Optical / photometry / laser metrology

News and Updates

Escape From Flatland: Calibration Method Enables Microscopes to Make Accurate Measurements in All 3 Dimensions

June 24, 2021

Conventional microscopes provide essential information about samples in two dimensions — the plane of the microscope slide. But flat is not all that. In many

Detecting mid-infrared light, one photon at a time

June 1, 2021

For some 30 years, scientists have used superconducting materials to record the tiniest specks of light imaginable — individual photons, or single particles of

Man standing next to equipment on top of building during a sunset.

Commerce Building Now Part of NOAA, NIST Weather and Greenhouse Gas Tracking Network

April 19, 2021

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have installed a Doppler lidar

Events

19th International Workshop on Low Temperature Detectors (LTD19)

Mon, Jul 19 - Thu, Jul 29 2021

The 19th International Workshop on Low Temperature Detectors (LTD19) is an opportunity for researchers from around the

Projects and Programs

Metrology of Dim Light Sources

Luminescent tags are molecular highlighters. They enable light-based biological assays, visualize biological processes, and are used as diagnostic and

Quantitative Information from Images

Photographs, or optical light images, are spatial records of light reflected or emitted from objects. Thus, they are prospective light measurements. In many

Optical Radiation Metrology and Standard Radiometers

Radiometric, radiance temperature, photometric, and color scales have been realized based on the spectral responsivity of standard detectors and radiometers

Normalized Spectra for 3 types of Night Vision Goggles, a blackbody, and an IR LED

Night Vision Goggle Gain Calibration

NIST cooperates with the three services (Air Force, Navy, and Army) to realize a uniform night vision goggle (NVG) calibration system with low measurement

Publications

High-accuracy room temperature planar absolute radiometer based on vertically aligned carbon nanotubes

July 1, 2021

Author(s)

Anna Vaskuri, Michelle Stephens, Nathan Tomlin, Matthew Spidell, Christopher Yung, Andrew Walowitz, Cameron Straatsma, David Harber, John H. Lehman

We have developed a Planar Absolute Radiometer for Room Temperature (PARRoT) that will replace the legacy C-series calorimeter as the free-space continuous-wave

Optical Power Scale Realization by Laser Calorimeter after 45 Years of Operation

June 28, 2021

Author(s)

Matthew Spidell, Anna Vaskuri

To calibrate laser power and energy meters, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) uses several detector-based realizations of the scale for

Accurate localization microscopy by intrinsic aberration calibration

June 24, 2021

Author(s)

Craig Copeland, Craig McGray, Robert Ilic, Jon Geist, Samuel Stavis

A standard paradigm of localization microscopy involves extension from two to three dimensions by engineering information into emitter images, and approximation

Frequency stabilization of a quantum cascade laser by resonant feedback from a Fabry-Perot cavity

June 21, 2021

Author(s)

Gang Zhao, Jianfei Tian, Joseph T. Hodges, Adam Fleisher

Software

JB95 Spectral fitting program

February 19, 2016

A graphical user interface program, JB95, based on a Windows 95© API platform has been written in the C programming language to aid in the analysis of complex

FPGA-based Digital Control Box for Phase Stabilization of a Frequency Comb

October 1, 2015

This page provides information on firmware/software used at NIST to phase-lock a frequency comb. The firmware/software operates with hardware that was developed

SCATMECH: Polarized light scattering C++ class library

SCATMECH is an object-oriented C++ class library developed to distribute models for light scattering applications. Included in the library are models for

Noncollinear phase matching in uniaxial and biaxial crystals

Although significant work has been done to characterize collinear phase matching and to present many of its applications, noncollinear phase matching in both