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Physical Measurement Laboratory

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Electron Orbits in Multilayer Graphene Have Unexpected Structure

November 17, 2010

The world-leading graphene research team from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the CNST has taken yet another step toward elucidating the unique and...

AFM Positioning: Shining Light on a Needle in a Haystack

November 9, 2010

The researchers characterize their new technique as a neat solution to the "needle in a haystack" problem of nanoscale microscopy, but it's more like the...

'Sí' on the New SI: NIST Backs Proposal for a Revamped System of Measurement Units

October 26, 2010

Taking the first steps of what would be a major historical advance in the science of measurement, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is...

Integrated circuit for NIST's new programmable AC/DC 10-volt standard

NIST Ships First Programmable AC/DC 10-Volt Standard

October 26, 2010

Extending its 26-year tradition of innovative quantum voltage standards, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have begun...

NIST, Harvard Researchers Share 2010 Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics

October 26, 2010

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physical scientist Henri Lezec and Federico Capasso of Harvard have received the Julius Springer Prize for...

CNST's Joseph Stroscio Interviewed on NPR Science Friday

October 20, 2010

Two Russian scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics this week for their work on graphene, a chicken-wire-like lattice of carbon atoms. Joseph Stroscio, of the...

JILA Unveils Improved 'Molecular Fingerprinting' for Trace Gas Detection

October 13, 2010

Scientists at JILA and collaborators have demonstrated an improved laser-based "molecular fingerprinting" technique that picks out traces of key hydrogen...

Popular Science Magazine Names Spielman One of Science's 'Brilliant Ten'

October 13, 2010

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Ian Spielman is highlighted in the November, 2010, issue of Popular Science, where the magazine's editors...

NIST Mini-Sensor Traces Faint Magnetic Signature of Human Heartbeat

October 13, 2010

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the German national metrology institute have used NIST's miniature atom-based...

This Little Light of Mine: Changing the Color of Single Photons Emitted by Quantum Dots

October 13, 2010

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated* for the first time the conversion of near-infrared 1,300 nm...

Metric Week Begins 10/10/10!

September 28, 2010

Every day is a metric day at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). But that won't stop the agency from celebrating Metric Week, held...

NIST 'Vision Science Facility' Aims for Lighting Revolution

September 28, 2010

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, have become popular with backpackers and cyclists who mount them on headbands for a reliable, hands-free source of illumination...

NIST Clock Experiment Demonstrates That Your Head is Older Than Your Feet

September 28, 2010

Scientists have long known that time passes faster at higher elevations—a curious aspect of Einstein's theories of relativity that previously has been measured...

NIST to Award Up to $15 Million to UMD to Support Nanotechnology Research

September 28, 2010

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) will award a five-year cooperative agreement...

NIST Pair of Aluminum Atomic Clocks Reveal Einstein's Relativity at a Personal Scale

September 23, 2010

BOULDER, Colo. – Scientists have known for decades that time passes faster at higher elevations—a curious aspect of Einstein's theories of relativity that...

Still from video clip. The shows the development of the soliton over the course of about 2.7 nanoseconds.

New Wave: Spin Soliton Could Be a Hit in Cell Phone Communication

September 14, 2010

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found theoretical evidence of a new way to generate the high-frequency waves used...

NIST Researchers Hear Puzzling New Physics from Graphene Quartet's Quantum Harmonies

September 8, 2010

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – Using a one-of-a-kind instrument designed and built at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an international team of...

Yikes! NIST Sensor Measures Yoctonewton Forces Fast

August 31, 2010

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have used a small crystal of ions (electrically charged atoms) to detect forces at the...

NIST Researchers Create 'Quantum Cats' Made of Light

August 31, 2010

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created "quantum cats" made of photons (particles of light), boosting prospects...

Glasperlenspiel: NIST Scientists Propose New Test for Gravity

August 31, 2010

A new experiment proposed by physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may allow researchers to test the effects of gravity with...

These electron microscope images show perfect-edged nanocubes produced in a one-step process created at NIST that allows careful control of the cubes’ size, shape and composition.

The Perfect Nanocube: Precise Control of Size, Shape, and Composition

August 31, 2010

With growing interest in using nanoparticles for everything from antibacterial socks to medical imaging to electronic devices, the need to understand the...

NIST Ultraviolet Source Helps NASA Spacecraft Measure the Origins of Space Weather

August 31, 2010

With a brilliant, finely tuned spark of ultraviolet (UV) light, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) helped NASA scientists...

Colorized micrograph of the world's darkest material

Extreme Darkness: Carbon Nanotube Forest Covers NIST's Ultra-dark Detector

August 17, 2010

Harnessing darkness for practical use, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a laser power detector coated...

From Hydrogen Fuel Stations to Bean Counters, NIST Weights and Measures Works to Meet Market Needs

August 17, 2010

State regulators, meter manufacturers and hydrogen gas producers concerned with developing markets for hydrogen fuel; farmers seeking to more precisely plan...

JILA Frequency Comb System Detects Gas Impurities to Aid Semiconductor Manufacturing

August 3, 2010

Purity of ingredients is a constant concern for the semiconductor industry, because a mere trace of contaminants can damage or ruin tiny devices. In a step...

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