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Physics

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Optical Fiber Could Boost Power of Superconducting Quantum Computers

March 24, 2021

The secret to building superconducting quantum computers with massive processing power may be an ordinary telecommunications technology — optical fiber

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

As Good as it Gets: NIST Develops Its Fourth Generation Wire Micrometer that Rivals Best in the World

March 11, 2021

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a dramatically improved laser-based instrument that measures the

A Better Way to Measure Acceleration

March 8, 2021

You’re going at the speed limit down a two-lane road when a car barrels out of a driveway on your right. You slam on the brakes, and within a fraction of a

Foundational PNT Profile: Applying the Cybersecurity Framework for the Responsible Use of Positioning, Navigation and Timing Services--NISTIR 8323

February 11, 2021

NIST announces the release of the final NISTIR 8323 , Foundational PNT Profile: Applying the Cybersecurity Framework for the Responsible Use of Positioning

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Spotlight: On the Hunt for Dark Matter With Quantum Squeezing

February 10, 2021

Look out dark matter, here come the detectives. This NIST amplifier, which measures tiny electrical currents, has boosted the search for the mysterious dark

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Spotlight: Measuring the Atmosphere’s Volatile Organic Compounds

January 23, 2021

Investigating colors in the wind — NIST researchers expand beyond a current spectroscopy technique for measuring greenhouse gases to now detect volatile organic

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

NIST Publishes a Beginner’s Guide to DNA Origami

January 8, 2021

In a technique known as DNA origami, researchers fold long strands of DNA over and over again to construct a variety of tiny 3D structures, including miniature

JILA’s Bigger and Better ‘Tweezer Clock’ Is Super Stable

December 16, 2020

JILA physicists have boosted the signal power of their atomic “tweezer clock” and measured its performance in part for the first time, demonstrating high

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JILA’s Electric ‘Knob’ Tunes Chemical Reaction Rates in Quantum Gas

December 10, 2020

Building on their newfound ability to induce molecules in ultracold gases to interact with each other over long distances, JILA researchers have used an

Grid shows two peaks, with the left one taller than the right.

New JILA Tools ‘Turn On’ Quantum Gases of Ultracold Molecules

December 9, 2020

JILA researchers have developed tools to “turn on” quantum gases of ultracold molecules, gaining control of long-distance molecular interactions for potential

Error-Prone Quantum Bits Could Correct Themselves, NIST Physicists Show

December 8, 2020

One of the chief obstacles facing quantum computer designers — correcting the errors that creep into a processor’s calculations — could be overcome with a new

In Search for Dark Matter, New Fountain Design Could Become Wellspring of Answers

November 27, 2020

You can’t see it. You can’t feel it. But the substance scientists refer to as dark matter could account for five times as much “stuff” in the universe as the

A new twist on measuring spin: NIST Develops Microresonator to Study Electron Spin in Small Volumes

November 17, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a device to detect a quantum property of electrons, known as spin, in

Square wood box with multicolored wires arranged in ever-smaller squares inside and three small plastic strips attached in several places.

NIST Sensor Experts Invent Supercool Mini-Thermometer

November 17, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have invented a miniature thermometer with big potential applications, such as

Cartoon alarm clock holds magnifying glass and runs after a splat representing a particle covered with squiggly lines representing a field.

Advanced Atomic Clock Makes a Better Dark Matter Detector

November 12, 2020

JILA researchers have used a state-of-the-art atomic clock to narrow the search for elusive dark matter, an example of how continual improvements in clocks have

A novel, low-cost method detects nanoscale contaminants during manufacture of semiconductor devices

October 19, 2020

As computer chips and other electronic devices continue to shrink in size, they become ever more sensitive to contamination. However, detecting the nanoscale

A Billion Tiny Pendulums Could Detect the Universe’s Missing Mass

October 13, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their colleagues have proposed a novel method for finding dark matter, the cosmos’s

What Laser Color Do You Like?

October 13, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland have developed a microchip technology that can convert

Quantum Matchmaking: New NIST System Detects Ultra-Faint Communications Signals Using the Principles of Quantum Physics

September 23, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised and demonstrated a system that could dramatically increase the performance

NIST Scientists Get Soft on 3D Printing

September 22, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new method of 3D-printing gels and other soft materials. Published in

A man in safety goggles gives a thumbs-up while sitting at a computer.

Spotlight: Theorizing Between Postdoc and Adviser About the Future of DNA Origami

September 22, 2020

Some assembly required — NIST postdoctoral researcher Jacob Majikes takes the smallest fragments of life and combines them into new structures ... or rather

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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