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Physical Measurement Laboratory

Sensor Science Division

News and Updates

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NIST Advances Single Photon Management for Quantum Computers

January 19, 2011

The quantum computers of tomorrow might use photons, or particles of light, to move around the data they need to make calculations, but photons are tricky to...

Real-World Graphene Devices May Have a Bumpy Ride

January 19, 2011

Electronics researchers love graphene. A two-dimensional sheet of carbon one atom thick, graphene is like a superhighway for electrons, which rocket through the...

NIST Telescope Calibration May Help Explain Mystery of Universe's Expansion

January 5, 2011

Is the expansion of the universe accelerating for some unknown reason? This is one of the mysteries plaguing astrophysics, and somewhere in distant galaxies are...

NIST 'Vision Science Facility' Aims for Lighting Revolution

September 28, 2010

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, have become popular with backpackers and cyclists who mount them on headbands for a reliable, hands-free source of illumination...

These electron microscope images show perfect-edged nanocubes produced in a one-step process created at NIST that allows careful control of the cubes’ size, shape and composition.

The Perfect Nanocube: Precise Control of Size, Shape, and Composition

August 31, 2010

With growing interest in using nanoparticles for everything from antibacterial socks to medical imaging to electronic devices, the need to understand the...

two researchers in front of CT scanner with box of polymer ellipsoids

To Improve Lung Cancer Diagnosis, Good Medicine Is a Polymer Pill

April 27, 2010

Doctors may soon be able to diagnose lung cancer more effectively thanks to research performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)...

NIST, NASA Launch Joint Effort to Develop New Climate Satellites

March 2, 2010

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have launched a joint effort to gather...

Proper Vaccine Refrigeration Vital to Putting Disease on Ice

January 26, 2010

Every year, billions of dollars worth of vaccines are shipped to thousands of medical providers across the country, and every year doctors must dispose of tens...

Small Nanoparticles Bring Big Improvement to Medical Imaging

November 17, 2009

If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important--especially if you are watching changes that take a long time...

Scientists Create NICE Solution to Pneumonia Vaccine Testing Problems

October 20, 2009

Medical clinics the world over could benefit from new software created at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where a team of scientists...

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...

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...

Terahertz Waves Are Effective Probes for IC Heat Barriers

May 5, 2009

By modifying a commonly used commercial infrared spectrometer to allow operation at long-wave terahertz frequencies, researchers at the National Institute of...

Scientists Give a Hand(edness) to the Search for Alien Life

April 21, 2009

Visiting aliens may be the stuff of legend, but if a scientific team working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is right, we may be...

Making a Point: Picoscale Stability in a Room-Temperature AFM

March 24, 2009

Forget dancing angels, a research team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado (CU) has shown how to...

New Tool Gives Researchers a Glimpse of Biomolecules in Motion

January 13, 2009

The ability of biomolecules to flex and bend is important for the performance of many functions within living cells. However, researchers interested in how...

Bright Idea Illuminates LED Standards

November 25, 2008

The lack of common measurement methods among light-emitting diode (LED) and lighting manufacturers has affected the commercialization of solid-state lighting...

Gold Nanostars Outshine the Competition

October 14, 2008

Novel nanoparticles being tested at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have researchers seeing stars. In a recent paper, NIST scientists...

NIST Assists in Solar Stake-Out to Improve Space Weather Forecasts

July 9, 2008

The sun is about to undergo unremitting scrutiny. About six times each minute of every hour for at least five years, a soon-to-be launched NASA satellite will...

Standards Set for Energy-Conserving LED Lighting

June 24, 2008

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with national standards organizations, have taken the lead in developing...

Exposing the Sensitivity of Extreme Ultraviolet Photoresists

June 24, 2008

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have confirmed that the photoresists used in next-generation semiconductor...

Image of the creation of nanodrop 'test tubes'

'Nanodrop' Test Tubes Created with a Flip of a Switch

April 15, 2008

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a new device that creates nanodroplet "test tubes" for studying...

This schematic illustrates the operation of a prototype Lyman alpha neutron detector (LAND).

New NIST Detector Can 'See' Single Neutrons Over Broad Range

March 18, 2008

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland have developed a new optical method that can detect...

Loopy Photons Clarify 'Spookiness' of Quantum Physics

March 18, 2008

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Joint Quantum Institute (NIST/University of Maryland) have developed a new...

'Micro-boxes' of Water Used to Study Single Molecules

July 20, 2006

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated the use of water droplets as minuscule "boxes" for small numbers of...

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