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Physical Measurement Laboratory

Applied Physics Division

News and Updates

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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

Out of the Shadows: New Imaging Method Reveals Concealed Objects

July 19, 2022

A new way of imaging concealed objects, devised by a researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and his colleagues, might take all

Measuring Up: The Phantom of the Library

May 4, 2022

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revolutionized medical diagnostics and research by providing a non-invasive way to investigate internal tissue structures

A woman with a ponytail sits next to a rack of electronics, adjusting wiring.

Spotlight: Using PEACOCS to Link Atomic Time Signals Across Longer Distances

April 26, 2022

Networks linking atomic clocks on satellites with those on Earth promise an exciting new frontier for science, including in the search for mysterious dark

A numbered orange plastic box on a lanyard is shown with a quarter for scale.

NIST’s Low-Cost Radio System Could Help Trace Disease Spread

January 24, 2022

In efforts to limit the spread of disease while preserving privacy, an interdisciplinary research team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

A woman wearing a mask stands over a yellow sphere at a lab bench.

NIST-Led Study Finds Variations in Quantitative MRI Scanners’ Measurements

June 30, 2021

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used in medicine to detect, diagnose and treat diseases such as cancer, while relying on experts’ interpretation of

Detecting mid-infrared light, one photon at a time

June 1, 2021

For some 30 years, scientists have used superconducting materials to record the tiniest specks of light imaginable — individual photons, or single particles of

cartoon cow and chicken using slingshots to fling pairs of entangled photons through a glass of milk and a chicken cutlet

Spotlight: Two Photons Walk Into a Chicken

May 26, 2021

In weird but potentially practical news, NIST researchers headed to the grocery store to find out. Not as a joke, but as a step toward better imaging methods

Gray ovals on blue background are linked to curved gray lines.

NIST Team Directs and Measures Quantum Drum Duet

May 6, 2021

Like conductors of a spooky symphony, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have “entangled” two small mechanical drums and

Nathan Tomlin wears protective clothes and safety goggles while reaching into a complex-looking scientific device.

Spotlight: Thermal Detectors Among the Stars to Study the Earth’s Climate

April 22, 2021

To understand climate change, scientists need the ability to constantly measure the solar radiation entering and leaving the Earth’s atmosphere. Researchers

Optical Fiber Could Boost Power of Superconducting Quantum Computers

March 24, 2021

The secret to building superconducting quantum computers with massive processing power may be an ordinary telecommunications technology — optical fiber

A white towerlike structure on a black background

Spotlight: Norman Sanford and the Mysterious Nanolith

December 30, 2020

Monolith structures made appearances all around the globe this fall and winter, and a nano-sized one just emerged at NIST’s Precision Imaging Facility in

Black and white micrograph of tiny cubes clustered together.

Spotlight: Polymer Microparticle Molds

January 26, 2020

Forget ice cube trays … we have microscopic molds for any shape we want. Scientists at NIST can now pour a polymer liquid into a template to make exact shapes —

NIST Study Suggests Universal Method for Measuring Light Power

December 20, 2019

Always on the lookout for better ways to measure all kinds of things, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have published a

A man in safety glasses stands near a rack of equipment in a darkened lab.

Counting Photons Is Now Routine Enough to Need Standards

December 20, 2019

Since the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) built its first superconducting devices for counting photons (the smallest units of light) in

Square checkerboard with 32 squares on each side surrounded by sunbeam-like lines emanating out from around the board.

NIST’s Light-Sensing Camera May Help Detect Extraterrestrial Life, Dark Matter

November 19, 2019

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made one of the highest-performance cameras ever composed of sensors that count

NIST Research Sparks New Insights on Laser Welding

April 30, 2019

On its surface, the work is deceptively simple: Shoot a high-power laser beam onto a piece of metal for a fraction of a second and see what happens. But

NIST Researchers Boost Intensity of Nanowire LEDs

March 21, 2019

Nanowire gurus at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that, thanks to a special type of

Introducing the ‘Smart Mirror’

September 17, 2018

Lasers play roles in many manufacturing processes, from welding car parts to crafting engine components with 3D printers.* To control these tasks, manufacturers

NIST Chip Lights Up Optical Neural Network Demo

July 26, 2018

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made a silicon chip that distributes optical signals precisely across a miniature

Taking The Heat: New High for NIST’s ‘Light Force’ Laser Power Meter

May 1, 2018

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have been developing a novel way of measuring laser power. Their device, called the

The Secret Lives of Roots: Watching Crops Grow Beneath the Surface with Portable MRI

May 1, 2018

Nobody really knows what plant roots are doing when they’re at home. Digging up a plant exposes the roots, but destroys the soil’s natural fabric. Information

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