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Physical Measurement Laboratory

Applied Physics Division

News and Updates

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AFM Systems Take a Tip from Nanowires

May 22, 2014

In response to requests from the semiconductor industry,* a team of PML researchers has demonstrated that atomic force microscope (AFM) probe tips made from its

NIST Chips Help BICEP2 Telescope Find Direct Evidence of Origin of the Universe

March 18, 2014

The view back in time—way back to the origins of the universe—just got clearer. Much clearer. A team of U.S. cosmologists using the BICEP2 telescope at the

Magnetic Attraction: Physicists Pay Homage to the SQUID at 50

March 11, 2014

From humble beginnings in a series of accidental discoveries, SQUIDs have invaded and enhanced many areas of science and medicine, thanks, in part, to the

prototype receiver for laser communications

Clever NIST/JPL Technology Decodes More Information from Single Photons

February 11, 2014

It's not quite Star Trek communications—yet. But long-distance communications in space may be easier now that researchers at the National Institute of Standards

simulation of laser flashes on windshield

Helping the Judicial System Understand Laser Strikes on Aircraft

January 14, 2014

Joshua Hadler and colleagues in PML's Quantum Electronics and Photonics Division have devised a simple, accurate measurement system that can help law

Probing the Inner Secrets of Nanowires

December 11, 2013

Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are vanishingly small: NWs from a recent batch made by scientists in PML's Quantum Electronics and Photonics Division measure

NIST Calibration Tools to Encourage Use of Novel Medical Imaging Technique

December 3, 2013

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed prototype calibration tools for an experimental medical imaging technique that offers

NIST Carbon Nanotube Chips Go Ballooning for Climate Science

October 22, 2013

A huge plastic balloon floated high in the skies over New Mexico on Sept. 29, 2013, carrying instruments to collect climate-related test data with the help of

Force to be Reckoned With: NIST Measures Laser Power with Portable Scale

October 22, 2013

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a novel method for measuring laser power by reflecting the light off

NIST Unveils Prototype Video Imaging System for Remote Detection of Hidden Threats

September 30, 2013

By adapting superconducting technology used in advanced telescope cameras, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built a

The Persistence of Memory: Looking into MRAM

August 5, 2013

Many in the electronics industry want to change how memories are made. So PML scientists are exploring the physics and developing the metrology required to do

MRI Phantoms: Moving to the Next Stage

June 21, 2013

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an indispensable tool for diagnosing, treating, and understanding a host of medical conditions, and the technology

Closing the Last Bell-test Loophole for Photons

June 3, 2013

An international team of researchers has reached a milestone in experimental confirmation of a key tenet of quantum mechanics, using ultra-sensitive photon

NIST Demonstrates Transfer of Ultraprecise Time Signals over a Wireless Optical Channel

April 30, 2013

By bouncing eye-safe laser pulses off a mirror on a hillside, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have transferred

Super-Nanotubes: 'Remarkable' Spray-on Coating Combines Carbon Nanotubes with Ceramic

April 17, 2013

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Kansas State University have demonstrated a spray-on mixture of carbon nanotubes

NIST Boulder researcher Johannes (Hannes) Hubmayr

NIST Goes to the End of the Earth for Measurement Science

April 3, 2013

NIST Boulder researcher Johannes (Hannes) Hubmayr recently spent several weeks at the South Pole Telescope, where he optimized the performance of a NIST camera

NIST Tests Underscore Potential Hazards of Green Laser Pointers

March 20, 2013

Using a low-cost apparatus designed to quickly and accurately measure the properties of handheld laser devices, National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST Quantum Refrigerator Offers Extreme Cooling and Convenience

March 5, 2013

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a solid-state refrigerator that uses quantum physics in micro- and

MRI: Contrast Agents of Change

March 5, 2013

Thanks to burgeoning progress in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it may soon be possible to track and study, in vivo and in real time, heretofore invisible

High Efficiency in the Fastest Single-Photon Detector System

February 19, 2013

A single photon may not seem like much of a catch. But detecting photons one-by-one with near-perfect reliability is formidably difficult. It is also an

The circular patch of carbon nanotubes on a pink silicon backing is one component of NIST's new cryogenic radiometer, shown with a quarter for scale.

NIST's 'Nanotubes on a Chip' May Simplify Optical Power Measurements

January 24, 2013

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has demonstrated a novel chip-scale instrument made of carbon nanotubes that may simplify absolute

1000 Calibration Reports . . . And Counting

November 21, 2012

The U.S. Internet – and indeed any communication system that sends information by fiber-optic cable – depends critically on strong, clear signals propagating

Coming Soon: Tabletop Molecular Movies

November 5, 2012

One of the most urgently sought-after goals in modern science is the ability to observe the detailed dynamics of chemical reactions as they happen – that is, on

Near-Field Scanning Microwave Microscope: Big at the Nanoscale

September 28, 2012

NIST's ability to determine the composition and physics of nanoscale materials and devices is about to improve dramatically with the arrival of a new near-field

Simulating the Sun for Photovoltaic Research

August 29, 2012

PML researchers have devised a novel source of portable sunlight that may fill an urgent need in renewable energy research – namely, light sources that generate

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