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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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Topic Area

DC-Area U.S. Government Agencies Announce the Washington Metropolitan Quantum Network Research Consortium, or DC-QNet

June 27, 2022

The group will work to advance quantum network capabilities and leadership.

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2022 Annual OWM S&T and L&R Analysis Documents

June 24, 2022

The 2022 Annual OWM S&T Analysis and Executive Summary as well as the 2022 Annual OWM L&R Analysis and Executive Summary are now available on our OWM website

On the Road to Tiny Transistors, How Flat is Flat?

June 21, 2022

Transistors are the building blocks of modern electronics, used in everything from televisions to laptops. As transistors have gotten smaller and more compact

Spotlight: Connecting the Apples and Oranges of Quantum Computing

June 16, 2022

Before we can send bits of information through networks of quantum computers at different locations, we need to resolve an issue with our building blocks for

Digital NIST Stakeholder Workshop

June 16, 2022

NIST is anticipating future trends in metrology with the Digital NIST project. This will modernize transmission methods for calibration certificates and SRM

Seeking COVID’s Kryptonite

June 10, 2022

To disinfect a surface, you can illuminate it with a blast of ultraviolet (UV) light, which is bluer than the human eye can see. But to specifically inactivate

Welcome to our New NIST Director and Honorary NCWM President

June 1, 2022

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Laurie E. Locascio as the 17th Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Under Secretary for Standards

Spotlight: The Bucket Brigade for Atomic Physics and the Electron Dipole Moment

May 19, 2022

Gone are the days of bucket brigades for firefighting — long lines of people passing buckets of water one at a time toward a blaze — but NIST/JILA researchers

Measuring Up: The Phantom of the Library

May 4, 2022

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revolutionized medical diagnostics and research by providing a non-invasive way to investigate internal tissue structures

A woman with a ponytail sits next to a rack of electronics, adjusting wiring.

Spotlight: Using PEACOCS to Link Atomic Time Signals Across Longer Distances

April 26, 2022

Networks linking atomic clocks on satellites with those on Earth promise an exciting new frontier for science, including in the search for mysterious dark

$diffraction grating$

‘Exceptional’ Research: Unexpected Light Behavior May Be Harnessed to Improve Optical Communications and Sensors

April 21, 2022

Shine a flashlight into murky pond water and the beam won’t penetrate very far. Absorption and scattering rapidly diminishes the intensity of the light beam

Inspired by Prehistoric Creatures, NIST Researchers Make Record-Setting Lenses

April 19, 2022

Five hundred million years ago, the oceans teemed with trillions of trilobites — creatures that were distant cousins of horseshoe crabs. All trilobites had a

Prototype superconducting sensor is a square chip with lines running through it.

Spotlight: Looking Beyond the Standard Model to Explore Neutron Decay

April 12, 2022

This prototype NIST sensor may help solve some mysteries of the universe by looking beyond the Standard Model. The Standard Model is a long-standing theory that

Frances Lloyd poses next to a microscope.

Spotlight: Revisiting a Powerful Pioneer for the World’s Voltage Standards

March 30, 2022

Frances Lloyd was rejoining the workforce in 1977 after taking time off to raise her child. She had an impressive background. Frances worked on aircraft

The Future is Charged: U.S. Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

March 29, 2022 - September 30, 2022

Please see the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Program on the NIST OWM website for any current updates on NIST standards, measurement services, and training

Photo of a student working in the laboratory

We're Back... OWM Welcomes Laboratory Metrology Students to Campus!

March 28, 2022

NIST Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) resumed limited in-person laboratory metrology training at the Gaithersburg campus starting on January 31, 2022. We

Graphic Image of Weights and Measurements Featured Collection

Discover NIST Education Resources!

March 27, 2022

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites learners of all ages to explore and discover a wide variety of Science, Technology

World Metrology Day Poster Graphic Image

Celebrate World Metrology Day on May 20

March 26, 2022

“World Metrology Day is an annual celebration of the signature of the Meter Convention on 20 May 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations. The Convention

Icon of clipboard with check marks and an x

OWM Launches New Metrology Training Needs Survey

March 25, 2022

The Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) is a relatively small office at NIST, but has a big footprint in the weights and measures community. With just over 20

Ultraviolet Light Can Clean N95 Masks for Reuse Without Hindering Performance, NIST Study Shows

March 25, 2022

To combat COVID-19 amid supply shortages in 2020, health care facilities across the U.S. resorted to disinfecting personal protective equipment (PPE), such as

Not Letting It Slip By: NIST Discovery Could Increase Accuracy in Measuring Blood Flow for Cancer Diagnosis, Other Applications

March 22, 2022

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have discovered a potential source of error when using acoustic waves to measure the

Painting of woman holding a mandolin has magnified section showing metal soap structures.

NIST, Collaborators Uncover New Details on the Formation of ‘Metal Soaps’ in Oil Paint Hindering the Conservation of Artworks

March 3, 2022

When you think of soaps, you may first picture the liquid foams or solid bars that wash away dirt, grime and bacteria. However, not all soaps are cleansers. In

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