News and Updates

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A woman with glasses and a long ponytail is seated at a computer with four display screens. A man with glasses stands beside her and points at the uppermost display screen. In the middle of that screen is a small blue glowing dot. The lower screens display data from the experiment.

NIST Physicists Bring Unruly Molecules to the Quantum Party

December 18, 2025

Molecules can serve as versatile building blocks for quantum technologies, but they are much harder to control than atoms.

Color-enhanced photo of Mars shows the planet with patches of orange and brown.

What Time Is It on Mars? NIST Physicists Have the Answer.

December 1, 2025

This calculation is necessary for future space navigation and communication networks.

Four researchers pose standing around a large piece of scientific equipment covered with wiring and electronics.

NIST Ion Clock Sets New Record for Most Accurate Clock in the World

July 14, 2025

This new result contributes to the international effort to define the second with a much greater level of accuracy than before, enabling new scientific and...

New Atomic Fountain Clock Joins Elite Group That Keeps the World on Time

April 28, 2025

NIST scientists have published results establishing a new atomic clock, NIST-F4, as one of the world’s most accurate timekeepers.

Alejandra Collopy wears safety glasses as she works the lab. She is surrounded by various pieces of equipment and many hanging wires.

Spotlight: Alejandra Collopy and Atomic Clocks

January 13, 2025

NIST researcher Alejandra Collopy is working to add another piece of timely feedback to help our ensemble of clocks perform at their best 24/7.

3 NIST Researchers Receive Presidential Rank Awards

December 5, 2024

All three were awarded the “Distinguished Rank,” the highest category of Presidential Rank Awards.

What Time Is It on the Moon?

August 12, 2024

New lunar time proposal is a first step for Moon GPS.

With Some Bumps, NIST Scientists Devise a Novel Way to Extend the Wavelength Range of Microcombs

June 5, 2024

Microcombs – chip-scale devices that generate and measure frequencies of light with exquisite accuracy – have transformed timekeeping and boosted optical...

A photo of the night sky with greenish lights on the right.

Spotlight: Geomagnetic Storm Creates Bright Northern Lights While Also Affecting NIST’s Cesium Clocks

May 21, 2024

Did you see the northern lights recently? NIST’s cesium fountain clocks did.

Shrinking Technology, Expanding Horizons: Compact Chips Advance Precision Timing for Communications, Navigation and Other Applications

March 6, 2024

This technology shrinks a tabletop system into a chip-sized format, reducing power usage and making it more applicable for use in everyday devices.

A sunset. Text reads: "Radio Station WWVH. Reception Report, 15.0 MHz. Serial #23818. Date 4/7/2023."

Spotlight: Disseminating Time Signals Far and Wide With NIST’s Radio Stations

January 31, 2024

There are dedicated, enthusiastic people in this world who have made a cause (and hobby) out of saying, “I heard that.” NIST is keenly aware. We’re talking...

NIST-Designed Photonic Chip Transforms a Single Beam of Light Into Multiple Beams, Each With a Panoply of Different Properties

June 30, 2023

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised a photonic circuit on a chip that transforms a single incoming beam of...

New Tiny Atomic Beam Clock Could Bring Stable Timing to Places GPS Can’t Reach

June 21, 2023

A new type of miniature atomic clock could provide better timing over the span of weeks and months compared with current systems.

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...

A globe spins on a curved stand, blurring the shape of North America.

Spotlight: Keeping Time With the Earth’s Rotation

August 5, 2022

Scientists try to predict how the Earth’s rotation will change so they know how to steer the clocks in the future.

NIST Researchers Develop Miniature Lens for Trapping Atoms

August 1, 2022

Atoms are notoriously difficult to control. They zigzag like fireflies, tunnel out of the strongest containers and jitter even at temperatures near absolute...

NIST Recommends Steps to Boost Resilience of U.S. Timekeeping

November 29, 2021

The nation should bolster research and development of systems that distribute accurate time via fiber-optic cable and radio as part of the effort to back up GPS...

A tiny chip encased in clear plastic sits on a piece of graph paper.

Spotlight: A Stability-Boosting Swap for Our Chip-Scale Clock

September 20, 2021

Stable is the chip-scale clock that uses a different laser, or so says the latest research from NIST physicists. Our scientists replaced an old infrared...

Ion trap is tiny chip held in place as part of a larger metal scientific device.

Spotlight: An (Almost) Laser-Free Way to Trap Ions for Quantum Computing

September 9, 2021

Look Ma, (almost) no lasers! NIST researchers and collaborators found a potential new way to make more powerful quantum computers based on ions (charged atoms)...

Two men in dark goggles stand over a table of scientific equipment.

NIST’s Quantum Crystal Could Be a New Dark Matter Sensor

August 5, 2021

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have linked together, or “entangled,” the mechanical motion and electronic properties of...

Illustration shows two buildings labeled "NIST" and "JILA" facing each other with mountains in the background.

NIST Team Compares 3 Top Atomic Clocks With Record Accuracy Over Both Fiber and Air

March 24, 2021

In a significant advance toward the future redefinition of the international unit of time, the second, a research team led by the National Institute of...

Bringing Atoms to a Standstill: NIST Miniaturizes Laser Cooling

January 21, 2021

It’s cool to be small. Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have miniaturized the optical components required to cool atoms...

A rectangular chip features a brass-colored bow-tie shape on black background.

Spotlight: New Ion Trap With Single-Photon Detector

January 9, 2021

Putting a bow tie on quantum information processing, NIST researchers have a new ion trap with a component that could be key to streamlining the construction of...

Safeguarding Critical Infrastructure: NIST Releases Draft Cybersecurity Guidance, Develops GPS-Free Backup for Timing Systems

October 23, 2020

Taking another step toward strengthening the nation’s critical infrastructure, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has drafted guidelines...

woman makes adjustments to optics on a laser bench

Spotlight: Alejandra Collopy's Exploration of the Quantum World

September 21, 2020

It’s the little things that make all the difference for NIST postdoctoral researcher Alejandra Collopy ... and by little, we mean quantum. She’s part of a team...

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