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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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EEEL develops all-fiber photon pair Source with Record Low Noise and High Brightness

October 1, 2009

Researchers in the Optoelectronics Division of EEEL have demonstrated an all-fiber photon-pair source with the highest coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR)

Image showing use of the NIST "on-demand" single-molecule drop dispenser

New Nanochemistry Technique Encases Single Molecules in Microdroplets

September 22, 2009

Inventing a useful new tool for creating chemical reactions between single molecules, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

illustration of nitrogen vacancy within a diamond crystal

Diamonds May Be the Ultimate MRI Probe, Say Quantum Physicists

September 22, 2009

Diamonds, it has long been said, are a girl's best friend. But a research team including a physicist from the National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST Updates Popular Guide to Radio-Controlled Clocks

September 22, 2009

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its popular guide to radio-controlled clocks. Many millions of radio-controlled clocks

NIST Calculations May Improve Temperature Measures for Microfluidics

September 8, 2009

If you wanted to know if your child had a fever or be certain that the roast in the oven was thoroughly cooked, you would, of course, use a thermometer that you

Illustration showing how much smaller sodium-like tungsten ions are compared to sodium atoms.

High in Sodium: Highly Charged Tungsten Ions May Diagnose Fusion Energy Reactors

September 8, 2009

Just as health-food manufacturers work on developing the best possible sodium substitutes for low-salt diets, physicists at the National Institute of Standards

EEEL and USC Collaboration Applies Artificial Neural Networks to Optical Performance Monitoring

September 1, 2009

High-performance optical networks are susceptible to degrading effects that can change over time. Knowledge of the degradation can be used to diagnose the

Hankering for Molecular Electronics? Grab the New NIST Sandwich

August 25, 2009

The sandwich recipe recently concocted by scientists working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may prove tasty for computer chip

black background with a bluish-purple circle of light in the middle

Ytterbium Gains Ground in Quest for Next-Generation Atomic Clocks

August 11, 2009

An experimental atomic clock based on ytterbium atoms is about four times more accurate than it was several years ago, giving it a precision comparable to that

NIST Demonstrates Sustained Quantum Computation Processing

August 11, 2009

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated sustained, reliable information processing operations on electrically

Novel Temperature Calibration Improves NIST Microhotplate Technology

August 11, 2009

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new calibration technique that will improve the reliability and

NIST Demonstrates Sustained Quantum Processing in Step Toward Building Quantum Computers

August 6, 2009

BOULDER, Colo.—Raising prospects for building a practical quantum computer, physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have

NIST Physicist Cited as 'Federal Player of the Week'

July 28, 2009

NIST physicist Ian Spielman has been profiled at washingtonpost.com as " This Week's Federal Player", a regular feature created by the Washington Post Web site

Physicists Find Way to Control Individual Bits in Quantum Computers

July 14, 2009

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have overcome a hurdle in quantum computer development, having devised a viable way to

EEEL and ITL Researchers Develop New Uncertainty Analysis for Pulse Parameters

July 1, 2009

Oscilloscopes are routinely used to measure the properties of a wide variety of pulsed waveforms, including digital data streams in computers and in electrical

The NIST "stylus trap" can hold a single ion (electrically charged atom) above any of the three sets of concentric cylinders on the centerline.

NIST Develops Novel Ion Trap for Sensing Force and Light

June 30, 2009

Miniature devices for trapping ions (electrically charged atoms) are common components in atomic clocks and quantum computing research. Now, a novel ion trap

Nanosoccer Robots Ready to Compete in Upcoming RoboCup Games

June 16, 2009

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be serving up "soccer under glass" - the glass of a microscope lens - when nanosoccer makes its

The gold posts in this colorized micrograph, averaging 450 nanometers in diameter, are used to anchor individual biomolecules such as DNA for studies of their mechanical properties.

Nonstick and Laser-safe Gold Aids Laser Trapping of Biomolecules

June 16, 2009

Biophysicists long for an ideal material—something more structured and less sticky than a standard glass surface—to anchor and position individual biomolecules

Electron microscope image of two superconducting thin films that meet at a 6 degree tilt boundary

NIST Discovers How Strain at Grain Boundaries Suppresses High-Temperature Superconductivity

June 16, 2009

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have discovered that a reduction in mechanical strain at the boundaries of crystal

Shape Matters in the Case of Cobalt Nanoparticles

June 16, 2009

Shape is turning out to be a particularly important feature of some commercially important nanoparticles - but in subtle ways. New studies* by scientists at the

New NanoFab Tools Coming Soon!

June 11, 2009

We will be vastly expanding our capabilities in 2009 by the addition of the following tools purchased in Fiscal Year 2007. We will announce anticipated delivery

NIST Physicists Demonstrate Quantum Entanglement in Mechanical System

June 3, 2009

BOULDER, Colo.—Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated entanglement—a phenomenon peculiar to the atomic-scale

Ten Undergraduate Researcher Fellows Gain Hands-On Nanotech Experience

June 2, 2009

As part of the CNST's mission to develop the next generation of nanotechnologists, the following NIST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows will spend June and

Memory with a Twist: NIST Develops a Flexible Memristor

June 2, 2009

Electronic memory chips may soon gain the ability to bend and twist as a result of work by engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST

NIST's LIDAR May Offer Peerless Precision in Remote Measurements

June 2, 2009

By combining the best of two different distance measurement approaches with a super-accurate technology called an optical frequency comb, researchers at the

Advanced communications
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Materials
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Mathematics and statistics
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Metrology
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Nanotechnology
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