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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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How NIST Detected Spooky Actions at a Distance

November 10, 2015

This graphic describes how researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) used pairs of light particles to perform a "Bell test,"

It's a Beauty: JILA's Quantum Crystal is Now More Valuable

November 5, 2015

Physicists at JILA have made their "quantum crystal" of ultracold molecules more valuable than ever by packing about five times more molecules into it. The

New Ballistics Control Chart for Forensic Imaging

October 28, 2015

You've probably seen it on TV: To determine whether a single weapon was used in multiple crimes, forensics labs run images of a spent bullet through a database

Measuring Optical Power with Single-Photon Detectors

October 27, 2015

Precise measurements of optical power enable activities from fiber-optic communications to laser manufacturing and biomedical imaging — anything requiring a

Fundamental Constants: The Latest . . . and the Last?

October 26, 2015

In a world of incessant change, some things have to stay the same. One is the set of values for the fundamental physical constants – such as the speed of light

Top-of-the-Atmosphere Sunlight — As Seen from Earth

October 22, 2015

It may seem hard to believe, but we still don't know nearly enough about sunlight. Although people have been splitting the sun's rays into a spectrum and

A New, World-Class Facility for Infrared Calibrations

October 21, 2015

NIST is about to open the world's most accurate facility for calibrating infrared (IR) detectors. It is made possible by the establishment of an extremely

NIST Calibrates Quartz Crystals for Fusion Device

September 29, 2015

Last spring, PML's x-ray calibration facilities were used in a pinch – a Z pinch, that is. The Sandia National Laboratories' Z Pulsed Power Facility, or "Z

Quantum Simulation: Physics at the Edge

September 25, 2015

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have achieved a major milestone in simulating the dynamics of condensed-matter systems –

NIST Puts the Twist on Neutrons — Because It Takes One to Know One

September 23, 2015

A team of scientists working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has found a way to put a twist on a beam of neutrons—a development

NIST Team Breaks Distance Record for Quantum Teleportation

September 22, 2015

BOULDER, Colo.—Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have "teleported" or transferred quantum information carried in light

GaN Nanowires: Knowing Which End Is Up

September 21, 2015

Many people who have heard of gallium nitride (GaN) know it as the semiconductor used in bright light-emitting diodes for flashlights and energy-efficient light

Hydrogen Storage Formulation Patented

September 21, 2015

The prospect of a "hydrogen economy" – in which vehicles powered by fuel cells would travel the nation's roadways emitting nothing from their tailpipes but

SPS Interns Get the NIST Experience

September 17, 2015

It's not every day that undergraduate students contribute in a meaningful way to research at a national lab in the span of a few weeks. But that's what happened

NIST Physicists Show 'Molecules' Made of Light May Be Possible

September 8, 2015

It's not lightsaber time, not yet. But a team including theoretical physicists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has taken another

Four images showing circular grating for extracting single photons from a quantum dot

NIST Method for Spotting Quantum Dots Could Help Make High-Performance Nanophotonic Devices

August 10, 2015

Life may be as unpredictable as a box of chocolates, but ideally, you always know what you're going to get from a quantum dot. A quantum dot should produce one

New Shellfish Reference Material Will Help Monitor Oceans' Radioactive Contamination

August 4, 2015

A new reference material that will help laboratories accurately measure radioactive contamination in seawater is now available from the National Institute of

Not Schrödinger's Cat: NIST PET Phantoms Bring New Accuracy to Medical Scans

July 28, 2015

Teaming with a medical equipment company, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated the first calibration

Gaily Tread the [Quantum] Measure

July 28, 2015

Since quantum theory has been known to borrow from the arts—Murray Gell-Mann famously named "quarks" after a line from James Joyce—it's only fitting that

CNST Releases the Spring/Summer 2015 Edition of the CNST News

July 28, 2015

The NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) is pleased to announce the release of the

Hand holding a flexible organic material

NIST Shows Organic Solar Industry Something New Under the Sun

July 16, 2015

Hunting for the best material from which to build organic solar cells can be like seeking the proverbial haystack needle, but now scientists at the National

The Incredible Shrinking ESR Machine

July 14, 2015

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have come up with a way to shrink a research instrument generally associated with large

Four PML Scientists Honored

July 1, 2015

In recent days, four scientists in the Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have been recognized

JILA instrument for accurately tracking microscopic objects such as DNA molecules

Ultra-stable JILA Microscopy Technique Tracks Tiny Objects for Hours

June 30, 2015

JILA researchers have designed a microscope instrument so stable that it can accurately measure the 3D movement of individual molecules over many hours—hundreds

Raising restored deadweight component from truck

Progress Report with Photos: Restoration of NIST's Million-Pound Deadweight Machine

June 30, 2015

Restoration is well underway for NIST's 4.45-million newton (equivalent to one million pounds-force) deadweight machine, the largest in the world. The three

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