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Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, have become popular with backpackers and cyclists who mount them on headbands for a reliable, hands-free source of illumination
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created "quantum cats" made of photons (particles of light), boosting prospects
Harnessing darkness for practical use, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a laser power detector coated
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have cultivated many thousands of nanocrystals in what looks like a pinscreen or "pin
In an advance that sounds almost Zen, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the
Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed the world's most efficient single photon detector, which is able to count
High-performance optical fiber networks are susceptible to degradation effects that can change with time. An example of this is polarization-mode dispersion
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has unveiled a method for calibrating entire waveforms -- graphical shapes showing how electrical
Researchers in the Optoelectronics Division of EEEL have demonstrated an all-fiber photon-pair source with the highest coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR)
High-performance optical networks are susceptible to degrading effects that can change over time. Knowledge of the degradation can be used to diagnose the
Oscilloscopes are routinely used to measure the properties of a wide variety of pulsed waveforms, including digital data streams in computers and in electrical
By combining the best of two different distance measurement approaches with a super-accurate technology called an optical frequency comb, researchers at the
Researchers in the Optoelectronics Division of EEEL, in collaboration with colleagues at MIT and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, have demonstrated a new way to measure
The U.S. military can now calibrate high-power laser systems, such as those intended to defuse unexploded mines, more quickly and easily thanks to a novel
Optical frequency combs have been vigorously developed over the past seven years at NIST and elsewhere. They provide a uniquely broadband and coherent optical
Gallium nitride (GaN)-based semiconductors have successfully been incorporated into commercial light emitting diodes and commercial laser diodes that operate
John Lehman, Chris Cromer and Xiaoyu Li of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have received a 2008 Award for Excellence in Technology
Before carbon nanotubes can fulfill their promise as ultrastrong fibers, electrical wires in molecular devices, or hydrogen storage components for fuel cells
Sensors that detect and count single photons, the smallest quantities of light, with 88 percent efficiency have been demonstrated by physicists at the National
Carbon nanotubes—a hot nanotechnology with many potential uses—may find one of its quickest applications in the next generation of standards for optical power
The United States and Japan have agreed on the last critical step before realization of a joint program to further the design and development of the advanced