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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

Displaying 301 - 325 of 1533
Overhead view of a room full of scientific equipment

Spotlight: SURF and Solar Storms

When the surface of the Sun erupts, it emits dangerous particles that can knock out GPS and communication links on our planet, but the rain of particles from a
Yoshi Ohno poses behind a table holding brightly colored foods like red peppers and bananas.

Spotlight: Yoshi Ohno and the Vision Lab

In arguably the coziest laboratory on NIST’s campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland, fellow Yoshi Ohno and his colleagues make measurements on the white light
Terrestrial Laser Scanner and GPS

Helping Laser Scanners Measure Up

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised a novel, accurate, easy-to-operate, time- and labor-saving way to provide
solar panels on green field

How Low Can You Go? Lower Than Ever Before

Silicon, the best-known semiconductor, is ubiquitous in electronic devices including cellphones, laptops and the electronics in cars. Now, researchers at the
Building exterior

Spotlight: Radiometric Dating

Dating can be complicated. Our team uses this instrument — a live-timed anticoincidence counter — to figure the decay rate of an isotope, which we can then use
Opposite sides of a quartz crystal resonator

Universe in the Balance

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found a way to link measurements made by a device integral to microchip
Black and white micrograph of tiny cubes clustered together.

Spotlight: Polymer Microparticle Molds

Forget ice cube trays … we have microscopic molds for any shape we want. Scientists at NIST can now pour a polymer liquid into a template to make exact shapes —
photon interference diagram

A New Playbook for Interference

Particles can sometimes act like waves, and photons (particles of light) are no exception. Just as waves create an interference pattern, like ripples on a pond
empty petri dish

Tracking Lab-Grown Tissue With Light

Someday, doctors would like to grow limbs and other body tissue for soldiers who have lost arms in battle, children who need a new heart or liver, and many
Gray cylinder two inches in diameter, held in gloved fingers

Spotlight: Astro-Etalon

A small role can make an astronomical impact, as is the case for a tiny NIST-built piece of a new planet-hunting project from NASA and the National Science
ER-2 taking off

Fly Me (Partway) to the Moon

Last week, scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United
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