to 3.7 GHz) has a three-tiered framework to accommodate shared federal and non-federal use of the band. The DoD 3.5 GHz Transition Plans focus on ecosystem validations

COVID-19 Spectrum Occupancy Project

Ongoing
Collected from residential teleworking sites, hospitals, and public safety networks across the Colorado Front Range, the data will help CTL understand trends in spectrum usage during national emergencies. Gathered data will also work towards investment in the broader development of an infrastructure

Fiber Sources and Applications Background Information

Ongoing
NIST has been a world leader in lasers since the technology's development in the early 1960s, a tradition continued when NIST scientist John L. Hall shared the 2005 Nobel Prize in physics for his part in the invention of the optical frequency comb. The output of a comb is a brief broadband pulse
fiber frequency comb design

Fiber-optic Frequency Comb Development

Ongoing
Frequency combs have found a wide range of applications beyond just optical metrology. Applications include laser ranging, precision molecular spectroscopy in the lab and over the air, optical timing distribution, low-noise microwave generation and support for optical clocks. All these applications
dual-comb spectroscopy illustration

Frequency-comb-based Spectroscopy (Dual-Comb Spectroscopy)

Ongoing
Fully stabilized frequency combs provide a broadband spectral output that is comprised of a series of narrow spectral lines or “teeth”. “Dual comb spectroscopy” provides one method to harness these properties for broadband spectroscopy. It allows the user to read-out the spectrum of a gas mixture on
Partial timeline showing the evolution of open-path dual-comb spectroscopy at NIST

Greenhouse Gas and Atmospheric Trace Gas Measurements

Ongoing
Dealing with climate change will require continued reductions in emissions, which in turn will require higher accuracies and precisions for monitoring, reporting and verification. Better monitoring will accelerate local emission reductions as well as being critical to verifying international
Spectrum

In-Situ RF Emissions Metrology

Ongoing
Objectives The In-Situ RF Emissions Metrology Project blends expertise in traditional spectrum monitoring, digital signal processing and statistics with applied, situationally relevant, measurement methods, modeling, and simulation techniques to build towards assessments of: The time, frequency
A line drawing of a woman's head styled like a classical carved bust

METIS

Ongoing
A Metrology Exchange to Innovate in Semiconductors
RF Metrology for High-Frequency Transistor Models Project Deliverables

RF Metrology for High-Frequency Transistor Models

Ongoing
Due to the challenges of high-frequency measurements, that includes inaccuracy in on-wafer calibration and a lack of instrumentation for transistor characterization, models are currently extracted from low frequency measurements and extrapolated to higher frequencies. This methodology has been shown
NIST Calibration Target

Miniaturized Microwave Absolute Calibration

Ongoing
The small-satellite development has seen significant growth in recent years. Due to the size limitation, the conventional calibration device can no longer be equipped on the small-satellite platform. Consequently, new technology is called for to provide a precise and traceable calibration solution
Diagram showing traditional and open ran topology

Open RAN Interoperability

Ongoing
Open RAN aims to enable components from different vendors to work together seamlessly. However, integrating elements from various suppliers poses technical challenges. It requires thorough testing, standardization, and collaboration to ensure that hardware and software work together seamlessly. This

Open RAN Research at NIST

Ongoing
Network Disaggregation An Open RAN gNB is a decentralized gNB and consists of three parts, each with its own hardware/software: Radio Unit (RU); Distributed Unit (DU); Control Unit (CU). Each unit in Open-RAN takes over a section of gNB tasks. The RU has the responsibility of transmitting and
OTWTFT

Optical Two-way Time-frequency Transfer

Ongoing
Researchers in the Fiber Sources and Applications Group have been developing the technique of “Optical Two-Way Time-Frequency Transfer” (OTWTFT) which can link time between distant clocks to the femtosecond level over free-space links. Optical clock networks could enable tests of fundamental physics

Thermal Noise Metrology

Ongoing
Customer Needs Noise is a crucial consideration in designing or assessing the performance of virtually any electronic device or system that involves detection or processing of a signal. This includes communications systems, such as cellular phones and home entertainment systems, as well as systems

Trusted Spectrum Testing

Ongoing
COEXISTENCE METRICS The Trusted Spectrum Testing program focuses on coexistence metrics and testing methods for wireless systems in shared-spectrum environments. With the goal of understanding a system's response and impact on a local radio frequency environment, our RF Technology Division measures

Wireless Coexistence

Ongoing
What is Wireless Coexistence? Wireless coexistence is the capability of multiple wireless devices and services in the same geographical area to access the same RF spectrum band simultaneously without causing harmful interference to each other. In other words, can they all operate successfully and