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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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Topic Area

OWM Resources for the NCWM Interim and Annual Meetings

June 26, 2024

NIST OWM produces publications, technical guidance documents, and documentary standards on legal metrology, laws, regulations, measurement devices...

Digital library as a computer with electronic files

Announcing OWM’s New (Web and Excel Searchable) Technical Article Library

June 26, 2024

OWM staff have consistently published newsletter articles over the years to keep our customers and stakeholders informed on current weights and measures issues...

Update on NIST Activities for EVSE

June 26, 2024

NIST OWM is striving to assist the weights and measures community meet the new technical challenges and demands of America’s continued transition to E-mobility...

Webinar image with hands over laptop in background

Recorded Webinars for Weights and Measures Available On-Demand!

June 26, 2024

OWM Recorded Webinars and Training Videos OWM develops and delivers a series of recorded webinars and training videos covering a wide range of legal metrology...

A person in a black shirt works on a mechanical device in a lab setting.

NIST Brings Mass Measurement to the Masses

June 12, 2024

NIST has delivered a portable and highly accurate instrument for measuring mass to the U.S. Army, marking the first time in the U.S. that this technology is...

With Some Bumps, NIST Scientists Devise a Novel Way to Extend the Wavelength Range of Microcombs

June 5, 2024

Microcombs – chip-scale devices that generate and measure frequencies of light with exquisite accuracy – have transformed timekeeping and boosted optical...

A photo of the night sky with greenish lights on the right.

Spotlight: Geomagnetic Storm Creates Bright Northern Lights While Also Affecting NIST’s Cesium Clocks

May 21, 2024

Did you see the northern lights recently? NIST’s cesium fountain clocks did.

20 May 2024 is World Metrology Day

May 16, 2024

The theme for the 2024 World Metrology Day (on May 20) is "Sustainability," which raises awareness of the need for accurate measurements in the development of a...

The UK to recognize CE-marked weighing and measuring instruments

May 1, 2024

Before Brexit when the United Kingdom (UK) was still part of the European Union (EU), products placed on the UK market were required to comply with the EU...

The Big Quantum Chill: NIST Scientists Modify Common Lab Refrigerator to Cool Faster With Less Energy

April 23, 2024

By modifying a refrigerator commonly used in both research and industry, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have...

Moonlight Measurement on a Hawaiian Volcano

April 22, 2024

For several years, a team of researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been building a robotically operated moonlight...

Scientist working at scientific equipment

Spotlight: The Real-World Applications of Quantum With Julia Scherschligt

April 15, 2024

For NIST physicist Julia Scherschligt, the most exciting thing about quantum is seeing the real-world applications of this science. Julia leads a group that is...

Tiny red cylinder probes are presented in front of a much larger ice cube.

Spotlight: Shape-Shifting Probes Will Help Improve MRI Imaging

April 12, 2024

Not all gems are the precious stone kind. In the field of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a type of microscopic magnetic probes called geometrically encoded...

Illustration shows tiny columns of light in different colors standing vertically along circuits on a chip.

Spotlight: Chip-Scale Frequency Combs Can Be Integrated With Other Sensors

April 2, 2024

Frequency combs — specialized lasers that act like rulers to measure light — are now being brought down to a low-power, chip-scale form. NIST researchers David...

NIST Special Publication on WIM Systems Used in Law Enforcement Applications

April 1, 2024

Introduction According to the 2021 Fact Sheet: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, one in five miles of U.S. highways and major roads and over 45,000 bridges...

Witness Testing in Official Weights and Measures Inspections

April 1, 2024

Weights and measures inspections provide a legally required, independent validation of the accuracy of commercial weighing and measuring devices; provide a...

Fun and Games: Teach and Learn Measurement System Basics with the SI Units Card Deck

April 1, 2024

It’s easy to learn the metric system with the SI Units Card Deck (NIST SP 1297), an interactive educational activity that helps learners build their skills...

NIST Researchers Use Cellphone Compass to Measure Tiny Concentrations of Compounds Important for Human Health

April 1, 2024

Nearly every modern cellphone has a built-in compass, or magnetometer, that detects the direction of Earth’s magnetic field, providing critical information for...

Bullseye! NIST Devises a Method to Accurately Center Quantum Dots Within Photonic Chips

March 18, 2024

Devices that capture the brilliant light from millions of quantum dots, including chip-scale lasers and optical amplifiers, have made the transition from...

Researchers develop a new type of frequency comb that promises to further boost the accuracy of time keeping

March 14, 2024

Chip-based devices known as frequency combs, which measure the frequency of light waves with unparalleled precision, have revolutionized time keeping, the...

Shrinking Technology, Expanding Horizons: Compact Chips Advance Precision Timing for Communications, Navigation and Other Applications

March 6, 2024

This technology shrinks a tabletop system into a chip-sized format, reducing power usage and making it more applicable for use in everyday devices.

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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

OWM Resources for the NCWM Interim and Annual Meetings

Announcing OWM’s New (Web and Excel Searchable) Technical Article Library

Update on NIST Activities for EVSE

Recorded Webinars for Weights and Measures Available On-Demand!

NIST Brings Mass Measurement to the Masses

With Some Bumps, NIST Scientists Devise a Novel Way to Extend the Wavelength Range of Microcombs

Spotlight: Geomagnetic Storm Creates Bright Northern Lights While Also Affecting NIST’s Cesium Clocks

20 May 2024 is World Metrology Day

The UK to recognize CE-marked weighing and measuring instruments

The Big Quantum Chill: NIST Scientists Modify Common Lab Refrigerator to Cool Faster With Less Energy

Moonlight Measurement on a Hawaiian Volcano

Spotlight: The Real-World Applications of Quantum With Julia Scherschligt

Spotlight: Shape-Shifting Probes Will Help Improve MRI Imaging

Spotlight: Chip-Scale Frequency Combs Can Be Integrated With Other Sensors

NIST Special Publication on WIM Systems Used in Law Enforcement Applications

Witness Testing in Official Weights and Measures Inspections

Fun and Games: Teach and Learn Measurement System Basics with the SI Units Card Deck

NIST Researchers Use Cellphone Compass to Measure Tiny Concentrations of Compounds Important for Human Health

Bullseye! NIST Devises a Method to Accurately Center Quantum Dots Within Photonic Chips

Researchers develop a new type of frequency comb that promises to further boost the accuracy of time keeping

Shrinking Technology, Expanding Horizons: Compact Chips Advance Precision Timing for Communications, Navigation and Other Applications

NIST Physicist Sae Woo Nam, Pioneer in Single-Photon Detectors, Passes Away

NIST-Led Working Group Developing Standards for Organ-on-a-Chip Research

Scientists Observe Long-Predicted Superconductor Property Using a Quantum Simulator

Heart-on-a-Chip: A Microfluidic Marvel Shaping the Future of Cardiovascular Research

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