Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Physical Measurement Laboratory / Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division

Photonics and Optomechanics Group

News and Updates

Keyword

Topic Area

Calculating Quantum Vacuum Forces in Nanostructures

February 7, 2013

One of the surprising predictions of quantum mechanics is that uncharged conductors can attract each other over small distances, even in empty space. While the...

Photons Emitted by Quantum Dots Can be Made Indistinguishable Through Quantum Frequency Conversion

December 19, 2012

An international collaboration led by researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology has demonstrated the ability to make photons emitted...

New Platform Developed to Measure and Exploit Optomechanical Interactions

December 12, 2012

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology and Caltech have developed a new design platform for measuring and exploiting strong...

Schematic of the disk-cantilever sensor geometry.

Researchers Develop Versatile Optomechanical Sensors for Atomic Force Microscopy

October 24, 2012

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have developed on-chip optomechanical sensors for atomic force microscopy (AFM) that...

False-color scanning electron micrograph of a nanophotonic motion sensor.

A Fast and Sensitive Nanophotonic Motion Sensor Developed for Silicon Microdevices

September 19, 2012

Using a microscopic optical sensor that can be batch-fabricated on a silicon chip at low cost, Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and...

SEM image of the waveguide cross-section of the low-noise frequency converter

CNST Researchers Demonstrate Low-Noise, Chip-Based Optical Wavelength Converter

September 5, 2012

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have demonstrated a low-noise device for changing the wavelength of light using...

Micromechanical Mirror Performs Under Pressure...Of Light

April 6, 2012

A team of scientists from PML's Quantum Measurement Division has designed and tested a novel device [1] that may lead to substantial progress in the new and...

Nanopower: Avoiding Electrolyte Failure in Nanoscale Lithium Batteries

March 20, 2012

It turns out you can be too thin—especially if you're a nanoscale battery. Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the...

NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology Researchers Efficiently Couple Light from a Plane Wave into a Surface Plasmon Mode

February 1, 2012

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have made a grating coupler that transmits over 45 % of the incident optical energy from a...

CNST Collaboration Resolves Century-Long Debate Over How to Describe Electromagnetic Momentum Density in Matter

December 28, 2011

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology and the University of British Columbia have shown that the interaction between a light...

CNST Collaboration Tunes Viscous Drag on Superhydrophobic Surfaces

November 30, 2011

By measuring the motion of a vibrating, porous membrane separating water and air, researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, the...

Tiny Levers, Big Moves in Piezoelectric Sensors

November 22, 2011

A team of university researchers, aided by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have succeeded in integrating a new, highly...

CNST and ITL Researchers Change the Color and Shape of a Single Photon

October 5, 2011

A team of researchers from the CNST and ITL has simultaneously changed the color and shape of a single photon, the smallest unit of light. The work, reported in...

CNST Researchers Use Nanophotonics to More Efficiently Extract Photons from Single Semiconductor Quantum Dots

September 14, 2011

An international team of researchers led by the CNST has developed a new type of nanophotonic cavity that improves the efficiency of photon collection from...

CNST Researchers Elucidate Micro-Optical Techniques for Solid-State Materials Characterization

July 27, 2011

In a chapter of the recently published book Optical Techniques for Solid-State Materials Characterization,* CNST researchers provide a detailed overview and...

CNST's Kartik Srinivasan Receives Sigma Xi Young Scientist Award

July 6, 2011

CNST researcher Kartik Srinivasan was honored with the Sigma Xi Young Scientist Award for 2011. He shared this prestigious prize with Sheng Lin-Gibson, Acting...

CNST Researchers Demonstrate Electo-Optic Modulation of Single Photons from a Quantum Dot

June 29, 2011

In a recent article in Applied Physics Letters,* CNST researchers demonstrated how commercially available electro-optic modulators can be used to tailor the...

CNST Researchers Develop Integrated Nanomechanical Sensor for Atomic Force Microscopy

June 1, 2011

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is an important tool for nanoscale surface metrology. Typical AFMs map local tip-surface interactions by scanning a flexible...

Schematic of flat electron wavefronts twisted into a fan of helices using a very thin film with a 5-micron-diameter pattern of nanoscale slits

NIST Puts a New Twist on the Electron Beam

January 13, 2011

Electron microscopes are among the most widely used scientific and medical tools for studying and understanding a wide range of materials, from biological...

NIST, Harvard Researchers Share 2010 Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics

October 26, 2010

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physical scientist Henri Lezec and Federico Capasso of Harvard have received the Julius Springer Prize for...

This Little Light of Mine: Changing the Color of Single Photons Emitted by Quantum Dots

October 13, 2010

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated* for the first time the conversion of near-infrared 1,300 nm...

Efficient Optical Fiber Technique Shown to Probe Individual Emitters

July 26, 2010

Using electromagnetic simulations, researchers from the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have shown that fiber taper waveguides can be a very...

CNST Researchers Design Optical Interface to Probe Single Quantum Dots

November 30, 2009

CNST researchers have designed a nanophotonic interface to very efficiently collect light emitted from single semiconductor quantum dots, providing an avenue...

Was this page helpful?

Advanced communications
-Open Radio Access Network (Open-RAN)
-Quantum communications
-Spectrum sharing
-Wireless (RF)
Artificial intelligence
-AI measurement and evaluation
-Autonomous systems
--Automated vehicles
--Autonomous laboratories
-Applied AI
-Fundamental AI
-Hardware for AI
-Machine learning
-Trustworthy and responsible AI
Bioscience
-Bioeconomy
--Biological data
-Bioimaging
-Bioinformatics
-Biomanufacturing
-Biomaterials
-Biometrology
-Biosecurity
--Biosurveillance
--Genomic cybersecurity
--Nucleic acid sequence screening
-Cell measurements
-Engineering / synthetic biology
--Biofabrication
--Cell-free systems
--Genome engineering
--Protein engineering
-Gene delivery systems
-Genome editing
-Genomics
-Glycomics
-Metabolomics
-Microbial measurements
-Proteomics
Buildings and Construction
-Building codes and standards
-Building control systems
-Building damage and repair
-Building economics
-Building materials
-Energy efficiency
-Heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment
-Indoor air quality
-Structural engineering
-Thermal comfort
Chemistry
-Analytical chemistry
-Chemical engineering and processing
-Chemical thermodynamics and chemical properties
-Molecular characterization
-Theoretical chemistry and modeling
-Thermochemical properties
Electronics
-Electromagnetics
-Flexible electronics
-Magnetoelectronics
-Optoelectronics
-Organic electronics
-Semiconductors
-Sensors
-Superconducting electronics
Energy
-Alternative energy
-Conventional energy
-Electric power / smart grid
-Fuels
Environment
-Air / water / soil quality
-Climate Measurements
-Environmental health
-Greenhouse gas measurements
-Marine science
-Sustainability
Fire
-Fire detection
-Fire dynamics and science
-Fire fighting
-Fire modeling
-Fire risk reduction
-Materials flammability
-Structural fire resistance
-Wildland urban interface fire
Forensic Science
-Digital evidence
-Drugs and toxicology
-Firearms and toolmarks
-Forensic biometrics
-Forensic genetics
-Trace evidence
Health
-Biopharmaceuticals
-Cell and gene therapy
-Clinical diagnostics
--Cancer
--Medical imaging
-Food and nutrition
-Human microbiome
-Precision medicine
-Regenerative medicine and advanced therapy
--Flow cytometry
Information technology
-Biometrics
-Cloud computing and virtualization
-Complex systems
-Computational science
-Conformance testing
-Cyber-physical systems
--Smart cities
-Cybersecurity and privacy
--Cryptography
--Cybersecurity education and workforce development
--Cybersecurity measurement
--Identity and access management
--Privacy engineering
--Risk management
--Securing emerging technologies
--Trustworthy networks
--Trustworthy platforms
-Data and informatics
--Human language technology
--Information retrieval
--Natural language processing
-Digital twins
-Federal information processing standards (FIPS)
-Health IT
-Internet of Things (IoT)
-Interoperability testing
-Location based services
-Mobile
-Networking
--Mobile and wireless networking
--Network management and monitoring
--Network modeling and analysis
--Network security and robustness
--Network test and measurement
--Next generation networks
--Protocol design and standardization
--Software defined and virtual networks
-Software research
--Software testing
-Usability and human factors
--Accessibility
-Video analytics
-Virtual / augmented reality
-Visualization research
-Voting systems
Infrastructure
Manufacturing
-Additive manufacturing
-Factory communications
-Factory operations planning and control
-Interoperability in manufacturing
-Machining
-Manufacturing economics
-Manufacturing quality assurance
-Manufacturing systems design and analysis
-Monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics
-Process improvement
-Process measurement and control
-Product data
-Robotics
--Agility and adaptability
--Collaborative robots
--Dexterous grasping
--Manipulation
--Mobility and industrial autonomous vehicles
--Navigation / actuation / control
--Sensing and perception
-Supply chain
-Sustainable manufacturing
-Systems engineering
-Systems integration
-Technology commercialization
Materials
-Ceramics
-Composites
-Concrete / cement
-Materials characterization
--Composition and structure
--Mechanical properties
--Thermal properties
-Metals
-Modeling and computational material science
-Polymers
-Superconductors
Mathematics and statistics
-Experiment design
-Image and signal processing
-Modeling and simulation research
-Numerical methods and software
-Statistical analysis
-Uncertainty quantification
Metrology
-Amount of substance
-Dimensional metrology
-Electrical / electromagnetic metrology
-Flow metrology and rheology
-Force metrology
-Humidity metrology
-Ionizing radiation metrology
-Mass metrology
-Metric
-Optical / photometry / laser metrology
-Pressure and vacuum metrology
-Thermometry metrology
-Time and frequency metrology
-Weights and measures
Nanotechnology
-Nanobiotechnology
-Nanochemistry
-Nanoelectronics
-Nanofabrication / manufacturing
--Lithography
--Self-assembly
-Nanofluidics
-Nanomagnetics
-Nanomaterials
-Nanomechanics
-Nanometrology
-Nanophotonics
-Nanophysics
-Nanoplasmonics
Neutron research
Performance excellence
-Assessment tools and services
-Baldrige award
-Baldrige examiners
-Baldrige Framework and Criteria
-Best practices
-Leadership development
Physics
-Atomic / molecular / quantum
-Biological physics
-Condensed matter
-Electron physics
-Magnetics
-Nuclear physics
-Optical physics and communications
-Quantum information science
-Radiation
-Spectroscopy
-Thermodynamics
-Time and frequency
Public safety
-Chemical / Biological / Radiological / Nuclear / Explosives (CBRNE)
-First responder preparedness
-Law enforcement
-Public safety communications research
-Response robots
Resilience
-Community resilience
--Recovery
--Resilience metrics
-Disaster and failure studies
-Earthquake risk reduction
-Resilience economics
-Resilient materials
-Windstorm impact reduction
Standards
-Accreditation
-Calibration services
-Conformity assessment
-Documentary standards
-Frameworks
-Quality assurance
-Reference data
-Reference instruments
-Reference materials
-Standards education
Technology transfer
Transportation
-Aerospace
-Automotive