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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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NIST Recommends Steps to Boost Resilience of U.S. Timekeeping

November 29, 2021

The nation should bolster research and development of systems that distribute accurate time via fiber-optic cable and radio as part of the effort to back up GPS

Measuring Up: NIST Calibrates Masses for Unique Air Force Deadweight Machines

November 18, 2021

Mechanical engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have just finished calibrating several dozen large metal masses, which will be

Energizer Atoms: JILA Researchers Find New Way to Keep Atoms Excited

November 18, 2021

JILA researchers have tricked nature by tuning a dense quantum gas of atoms to make a congested “Fermi sea,” thus keeping atoms in a high-energy state, or

Impeding the Impedance: Research Reveals How to Design a Better Next-Generation Lithium-Ion Battery

November 16, 2021

The newest generation of lithium-ion batteries now under development promises a revolution in powering cell phones, electric vehicles, laptops and myriad other

NIST, Collaborators Develop Sensitive New Way of Detecting Transistor Defects

October 7, 2021

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and collaborators have devised and tested a new, highly sensitive method of detecting

A person wearing safety goggles works at a table of scientific equipment.

JILA’s Comb Breathalyzer Is Now a Thousandfold More Sensitive to Disease Biomarkers

October 4, 2021

JILA scientists have boosted the sensitivity of their decade-old frequency comb breathalyzer a thousandfold and can detect additional biomarkers of disease —

A woman wearing a face covering leans over a piece of scientific equipment, holding tweezers.

Spotlight: Inspiration Leading Nandita Abhyankar to NIST and Beyond

September 24, 2021

A passion undeterred — guest researcher (and former postdoc) Nandita Abhyankar took a detour between her graduate studies and current scientific endeavors, but

A tiny chip encased in clear plastic sits on a piece of graph paper.

Spotlight: A Stability-Boosting Swap for Our Chip-Scale Clock

September 20, 2021

Stable is the chip-scale clock that uses a different laser, or so says the latest research from NIST physicists. Our scientists replaced an old infrared

A Smart Use for Doping: Implanted Atoms Create Unique Electrical IDs That Distinguish Bona Fide Devices From Forgeries

September 16, 2021

If someone sells you a luxury handbag from Paris, France, but it turns out be a forgery from Paris, Texas, the counterfeit item might cost you a thousand bucks

A New Harmony: NIST Researchers Develop a Universal Method for Calculating the Resonances of Oscillators

September 15, 2021

The natural, or resonance, frequency at which a simple harmonic oscillator vibrates reveals with exquisite sensitivity the essential properties of the physical

IEEE Brain Podcast Series: Q&A with Dr. Mark Stiles

September 10, 2021

In the September 2021 episode of the IEEE Brain Podcast Series, Mark Stiles, an active member of the IEEE Magnetics Society and a fellow at NIST, shares his

NIST/JILA Fellow Jun Ye Wins Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics

September 9, 2021

BOULDER, Colo. — Physicist Jun Ye of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been awarded the 2022

Ion trap is tiny chip held in place as part of a larger metal scientific device.

Spotlight: An (Almost) Laser-Free Way to Trap Ions for Quantum Computing

September 9, 2021

Look Ma, (almost) no lasers! NIST researchers and collaborators found a potential new way to make more powerful quantum computers based on ions (charged atoms)

Groundbreaking Technique Yields Important New Details on Silicon, Subatomic Particles and Possible ‘Fifth Force’

September 9, 2021

Using a groundbreaking new technique at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an international collaboration led by NIST researchers has

Testing 1-2: New Laser-Based Microphone Calibration Measures Up

September 2, 2021

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have conducted the first demonstration of a faster and more accurate way to calibrate

Exploring quantum gravity—for whom the pendulum swings.

August 18, 2021

When it comes to a marriage with quantum theory, gravity is the lone holdout among the four fundamental forces in nature. The three others—the electromagnetic

Two men in dark goggles stand over a table of scientific equipment.

NIST’s Quantum Crystal Could Be a New Dark Matter Sensor

August 5, 2021

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have linked together, or “entangled,” the mechanical motion and electronic properties of

Ultracold transistors serve as their own memory devices

July 29, 2021

Digital transistors – assembled by the billions in today’s computer chips – act as near-perfect electronic switches. In the “on” position, achieved when an

19th International Workshop on Low Temperature Detectors (LTD19)

July 29, 2021

The 19th International Workshop on Low Temperature Detectors (LTD19) was an opportunity for researchers from around the world to exchange information about the

Latest Values of Fundamental Constants Published

July 13, 2021

Four scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have reported the latest values for the fundamental constants of nature on June

A woman wearing a mask stands over a yellow sphere at a lab bench.

NIST-Led Study Finds Variations in Quantitative MRI Scanners’ Measurements

June 30, 2021

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used in medicine to detect, diagnose and treat diseases such as cancer, while relying on experts’ interpretation of

Human figure stands facing large wooden board. Behind that is a row of tubes sticking up from a base.

NIST Method Uses Radio Signals to Image Hidden and Speeding Objects

June 25, 2021

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Wavsens LLC have developed a method for using radio signals to create real-time

Escape From Flatland: Calibration Method Enables Microscopes to Make Accurate Measurements in All 3 Dimensions

June 24, 2021

Conventional microscopes provide essential information about samples in two dimensions — the plane of the microscope slide. But flat is not all that. In many

New Standard for Vaccine Fridges Unveiled

June 17, 2021

You know that part of your fridge that always freezes your lettuce? Or the section in your freezer door that leaves your popsicles a little mushy? Different

Detecting mid-infrared light, one photon at a time

June 1, 2021

For some 30 years, scientists have used superconducting materials to record the tiniest specks of light imaginable — individual photons, or single particles of

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