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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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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...

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...

Influential Interfaces Lead to Advances in Organic Spintronics

June 30, 2015

Spintronics is an emerging field of electronics in which devices work by manipulating the quantum mechanical spin 1 of electrons, in addition to their...

Today, Pause for a Second

June 30, 2015

For the great majority of human history, the earth's rotation—the apparent motion of the sun and stars across the sky—kept time far more precisely than any...

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...

NIST Group Maps Distribution of Carbon Nanotubes in Composite Materials

June 29, 2015

Despite their small size and simple structure, carbon nanotubes—essentially sheets of graphene rolled up into straws—have all sorts of potentially useful...

NIST's Michal Chojnacky with Gates Foundation representative

Gates Foundation Rep Visits PML Vaccine Transport Lab

June 26, 2015

This month, a representative from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation visited the vaccine thermometry laboratory of Michal Chojnacky, of NIST PML's...

NIST-led Effort Yields New International Standard for Dynamic Liquid Measuring Systems

June 26, 2015

When measuring large volumes of relatively expensive liquids such as gasoline, beer, and milk, even small inaccuracies can mean large losses for companies and...

40th Time and Frequency Seminar Serves Industry, Government, Academe

June 23, 2015

About 40 participants from industry, US government agencies and academia participated in the 40th Annual Time and Frequency Metrology Seminar at NIST Boulder...

Vacuum Fluctuations: Measuring the Unreal

June 23, 2015

In this universe, anything that can vibrate will vibrate, and no oscillator is ever truly at rest. Even when an object such as an atom or subatomic particle is...

Reading the Secrets of Ancient Light

June 19, 2015

Much of what we know about the origin and early history of the universe comes from a phenomenon discovered by accident 50 years ago: The cosmic microwave...

Tunneling electrons from a scanning tunneling microscope tip excite phonons in a graphene lattice.

Hooked on Phonons: NIST-led Research Group Measures Graphene Vibrations

June 16, 2015

An international research group led by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology has...

The League of SI Superheroes is Running Out of Time!

May 29, 2015

The League of SI Superheroes is back! Working from their not-terribly-secret HQ at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the cartoon heroes...

Hot Off the Lathe: Dimensional Measurements of First Parts of VLOC Pressure Standard

May 28, 2015

Last fall, PML researchers built and tested the first-ever photonic pressure sensor, which makes its measurements using light. This sensor, called the Fixed...

Coming Soon: A Calibration Facility for Micro-Flows

May 27, 2015

Many medical treatments both new and old involve extremely small doses of powerful drugs in liquid form – from scorpion venom for cancer research to opioid...

New Chip Defect-finding Scheme Attracts Industry Leaders

May 27, 2015

Until recently, the semiconductor industry had a go-to method for quantifying atomic-scale defects in the billions of transistors contained in a single computer...

Under Construction: Traceable Dynamic Pressure Standard

May 19, 2015

In recent years, the physical damage done by pressure waves – such as traumatic brain injuries from explosives sustained by military personnel in the Middle...

What is Quantum Physics? Dancers Explain

May 15, 2015

Quantum physics drives much of the research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Explaining this research is a challenge, because...

NIST-led Research Group Creates First Whispering Gallery for Graphene Electrons

May 8, 2015

GAITHERSBURG, MD--An international research group led by scientists at the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has...

Two NIST Experts Named Service to America Medal Finalists

May 6, 2015

Two National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers have been named finalists for 2015 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, which...

Photonic Thermometers: Out of the Lab, Into a Bucket of Water

April 28, 2015

A new class of tiny chip-based thermometers being developed by PML's Sensor Science Division has the potential to revolutionize the way temperature is gauged...

Why Firefighters Get Steam Burns: Exploratory Study Underway

April 27, 2015

A mystery has raged for decades surrounding accounts of firefighters who receive steam burns through their protective clothing. One ruling theory is that the...

Detecting Effects of 3D Shapes in Nanoscale Chip Features

April 27, 2015

As microchip feature dimensions approach atomic scale, it becomes formidably difficult to measure their size and shape. According to the International...

Nanoelectronics Conference Focuses on Future of Semiconductor Manufacturing

April 22, 2015

The characterization technology needed for nanoelectronic materials and device research, development, and manufacturing was discussed by experts from industry...

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