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Physics

Thermodynamics

News and Updates

Displaying 1 - 24 of 24
schematic of sound-wave transmitter and receiver

Sounding Out a New Way to Measure Gas Flow

Researchers at NIST have developed a new — and sound — way to accurately measure the rate at which gas flows in and out of a vessel. The technique, which uses
Jodie Pope

Reliable Flow for Chip Makers

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have begun an ambitious project to attack a vexing problem in the semiconductor
Stephen Eckel

A Primary Standard for Measuring Vacuum

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
origami

Making the DNA Melt Curve More Accurate

DNA is not only the blueprint of life; it has become the backbone for making tiny structures that can be inserted into the human body to diagnose and treat
NIST vacuum sensor

A New Way to Measure Nearly Nothing

Many semiconductor fabricators and research labs are under increasing pressure from, of all things, vacuum. These facilities need to remove greater amounts of
Illustration of light ricocheting from a cantilever that's probing a petide sample in water

The Shape in Water

Tinkering with a method they helped develop over the last few years, scientists have for the first time used it to measure at the nanometer scale the
Jacob Ricker

Making an Airtight Case for Freedom

President Abraham Lincoln’s first handwritten draft of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, a historic document in the collection of the New York State
NIST researcher Jodie Pope with the big blue ball

Better Flowmeters with the Big Blue Ball

Last year, upwards of 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas were delivered to customers in the United States, and when it changed hands, nearly every cubic foot
Johnson Noise Thermometry Chip

Noise, Temperature, and the New SI

NIST has recently made substantial improvements to its Johnson-noise thermometry system, which is playing a vital role in the worldwide effort to determine the