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Physical Measurement Laboratory

Quantum Measurement Division

News and Updates

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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

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 photon is absorbed, creating an electron–hole pair (carrier pair).

Light Fantastic: Counting Single Photons at Unprecedented Rates

April 12, 2021

In high-end 21 st century communications, information travels in the form of a stream of light pulses typically traveling through fiber optic cables. Each pulse

Bringing Atoms to a Standstill: NIST Miniaturizes Laser Cooling

January 21, 2021

It’s cool to be small. Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have miniaturized the optical components required to cool atoms

Error-Prone Quantum Bits Could Correct Themselves, NIST Physicists Show

December 8, 2020

One of the chief obstacles facing quantum computer designers — correcting the errors that creep into a processor’s calculations — could be overcome with a new

A Billion Tiny Pendulums Could Detect the Universe’s Missing Mass

October 13, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their colleagues have proposed a novel method for finding dark matter, the cosmos’s

Quantum Matchmaking: New NIST System Detects Ultra-Faint Communications Signals Using the Principles of Quantum Physics

September 23, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised and demonstrated a system that could dramatically increase the performance

To Tune Up Your Quantum Computer, Better Call an AI Mechanic

March 31, 2020

A high-end race car engine needs all its components tuned and working together precisely to deliver top-quality performance. The same can be said about the

Opposite sides of a quartz crystal resonator

Universe in the Balance

February 12, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found a way to link measurements made by a device integral to microchip

A New Playbook for Interference

December 17, 2019

Particles can sometimes act like waves, and photons (particles of light) are no exception. Just as waves create an interference pattern, like ripples on a pond

A woman and a man stand in front of scientific equipment, including a large green tank.

Spotlight: Gillian Nave and Jacob Ward

November 18, 2019

STEM is STELLAR! In November 2019, NIST’s Gillian Nave and Jacob Ward brought celebrations of Mercury’s transit (the point where Mercury passes between the

A twist and a spin: harnessing two quantum properties transforms a neutron beam into a powerful probe of material structure

October 29, 2019

By cleverly manipulating two properties of a neutron beam, NIST scientists and their collaborators have created a powerful probe of materials that have complex

JQI Researchers Shed New Light on Atomic ‘Wave Function’

May 16, 2019

Physicists have demonstrated a new way to obtain the essential details that describe an isolated quantum system, such as a gas of atoms, through direct

EBIT’s Improved X-ray Vision Promises Astronomical Insights

April 25, 2019

Look at an astronomical marvel like the Cat’s Eye Nebula at right, with an average gas temperature about twice as hot as the surface of the Sun. It seems

a CT scanner with technician and patient

New X-ray Measurement Approach Could Improve CT Scanners

March 1, 2019

A new measurement approach proposed by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) could lead to a better way to calibrate computed

White Cat Hair on Black Pants: International Study Measures Stability of Precision Masses to Benefit Trade

November 26, 2018

When are two nominally identical kilogram masses no longer identical? When each goes to a different place and adsorbs varying amounts of moisture and

Exactly how loud is that jackhammer?

August 17, 2018

When a jackhammer starts pounding outside your window at 7 o’clock on a Monday morning, you might find it annoying. For the worker who is running that

Man standing working on a silicon carbide device

NIST Electronics Engineer Named Service to America Medal Finalist

May 7, 2018

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researcher Allen R. Hefner, Jr., has been named a finalist for the 2018 Samuel J. Heyman Service to

Desktop Cosmology: A Model of the Expanding Universe

April 23, 2018

When the universe was very young – about a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang – it underwent a sudden explosive expansion

Comparison of Future Realizations of the Kilogram - Final Report

March 15, 2018

The Pilot Study — read 2016 article details — was completed in late 2016 and the Final Report was published on the BIPM website in June of 2017. The main

NIST Sharpens the 'Charpy' Test to Make a More Precise Impact on Industrial Materials

February 26, 2018

A decade before an iceberg shattered the hull plates of the Titanic and half a century before a plague of brittle fractures started sinking Liberty ships during

Person holding wallet card showing the values of fundamental constants being used for revising the International System of Units, the modern metric system.

Bringing the World Closer to Revised Measurement System, Scientists Update Four Key Fundamental Constants

October 23, 2017

Paving the way for transforming the world’s measurement system, an international task force has determined updated values for four fundamental constants of

Distant Exoplanets Revealed by Light from Wobbling Stars

October 16, 2017

Ask most folks what they would need to find planets orbiting distant stars, and very few will list a bottle of iodine. Yet that element plays a vital role in

Driving the Universal Quantum Bus

September 12, 2017

NIST scientists have achieved a world record in detecting the intensity of an ultra-faint source of light, equaling the capabilities of the deep-space

Close up shot of the NIST Kibble balance with two kilograms stacked on it

New Measurement Will Help Redefine International Unit of Mass

June 30, 2017

Using a state-of-the-art device for measuring mass, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made their most precise

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