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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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New Insights on ‘Captured’ Electrons Could Improve Flash Memory

November 7, 2017

An entirely new model of the way electrons are briefly trapped and released in tiny electronic devices suggests that a long-accepted, industry-wide view is just

It’s All About the Mix

October 24, 2017

A marriage between 3-D printer plastic and a versatile material for detecting and storing gases could lead to inexpensive sensors and fuel cell batteries alike

Person holding wallet card showing the values of fundamental constants being used for revising the International System of Units, the modern metric system.

Bringing the World Closer to Revised Measurement System, Scientists Update Four Key Fundamental Constants

October 23, 2017

Paving the way for transforming the world’s measurement system, an international task force has determined updated values for four fundamental constants of

Amplitude Sensing below the Zero-Point Fluctuations

October 18, 2017

Employing techniques developed for quantum information processing with trapped ions, we demonstrate a sensitive technique for measuring the amplitude of the

Distant Exoplanets Revealed by Light from Wobbling Stars

October 16, 2017

Ask most folks what they would need to find planets orbiting distant stars, and very few will list a bottle of iodine. Yet that element plays a vital role in

How Bright is the Moon, Really?

October 13, 2017

The “inconstant moon,” as Shakespeare called it in Romeo and Juliet, is more reliable than his pair of star-crossed lovers might have thought. Now researchers

Cavity coating in flat red layer below blue-green light beam

Plasmons in an Open Box Create Miniature Laser

October 12, 2017

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed the first miniature laser in which the light is guided along the floor of

PML Technology Transfer in the News

October 12, 2017

The Denver Post recently ran a front-page story about drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) and their many useful, emerging applications. According to the article,

JILA Spinning Method Confirms the Electron Still Seems Round

October 9, 2017

JILA physicists have for the first time used their spinning molecules technique to measure the “roundness” of the electron, confirming the leading results from

JILA’s 3-D Quantum Gas Atomic Clock Offers New Dimensions in Measurement

October 5, 2017

JILA physicists have created an entirely new design for an atomic clock, in which strontium atoms are packed into a tiny three-dimensional (3-D) cube at 1,000

Stop the Presses: NIST Finds a Way to Measure Fuel Cell 'Printing' at a Fast Clip

October 4, 2017

If you’re wondering when a hydrogen-powered car will become a viable option for you, take heart. A team including scientists at the National Institute of

Lighting a Path to 'Smarter' Homes, Roads, and Bridges

September 27, 2017

If you’re worried about carbon monoxide poisoning, you might purchase a detector for your home. But what if your house itself could sense carbon monoxide and

Atomic-Scale Movies Reveal That Catalyst Nanoparticles Undergo Internal Changes to Forge Carbon Nanotubes

September 20, 2017

Lights, camera, catalysis! Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made some of the first movies of the structural

Researchers Find New Way to Manipulate Magnetism

September 14, 2017

In a pioneering effort to control, measure and understand magnetism at the atomic level, researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and

CNST Releases Summer 2017 Edition of the CNST News

September 14, 2017

The NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) is pleased to announce the release of the Summer 2017 edition of the CNST News. This quarterly

Orange disk resonator with waveguide to right and nanoscale probe to left.

NIST Researchers Revolutionize the Atomic Force Microscope

September 12, 2017

Most measuring instruments are limited by the tradeoff between how precisely and how rapidly a measurement is made: the more precise the measurement, the longer

NIST Boulder Microfab Lab Goes 'Nano'

September 12, 2017

The world-class clean room in the NIST Boulder Microfabrication Facility (BMF) has just gotten a bit more crowded – in a good way. Staff members have recently

Driving the Universal Quantum Bus

September 12, 2017

NIST scientists have achieved a world record in detecting the intensity of an ultra-faint source of light, equaling the capabilities of the deep-space

A NIST researcher holds a fixed length optical cavity (FLOC), a structure that enables highly accurate, quantum-based measurements of pressure.

NIST, Industry Partner Aim to Develop 'Quantum Pascal' Standard Into Real-World Device

September 6, 2017

In our everyday lives, pressure can mean a looming work deadline, a final exam, or bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. In scientific terms, pressure is a

Even Better than DNA Origami

September 1, 2017

DNA is the stuff of life, but it is also the stuff of nanotechnology. Because molecules of DNA with complementary chemical structures recognize and bind to one

scanning electron micrograph of a single phononic-crystal cell

New Design Lets Micro-Clock Resonators Ring Like a Bell

August 30, 2017

You can’t hear most of them, but the world is running on different kinds of mechanical oscillations. For example, inside the average electronic wristwatch is a

Diagram of resistive ram on/off states with moving on/off switch.

With a Gentle Touch, NIST Scientists Push Us Closer to Flash Memory Successor

August 8, 2017

Sometimes a light touch is best: When you're telling a joke or hammering a tiny finishing nail into a wall, a gentle delivery often succeeds most effectively

Nobel Laureate Wineland to Leave NIST, Accepts Position at University of Oregon

August 1, 2017

Nobel laureate David Wineland announced today that he plans to leave the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) this fall and has accepted a

Sub-microscopic LEDs Shed New Light on Advanced Materials

July 12, 2017

One of the persistent challenges in 21 st century metrology is the need to measure ever-more-detailed properties of ever-smaller things, from microchip features

Close up shot of the NIST Kibble balance with two kilograms stacked on it

New Measurement Will Help Redefine International Unit of Mass

June 30, 2017

Using a state-of-the-art device for measuring mass, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made their most precise

Advanced communications
-Open Radio Access Network (Open-RAN)
-Quantum communications
-Spectrum sharing
-Wireless (RF)
Bioscience
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--Biological data
-Bioimaging
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--Biosurveillance
--Genomic cybersecurity
--Nucleic acid sequence screening
-Cell measurements
-Engineering / synthetic biology
--Biofabrication
--Cell-free systems
--Genome engineering
--Protein engineering
-Gene delivery systems
-Genome editing
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Buildings and Construction
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Chemistry
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Electronics
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Energy
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-Electric power / smart grid
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Environment
-Air / water / soil quality
-Climate Measurements
-Environmental health
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Fire
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Forensic Science
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Health
-Biopharmaceuticals
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-Clinical diagnostics
--Cancer
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-Food and nutrition
-Human microbiome
-Precision medicine
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--Flow cytometry
Information technology
-Artificial intelligence
--AI measurement and evaluation
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-Complex systems
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--Trustworthy networks
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-Data and informatics
--Human language technology
--Information retrieval
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-Interoperability testing
-Location based services
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--Mobile and wireless networking
--Network management and monitoring
--Network modeling and analysis
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--Network test and measurement
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--Protocol design and standardization
--Software defined and virtual networks
-Privacy
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--Accessibility
-Video analytics
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-Voting systems
Infrastructure
Manufacturing
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-Factory communications
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-Interoperability in manufacturing
-Machining
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-Manufacturing quality assurance
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-Monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics
-Process improvement
-Process measurement and control
-Product data
-Robotics in manufacturing
--Agility and adaptability
--Collaborative robots
--Dexterous grasping
--Manipulation
--Mobility and industrial autonomous vehicles
--Navigation / actuation / control
--Sensing and perception
-Supply chain
-Sustainable manufacturing
-Systems engineering
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-Technology commercialization
Materials
-Ceramics
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-Materials characterization
--Composition and structure
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-Metals
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-Polymers
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Mathematics and statistics
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-Image and signal processing
-Modeling and simulation research
-Numerical methods and software
-Statistical analysis
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Metrology
-Amount of substance
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-Electrical / electromagnetic metrology
-Flow metrology and rheology
-Force metrology
-Humidity metrology
-Ionizing radiation metrology
-Mass metrology
-Metric
-Optical / photometry / laser metrology
-Pressure and vacuum metrology
-Thermometry metrology
-Time and frequency metrology
-Weights and measures
Nanotechnology
-Nanobiotechnology
-Nanochemistry
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-Nanofabrication / manufacturing
--Lithography
--Self-assembly
-Nanofluidics
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Neutron research
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Physics
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Public safety
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-First responder preparedness
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-Community resilience
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