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Physics

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Star Light, Star Bright … But Exactly How Bright?

September 22, 2022

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but for astronomers, simply recording images of stars and galaxies isn’t enough. To measure the true size and absolute...

Adam Kaufman poses for a head shot with a shelf of library books in the background.

NIST Physicist Adam Kaufman Wins Breakthrough New Horizons in Physics Prize

September 22, 2022

Kaufman won for his work in advancing the control of atoms and molecules to improve atomic clocks and quantum information processing.

NIST Awards Funding to Small Businesses to Advance Technologies for COVID Response, Manufacturing, Medical Diagnostics and More

September 20, 2022

NIST has awarded more than $7 million in funding to 23 U.S. small businesses in 14 states.

Watch NIST’s ‘Atomic Television’ Live and in Color

August 17, 2022

Researchers have adapted their atom-based radio receiver to display live TV and video games.

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.

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...

NIST-led Research Shows Advantages of Quantum-Enabled Communications for Internet

August 1, 2022

In the Internet, laser light is used to carry signals to intended destinations. Such optical communications enabled the establishment of the global Internet and...

NIST Researchers Demonstrate Quantum Entanglement with Distant, Synchronized Network Nodes

August 1, 2022

The potential of quantum communications lies in the phenomena called "entanglement." It involves entangling two or more subatomic particles, like photons, which...

Leading Experts Suggest Guidelines for Assessing Emerging Transistor Performance

July 29, 2022

To continue making smartphones, laptops, and other devices more powerful and energy efficient, industry is intensely focused on identifying promising next...

New Device Design Brings Unparalleled Confidence to Cell Measurements

July 20, 2022

Measuring the numbers and properties of cells moving in a stream — a process called flow cytometry — is critically important to diagnostic medicine...

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...

Nanomagnets Can Choose a Wine, and Could Slake AI’s Thirst for Energy

July 18, 2022

A new type of neural network aced a virtual wine-tasting test and promises a less energy-hungry version of artificial intelligence.

A Primary Standard for Measuring Vacuum

July 15, 2022

A novel, quantum-based vacuum gauge system invented by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has passed its first test to be...

A close-up view of two green lizards climbing a tree branch.

Gecko Feet Are Coated in an Ultra-Thin Layer of Lipids That Help Them Stay Sticky

July 6, 2022

Scientists already understood the mechanics of gecko adhesion. Now they have a clearer picture of the molecular structures that give the animal its grip.

Now Hear This!

June 30, 2022

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have designed and built an optical device that could set a new standard for measuring...

Foundational PNT Profile: Initial Public Draft of NIST IR 8323r1 is Available for Comment

June 29, 2022

The initial public draft of NIST IR 8323r1, Foundational PNT Profile: Applying the Cybersecurity Framework for the Responsible Use of Positioning, Navigation...

DC-Area U.S. Government Agencies Announce the Washington Metropolitan Quantum Network Research Consortium, or DC-QNet

June 27, 2022

The group will work to advance quantum network capabilities and leadership.

Spotlight: Connecting the Apples and Oranges of Quantum Computing

June 16, 2022

Before we can send bits of information through networks of quantum computers at different locations, we need to resolve an issue with our building blocks for...

A tiny glass vial on a white stand has a copper headphone-shaped structure over it.

Custom ‘Headphones’ Boost Atomic Radio Reception 100-Fold

May 23, 2022

The structure — a square overhead loop connecting two square panels — increases the incoming radio signal, or electric field, applied to the gaseous atoms in...

Spotlight: The Bucket Brigade for Atomic Physics and the Electron Dipole Moment

May 19, 2022

Gone are the days of bucket brigades for firefighting — long lines of people passing buckets of water one at a time toward a blaze — but NIST/JILA researchers...

Commerce FY 2021 Tech Transfer Report Spotlights Laboratory Successes and Milestones

May 11, 2022

The report details technology transfer activities at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

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...

$diffraction grating$

‘Exceptional’ Research: Unexpected Light Behavior May Be Harnessed to Improve Optical Communications and Sensors

April 21, 2022

Shine a flashlight into murky pond water and the beam won’t penetrate very far. Absorption and scattering rapidly diminishes the intensity of the light beam...

Inspired by Prehistoric Creatures, NIST Researchers Make Record-Setting Lenses

April 19, 2022

Five hundred million years ago, the oceans teemed with trillions of trilobites — creatures that were distant cousins of horseshoe crabs. All trilobites had a...

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