Sensor Science Division

Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility SURF III

Laser tracker calibration in Tape Tunnel Facility

Advanced Dimensional Measurement Systems

Welcome to the Sensor Science Division

The Sensor Science Division (SSD) is based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and operates within the Physical Measurement Laboratory at NIST.

Our Vision is to be the primary driver for innovation in the SI-traceable measurement of dimensional, thermodynamic, and optical radiation quantities. Our work enables the next generation of equitable standards to promote US economic growth and security.

Our Mission is to foster the next generation of SI-traceable dimensional, thermodynamic, and optical radiation measurements and their application by providing calibrations, standards, and innovations that improve U.S. industrial competitiveness and quality-of-life.

SSD has institutional responsibility for the realization and dissemination of 3 of the 7 base units of the International System of Units (SI): the meter, the kelvin, and the candela. To promote world-wide standardization, SSD staff engage with the Consultative Committees for Length (CCL), for Mass and Related Quantities (CCM), for Photometry and Radiometry (CCPR), and for Thermometry (CCT) under the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM). This participation helps ensure the international comparability and international recognition of the SI-based measurements and standards disseminated by the Division. As pictured below, the division is divided into 3 technical areas which align with these 3 base SI units.

The division provides measurement science, reference materials, reference data, and technologies to foster innovation and confidence in measurements needed to advance these fields. In partnership with U.S. industry, government agencies, and scientific institutions, SSD performs fundamental and applied research on the measurement of length; temperature; infrared-to-extreme-ultraviolet radiation; pressure and vacuum; surface and interface optical and dimensional properties; gas and liquid flow; liquid volume; and humidity.

Focus Areas

News and Updates

Ultraviolet Light Can Clean N95 Masks for Reuse Without Hindering Performance, NIST Study Shows

March 25, 2022

To combat COVID-19 amid supply shortages in 2020, health care facilities across the U.S. resorted to disinfecting personal protective equipment (PPE), such as

Measuring Up: Light reflection and transmission

January 4, 2022

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently completed major upgrades to two key instruments serving critical national needs: measuring

New Standard for Vaccine Fridges Unveiled

June 17, 2021

You know that part of your fridge that always freezes your lettuce? Or the section in your freezer door that leaves your popsicles a little mushy? Different

The Case of the Cloudy Filters: Solving the Mystery of the Degrading Sunlight Detectors

March 25, 2021

More than 150 years ago, the Sun blasted Earth with a massive cloud of hot charged particles. This plasma blob generated a magnetic storm on Earth that caused

Events

10th International Temperature Symposium (ITS10)

Mon, Apr 3 - Fri, Apr 7 2023

The International Temperature Symposia have been held about every decade or so since 1919 to provide a forum for the

Industry Impacts

Reliable Vaccine Storage

As much as 35 percent of vaccines shipped worldwide is wasted because it is transported or stored at temperatures too high or too low. NIST’s research is

Flow Meters for Natural Gas Delivery

The accuracy of flow meters measuring natural gas has enormous commercial importance. NIST is developing a new technique to calibrate large flows at high

Awards

2021 Arthur S. Flemming Award - Bala Muralikrishnan

Dr. Bala Muralikrishnan is recognized for his seminal research in precision dimensional metrology, which is accelerating the adoption of

2021 Robert H. Goddard Award - Air-LUSI team

NIST air-LUSI team members together with team members from the University of Guelph, McMaster University, University of Maryland Baltimore

2021 - Bronze Medal Award---Robert Commarota, Cerasela Constantin, Sushama Singh , Simon Frechette , Eric Shirley, Andrea Medina-Smith, Elisabeth Mansfield, Douglas Montgomery, Peter Gehring, Fernando J. Cintron

For development of an IT system to modernize and simplify NIST's publication processes

2021 - Bronze Medal Award---Nikolai N. Klimov, Zeeshan Ahmed, Tobias Herman

For the development of the silicon nanophotonic thermometer as a robust replacement for the widely used, 150-year-old, standard resistance thermometer.

2021 - Bronze Medal Award---Dennis Everett

For establishing a new world-class gear measurement capability in response to an urgent request from the U.S. gear manufacturing industry.

Patents

High-Resolution Photonic Thermometer Article

NIST Inventors

Kevin O Douglass , Zeeshan Ahmed and Nikolai Klimov

Patent Description NIST has created a method that sense temperature variations on a µK-level using an on-chip integrated passive photonic device that features a high-quality factor nanocavity. The method includes the (i) improved design of nanobeam photonic crystal cavity, (ii) specialized fiber

Optical Parametric Oscillator