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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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CNST Releases the Summer 2016 Edition of the CNST News

August 15, 2016

The NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) is pleased to announce the release of the Summer 2016 edition of The CNST News. This quarterly...

Upgrades to Sputter Tools

August 9, 2016

The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology is upgrading the NanoFab’ s two Denton Vacuum sputtering systems: Sputter 1 and Sputter 2. Both tools will be...

student wearing helmet with multi-colored wires

Detecting Brain Waves with Atomic Vapor

July 26, 2016

It's really hard to hear what the brain is saying. Neural impulses -- currents of ions moving through channels between the brain's 100 billion neurons at a...

A 3D topographic surface map of the base of a fired 9 mm bullet.

NIST 3D Ballistics Research Database Goes Live

July 7, 2016

It's a staple of the TV-crime drama: a ballistics expert tries to match two bullets using a microscope with a split-screen display. One bullet was recovered...

Alex Galli monitors a profilometer using quality control software he implemented and configured during his internship at the CNST.

CNST: From internship to job

July 1, 2016

A year ago, Alex Galli graduated from the University of Kansas with an interest in nanotechnology but no experience in the field. Now he's employed in a...

CNST: Lights, camera, action .... award!

June 29, 2016

Leniart and her crew, including a student reporter, visited the CNST last year, donning bunny suits to film process engineer Gerard Henein in the clean room...

CNST's Nano-fare Draws a Crowd at the Maker Faire

June 21, 2016

At last weekend's National Maker Faire in Washington, D.C., tech-savvy tinkerers, crafters and educators gave the public the chance to interact with a...

NIST's Newest Watt Balance Brings World One Step Closer to New Kilogram

June 21, 2016

A high-tech version of an old-fashioned balance scale at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has just brought scientists a critical step...

Physicists measured something new in the radioactive decay of neutrons

June 14, 2016

A physics experiment performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has enhanced scientists' understanding of how free neutrons decay...

NIST's Super Quantum Simulator 'Entangles' Hundreds of Ions

June 9, 2016

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have "entangled" or linked together the properties of up to 219 beryllium ions (charged...

NIST System Replicated by Chip Maker

June 6, 2016

A highly sensitive measurement system for the performance of nanoscale magnetic devices, invented and developed at NIST, was successfully replicated recently by...

Million-Pound Deadweight Machine Officially Open for Business

June 2, 2016

The last few bolts were tightened just weeks ago – by hand. Now fully restored, NIST's 4.45 meganewton (one million pounds-force) deadweight machine – the...

SF6 Shows Promise as Mercury Substitute

May 27, 2016

Elemental mercury – which is being phased out of commercial thermometers worldwide due to safety concerns – may also be replaced as a temperature reference...

3D Laser Scanner Runoff Pushes New Standard Towards the Finish Line

May 25, 2016

Update: The work that was described in this article led to the publishing of the ASTM E3125-17 standard in December 2017. Large-volume 3D laser scanners play...

Powered by Quantum Cycles: Cold-Atom Pump

May 25, 2016

By manipulating the behavior of particles at a quantum level, scientists at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI, a research partnership of NIST and the University...

This JILA instrument uses a frequency comb to detect large, complex molecules based on the precise frequencies, or colors, of light they absorb.

JILA Extends Laser 'Combing' Method to Identify Large, Complex Molecules

May 4, 2016

BOULDER, Colo. – JILA physicists have extended the capability of their powerful laser "combing" technique to identify the structures of large, complex molecules...

CNST Releases the Spring 2016 Edition of the CNST News

April 27, 2016

The NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) is pleased to announce the release of the Spring 2016 edition of The CNST News. This quarterly...

New Chip-Based Sensor Finds Power in Versatility

April 26, 2016

Whether you're using a landline or cell phone, there's a good chance that the signal spends at least some time traveling over fiber-optic cables. To ensure that...

NIST's Million-Pound Weight Stack Restoration is Complete

April 25, 2016

It's official: NIST's 4.45-million newton (equivalent to one million pounds-force) deadweight machine – the largest in the world – is back in one piece after a...

Head to Head: Photonic Pressure Sensors vs. Mercury-Based Standard

April 21, 2016

When a team of researchers at NIST's Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) first tested a new kind of pressure sensor two years ago, initial results showed it...

NIST Could Help Keep Sequestered Carbon From Blowin' in the Wind

April 20, 2016

Capturing carbon dioxide gas and storing it underground is a promising strategy for reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Scientists at the National...

False-color scanning electron micrograph of a nanophotonic frequency converter

New Nanodevice Shifts Light's Color at Single-Photon Level

April 18, 2016

Converting a single photon from one color, or frequency, to another is an essential tool in quantum communication, which harnesses the subtle correlations...

new instrument for accelerometer testing

Precision Testing for MEMS Accelerometers

April 8, 2016

They activate airbags. Keep aircraft correctly positioned in flight. Detect earthquakes or sudden vibrations in failing machinery. Guide military hardware...

Newly Patented NIST Technique Creates Precisely Sized Nanocontainers Useful for Drug Delivery

April 7, 2016

What if doctors could deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to tumors without making patients sick? Bringing this dream of targeted drug delivery closer to reality...

Improving CD-AFM Measurements from the Tip Down

March 31, 2016

As the sizes of computer chips in electronic devices continue to shrink, traditional measurement tools (e.g., microscopes utilizing visible light) are no longer...

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