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Metrology

News and Updates

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NIST Mini-sensor Measures Magnetic Activity in Human Brain

April 19, 2012

A miniature atom-based magnetic sensor developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has passed an important research milestone by

Hyperspectral Imaging: Shedding New Light on Wound Healing

April 9, 2012

Clinicians who treat severe wounds may soon have powerful new diagnostic tools in the form of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) devices, calibrated to new NIST

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

Schematic diagram of the fast light experiment.

First, Fast, and Faster

April 6, 2012

Scientists in PML's Quantum Measurement Division have produced the first superluminal light pulses made by using a technique called four-wave mixing, creating

This colorized photo shows trap cleaning in progress.

Argon Cleaning Helps Trapped Ions Chill Out

February 27, 2012

The reliability of trapped-ion quantum information systems – a promising candidate technology for an eventual quantum computer – can be dramatically improved by

Celebrating Another Golden Year in Legal Metrology with Weights and Measures Week 2012

February 21, 2012

Weights and measures are indispensable. From the grocery store to the gas pump, all kinds of consumer products are sold by some measurable quantity, whether it

Shopper's Special: NIST Seeking Consumer, Industry Input on Unit Pricing Labels

February 21, 2012

The Office of Weights and Measures (OWM) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking volunteers to participate in a workgroup that

Laying the Groundwork for 3D Stacked Integrated Circuits

February 17, 2012

Could three-dimensional stacked integrated circuits (3DS-ICs) be the next big innovation in technology development? Imagine layer upon layer of integrated

Toward a Global Microwave Standard

February 6, 2012

Much of what is known about decadal climate change – and much of what appears on the evening weather forecast as well – comes from satellite-based remote

PML's Pernstich Develops Open-Source Software to Automate Test Equipment

February 6, 2012

A free, easily customizable software program for automating test equipment via GPIB or RS232 bus may sound too good to be true, especially for smaller companies

Colorized micrograph of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Prototype NIST Device Measures Absolute Optical Power in Fiber at Nanowatt Levels

December 20, 2011

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a prototype device capable of absolute measurements of optical power

UV Lithography: Taking Extreme Measures

December 9, 2011

Sometime soon, microchip fabricators will take the next major step in the relentless reduction of feature size, from the current minimum of 22 nm down to 10 nm

Powerful NIST Detectors on Hawaiian Telescope to Probe Origins of Stars, Planets and Galaxies

December 6, 2011

The world's largest submillimeter camera—based on superconducting technology designed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)—is now ready

Optically pumped GaN nanowire laser shown glowing orange.

Bright Future for GaN Nanowires

November 25, 2011

The gallium nitride nanowires grown by PML scientists may only be a few tenths of a micrometer in diameter, but they promise a very wide range of applications

Adding Up Photons with a TES

November 14, 2011

Scientists have demonstrated that a superconducting detector called a transition edge sensor (TES) is capable of counting the number of as many as 1,000 photons

Redefining the SI Base Units

November 2, 2011

Note: Much more recent information is available about redefinition of the SI units. For a comprehensive general overview, see How to Weigh Everything from

PML Develops Graphene Fabrication Capability

October 3, 2011

Graphene – a single-layer planar sheet of carbon atoms bound in a "chicken-wire" lattice—has become the object of intense international research ever since its

Reading Between the Lines in Lithium: New measurements of unprecedented accuracy resolve a longstanding data disagreement problem

October 3, 2011

A team of PML researchers has solved a longstanding problem plaguing experimental tests of the atomic theory of lithium, and in the process uncovered a