Applied Physics Division

Landscape view of buildings and lasers scanning the atmosphere

NIST Laser ‘Comb’ Systems Now Measure All Primary Greenhouse Gases in the Air

A woman wearing a mask stands over a yellow sphere at a lab bench.

NIST-Led Study Finds Variations in Quantitative MRI Scanners’ Measurements

Detecting mid-infrared light, one photon at a time

The Division's key competencies include radiometry, advanced communications, sensing, quantum measurements, quantitative imaging, spectroscopy, and laser safety. In addition, the Division operates a state-of-the-art precision imaging facility to characterize unique devices that improve measurement science, standards, and services. Division staff include world experts in laser metrology, quantum metrology, quantitative imaging, as well as photonic and magnetic applications. The Division's focus on a targeted set of technical challenges enables us to maximize impact and benefit from collaborations with industry, government, and university stakeholders.

Press Coverage

A grayscale scanning electron microscope image of a human hair with the letters N-I-S-T across it.

How sweet it is: Accidental discovery leads to microprinting method for highly curved, complex surfaces

The American Ceramic Society

January 13, 2023

Accidents happen, and though scientists usually try to avoid them, sometimes they result in breakthroughs. The likes of penicillin, plastic, gunpowder

Scientists Create Brain-Inspired Superconducting Circuits

Azo Materials

December 12, 2022

In AZoM's latest interview, we talk with Jeff Shainline from the NIST in Boulder, CO, about his research looking at forming superconducting circuits with

'Sweet' New Technique to Print Microchips on Unconventional Surfaces

DesignNews

December 12, 2022

A researcher has found a rather sweet and unexpected way to print microcircuits on unconventional surfaces by using common food additives, a technique that has

A sweet new microprinting technique

Bits and Chips

November 30, 2022

A new technique leverages the properties of common table sugar to transfer lithographic patterns onto the most complex of surfaces.

You may have missed… Roman coins authenticated; using sugar to print microchips; Aussie summer injuries; and the glow between galaxies

Cosmos

November 28, 2022

Regular table sugar can be used to bring the power of microchips to new and unconventional surfaces, according to a new study in Science.

Researchers create 'atomic television' that transmits live video with big atoms and small lasers

Interesting Engineering

August 29, 2022

Scientists at the US National Institute of Standards have developed an 'Atomic Television' that uses lasers and atom clouds to pick up video transmissions that

Atomic TV Broadcasts Live Video Using Lasers and Cloud Of Large-Sized Atoms

Gadgets 360

August 29, 2022

Demonstrating that a cloud of atoms can be used as a receiver to pick up video transmission, researchers have developed an atomic television. The television

Taking Measure Blog

A woman stands smiling in front of a large device with many metal parts and wires.

My First Semiconductor Standards Were a Bust … or Were They?

January 12, 2022

Silicon is the most important semiconductor in the world. It forms the chips that are used for memory and processors in high-end computers, everyday consumer

Working to Improve Small-Scale MRIs: My Summer as a SURF Student at NIST

September 29, 2021

I didn’t really know what to expect on the first day of my virtual Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program at the National Institute of

Developing an Exposure Notification System to Blunt the Spread of COVID-19 and Future Pandemics

November 10, 2020

I am part of a grassroots effort at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that is developing an exposure notification system for pandemics

Developing the APTitude to Design New Materials, Atom-by-Atom

January 12, 2017

Cars, buildings, computer chips, you and me and the air we breathe, everything is made of atoms. We learn this in elementary school, because, well, it’s an

News and Updates

〈Q|School Single Photonics Short Course: Sources, Detectors and Measurements

February 21, 2023

In cooperation with researchers and metrologists from around the world, the University of Colorado and NIST Boulder presented a short course consisting of

Man wearing safety glasses leans toward a tabletop optical laser setup.

Spotlight: Meet a Mentor for Summer Undergraduates: NIST Quantum Physicist Krister Shalm

January 23, 2023

Quantum physicist Krister Shalm has a few spots in his laboratory for motivated undergrads. Do you know any STEM-centric college students who might be

Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detector

Unveiling the Universe: In 4 New Studies, NIST Explores Novel Ways to Hunt Dark Matter

December 8, 2022

For decades, astronomers and physicists have been trying to solve one of the deepest mysteries about the cosmos: An estimated 85% of its mass is missing.

NIST Finds a Sweet New Way to Print Microchip Patterns on Curvy Surfaces

November 25, 2022

An accidental discovery at NIST could improve the reach of microprinting using candy. Pretty sweet!

Projects and Programs

Advanced Magnetic Imaging

Ongoing

The scope of MRI is expanding with the development of both ultra-high field (14 T) and ultra-low field (0.1 mT) scanners not only for biomedical applications

Advanced Microwave Photonics

Ongoing

Research on quantum information (QI) seeks to control and exploit exotic properties of quantum mechanics, and researchers are already generating "unbreakable"

Bringing the SI to Global Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Measurement

Ongoing

We are developing a comprehensive next-generation greenhouse gas (GHG) calibration system capable of extending SI traceability to global satellite remote

Differential absorption LIDAR for the detection and quantification of greenhouse gases

Ongoing

We are developing a method for accurately quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from natural and anthropogenic sources and sinks to meet the requirements for

Software

NIST's Integrated Colony Enumerator (NICE)

January 4, 2021

Enumeration of bacterial colonies on an agar plate is simple in concept, but automated colony counting is difficult due to variations in colony color, size

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

SOEN Process Design Kits

This technology package, a.k.a process design kit (PDK), defines the NIST superconducting optoelectronics process: OLMAC. It is in the klayout format of

Tools and Instruments

Continuous-wave terahertz spectrometer

The continuous-wave terahertz spectrometer makes use of two near-infrared lasers. The first laser is a fixed-frequency cw ring Ti:Saph laser operating near 840

Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy

Vibrationally-Resonant Sum Frequency Spectroscopy (VR-SFS): A nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy in which two colors of light, one in the visible and one in the

Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) Facility

The Applied Physics Division utilizes a fully automated, dual-chamber molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system for the growth of advanced, compound semiconductor

Sample Preparation and Metrology Tools

Read about our sample preparation and metrology tools.

Awards

2022 - Bronze Medal Award---Stephen Russek, Karl Stupic, Kathryn Keenan, Neal Zelarney

For establishing a lending library service with the National Institutes of Health for the dissemination of magnetic resonance imaging standards.

2022 - Arthur S. Flemming Award---John Teufel

Dr. Teufel is a world leader in the field of quantum optomechanics. His innovations over the last decade have tested fundamental physics and will help enable the future of quantum information.

2022 - Gold Medal Award---John Teufel, José Aumentado, Katarina Cicak, Raymond Simmonds, Scott Glancy, Emanuel Knill

For pioneering experimental techniques to generate and precisely measure the quantum entanglement of two macroscopic mechanical resonators.

2023 IEEE Fellow - Richard Mirin

For contributions to quantum photonic devices.

Patents

MAGNETIC RESONANCE FINGERPRINTING THERMOMETRY

NIST Inventors

Kathryn Keenan and Megan Poorman

FIBER-TO-CHIP COUPLER

NIST Inventors

Jeff Shainline and Saeed Khan

Self-referencing Nonlinear Frequency Converting Photonic Waveguide and Self-referencing Nonlinear Frequency Conversion

NIST Inventors

Jeff Chiles , Ian Coddington and Eric Stanton

patent description The unique frequency accuracy of a frequency comb stems from “f-to-2f” self-referencing where an optical octave is generated and the low frequency edge of that octave is doubled and compared to the high frequency end to measure the carrier envelope offset frequency, the key piece

QUANTUM WAVEGUIDE INFRARED PHOTODETECTOR

NIST Inventors

Eric Stanton

patent description The QWIP was first demonstrated in 1987 [1] and consistent research since then has improved the QWIP detection efficiency, but only for surface normal detection. Development of the QWIP was originally intended for infrared focal plane arrays suitable for infrared cameras. One

Applied Physics Division

Press Coverage

Taking Measure Blog

News and Updates

Projects and Programs

Software

Tools and Instruments

Awards

Patents

Contacts

Division Chief