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Physical Measurement Laboratory

Applied Physics Division

News and Updates

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Spotlight: Shape-Shifting Probes Will Help Improve MRI Imaging

April 12, 2024

Not all gems are the precious stone kind. In the field of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a type of microscopic magnetic probes called geometrically encoded

NIST Researchers Use Cellphone Compass to Measure Tiny Concentrations of Compounds Important for Human Health

April 1, 2024

Nearly every modern cellphone has a built-in compass, or magnetometer, that detects the direction of Earth’s magnetic field, providing critical information for

NIST Physicist Sae Woo Nam, Pioneer in Single-Photon Detectors, Passes Away

March 1, 2024

During his 25-year career at NIST, Sae Woo performed groundbreaking work. He died in January at 53.

Micrograph shows six blue boxes with thin lines at the center, each connected to white rectangular shapes.

Spotlight: A New Wavelength of Scientific Exploration With Single-Photon Detectors

January 29, 2024

From the minuscule bindings of molecules to the far reaches of space, we’re exploring the universe around us by catching sight of the smallest particles of

NIST’s Ultra-small, Shape-shifting GEMS Offer an Easier and Cheaper way to improve MRI Imaging

December 20, 2023

Microscopic magnetic probes that change shape in response to their environment may greatly enhance magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, producing the

Illustrated celestial body shines on a flat box-shaped device with a protruding center.

NIST Team Develops Highest-Resolution Single-Photon Superconducting Camera

October 25, 2023

Researchers at NIST and their colleagues have built a superconducting camera containing 400,000 pixels — 400 times more than any other device of its type.

New NIST Measurements Aim to Advance and Validate Portable MRI Technology

July 17, 2023

A new wave of smaller, less expensive MRI systems promises to expand the delivery of health care and the capabilities of medicine.

white matter mimic in the bottom half of the artificial cranium

Lessons from an Experimental Brain Phantom

July 12, 2023

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and colleagues have developed a novel, anatomically accurate reference model of the

Sam Oberdick and Gary Zabow pose for a picture, standing together with lab equipment in the background.

Spotlight: The Creative Minds Working Behind the Scenes on Agents of MRI Contrast

July 7, 2023

You might not recognize these two faces from such NIST social media hits as “microprinting with candy” and “molds for microparticles,” but they were behind that

A blue-tinged drawing shows a schematic of the two qubits and resonator above a white rectangle, which represents the SQUID device that controls the connections and relationships among the qubits and resonator elements.

NIST ‘Toggle Switch’ Can Help Quantum Computers Cut Through the Noise

June 26, 2023

The novel device could lead to more versatile quantum processors with clearer outputs.

NIST Team Demonstrates Novel Way to Convert Heat to Electricity

May 19, 2023

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have fabricated a novel device that could dramatically boost the conversion of heat

Spotlight: Researcher Sae Woo Nam Speeds Up Our World With Photon Detection

May 18, 2023

He and his colleagues built a detector that’s now used all over the world.

Flat surface designed with black lines that outline a red box and extend outward into a gold exterior. A gold column full of black lines cuts across the red box. At its center, a box in a faint green is surrounded by a thin silver border.

Spotlight: Differing Device Personalities Come Together for Future Quantum Computing Networks

April 28, 2023

We’re building the tools to trap ions and watch them glow (or not). The art-deco-esque device shown here is a combined trap for ions (charged atoms) and

An SRM for the Verification of 3D Optical Medical Imaging Devices

April 4, 2023

Medical imaging devices and systems must be calibrated to ensure uniformity and reliability of test results. A Standard Reference Material (SRM) or "phantom"

〈Q|School Single Photonics Short Course: Sources, Detectors and Measurements

February 21, 2023

In cooperation with researchers and metrologists from around the world, the University of Colorado and NIST Boulder presented a short course consisting of

Man wearing safety glasses leans toward a tabletop optical laser setup.

Spotlight: Meet a Mentor for Summer Undergraduates: NIST Quantum Physicist Krister Shalm

January 23, 2023

Quantum physicist Krister Shalm has a few spots in his laboratory for motivated undergrads. Do you know any STEM-centric college students who might be

Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detector

Unveiling the Universe: In 4 New Studies, NIST Explores Novel Ways to Hunt Dark Matter

December 8, 2022

For decades, astronomers and physicists have been trying to solve one of the deepest mysteries about the cosmos: An estimated 85% of its mass is missing.

A grayscale scanning electron microscope image of a human hair with the letters N-I-S-T across it.

NIST Finds a Sweet New Way to Print Microchip Patterns on Curvy Surfaces

November 25, 2022

An accidental discovery at NIST could improve the reach of microprinting using candy. Pretty sweet!

Measuring Sunlight from Space, on a Chip

November 4, 2022

For 40 years, people have used space-based sensors to measure the amount of light coming from the Sun, which gives scientists insight into climate change on

NIST’s Superconducting Hardware Could Scale Up Brain-Inspired Computing

October 6, 2022

Scientists have long looked to the brain as an inspiration for designing computing systems.

Calibrating the Universe: Behind the Scenes, NIST Scientists Play a Critical Role in Improving Gravitational Wave Measurements

August 2, 2022

Space-time ripples, exploding stars, colliding black holes …. and the National Institute of Standards and Technology? NIST doesn’t exactly come to mind when