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Physical Measurement Laboratory

Sensor Science Division

News and Updates

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Photonic Thermometers: Out of the Lab, Into a Bucket of Water

April 28, 2015

A new class of tiny chip-based thermometers being developed by PML's Sensor Science Division has the potential to revolutionize the way temperature is gauged...

Why Firefighters Get Steam Burns: Exploratory Study Underway

April 27, 2015

A mystery has raged for decades surrounding accounts of firefighters who receive steam burns through their protective clothing. One ruling theory is that the...

'Standing Room Only' for PML's Hands-On Dimensional Metrology Workshop

April 22, 2015

Earlier this month, PML's Dimensional Metrology Group hosted a three-day hands-on training event for 13 industry and government attendees. The class was given...

A fired cartridge case and a fired bullet.

PML Helps Lead Standardization for Firearm and Toolmark Examinations

March 24, 2015

Xiaoyu Alan Zheng and Ted Vorburger of PML's Semiconductor and Dimensional Metrology Division were appointed to the Organization of Scientific Area Committees'...

PML to Help Automated Precision Incorporated Improve Laser Tracker Measurement Testing

February 25, 2015

Laser trackers are state-of-the-art measuring machines that are capable of measuring the dimensions of large objects (up to approximately 120 meters in length)...

integrating sphere for light measurements

Following a New MAP for Solid-State Lighting

February 19, 2015

LED lights are notably cool. But as an industry sector, solid-state lighting (SSL) keeps heating up, with demand growing rapidly in residential, commercial, and...

Weighing Gas with Sound and Microwaves

January 23, 2015

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a novel method to rapidly and accurately calibrate gas flow meters, such...

New Portable Vacuum Standard

January 23, 2015

A novel Portable Vacuum Standard (PVS) has been added to the roster of NIST's Standard Reference Instruments (SRI). It is now available for purchase as part of...

Lighting the Path to Smaller, Tougher Thermometers

December 15, 2014

Two new prototypes for tiny chip-based thermometers are illuminating light's potential to revolutionize the way temperature is gauged. With further development...

Thin, Strong Bond for Vacuum Seal

December 2, 2014

An ultra-stable, ultra-thin bonding technology has been adapted by researchers in PML's Semiconductor and Dimensional Metrology Division for use as a super...

Taking the Wraps off NISTAR

December 2, 2014

The NIST Advanced Radiometer (NISTAR), mothballed for more than a decade, is slated to make its space debut very soon about 1.5 million kilometers sunward of...

Computing with Single Atoms

November 26, 2014

As features on silicon microchips continue to shrink, the final frontier of miniaturization is a transistor on the scale of a single atom – a technology that...

Gauging the Hue of the Sea

November 24, 2014

The world's oceans face multiple threats, and fisheries, marine biologists, and environmental scientists need accurate and timely data about changing conditions...

Earth Science: Seeing the Surface Clearly

November 24, 2014

Satellite observation has revolutionized our understanding of terrestrial conditions and climate dynamics. But the measurement science is extremely demanding...

Protecting Vacuum Gauges: Patent Pending

November 21, 2014

PML researchers have applied for a provisional patent on a device to protect expensive "spinning-rotor" high-vacuum gauges – used as transfer standards and...

World's First Photonic Pressure Sensor Outshines Traditional Mercury Standard

October 29, 2014

For almost 400 years, mercury gauges have prevailed as the most accurate way to measure pressure. Now, within weeks of seeing "first light," a novel pressure...

Building Better Body Armor: PML Provides Standards for US Army

October 28, 2014

NIST's Dimensional Metrology Group (DMG) in PML's Semiconductor and Dimensional Metrology Division is in the final stages of completing a three-phase task for...

EUV Calibrations for Satellite Sensors

August 25, 2014

Thanks to precision calibration measurements recently performed at NIST, satellites may soon be looking at sunlight with new and improved vision. On July 22...

Scale-Model Smokestack To Study GHG Emissions Monitoring

August 15, 2014

Construction is nearly complete on one of the world's more unusual precision measurement facilities: A 50 meter horizontal smokestack located on NIST's...

Fill 'er Up: NIST Develops Prototype Meter Test for Hydrogen Refueling Stations

July 21, 2014

To support the fair sale of gaseous hydrogen as a vehicle fuel, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a...

NIST researchers are gathering skin reflectance data to establish the variation found in human tissue in order to develop reference standards for hyperspectral imaging applications.

Seeing Your True Colors: Standards for Hyperspectral Imaging

July 1, 2014

Today, doctors who really want to see if a wound is healing have to do a biopsy or some other invasive technique that, besides injuring an already injured...

PML's Ohno receives first "SSL Visionary Award"

April 29, 2014

Yoshi Ohno, a group leader in PML's Sensor Science Division, was recently honored by the Department of Energy as the first recipient of the SSL Visionary Award...

PML Measurements Drive Development of New Length Artifact

January 17, 2014

Laser trackers are state-of-the-art measuring machines that are capable of measuring the dimensions of large objects (up to approximately 120 meters in length)...

PML Study Supports Validity of Toolmark Identification in Forensics

December 13, 2013

Toolmark identification is an important forensic discipline where scrape and impression marks found at a crime scene are used to identify the type, brand, or...

Image output from a 3D laser scanning measurement system.

Collaboration with Industry Leads to Improved Forensics Work and Industry Growth

August 20, 2013

Three-dimensional (3D) scanners used at crime scenes for forensic investigations are not just the stuff of prime time television. Investigators and crime...

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