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Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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Shaking Up Biomolecules with Light

September 28, 2012

In living organisms, biomolecules such as proteins are constantly in complex motion, bending and flexing in different ways at different points. Each molecule

Near-Field Scanning Microwave Microscope: Big at the Nanoscale

September 28, 2012

NIST's ability to determine the composition and physics of nanoscale materials and devices is about to improve dramatically with the arrival of a new near-field

PML Plays a Central Role in Standards Agreement by 22 Federal Agencies

September 27, 2012

PML researchers played a central role in the establishment of new testing and evaluation (T&E) standards for radiation and nuclear detectors about to be adopted

NIST Handbook 156 - 2012 Edition

September 26, 2012

NIST Handbook 156 - Program Handbook for Engine Fuels, Petroleum and Lubricant Laboratories Introduction This handbook provides guidance on how to establish a

False-color scanning electron micrograph of a nanophotonic motion sensor.

A Fast and Sensitive Nanophotonic Motion Sensor Developed for Silicon Microdevices

September 19, 2012

Using a microscopic optical sensor that can be batch-fabricated on a silicon chip at low cost, Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and

Jacob Taylor, NIST Physicist, Receives Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal for Public Service

September 14, 2012

On September 13, 2012, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physicist Jacob Taylor received a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal

Researchers Introduce New Method for Imaging Defects in Magnetic Nanodevices

September 12, 2012

A team of researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, and the University of Maryland

The World's Most Stable Laser

September 10, 2012

The world's most stable laser – with frequency variation of no more than 2 parts in 10,000 trillion – has been developed and tested by an international

NIST 'Hybrid Metrology' Method Could Improve Computer Chips

September 5, 2012

A refined method developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for measuring nanometer-sized objects may help computer manufacturers

SEM image of the waveguide cross-section of the low-noise frequency converter

CNST Researchers Demonstrate Low-Noise, Chip-Based Optical Wavelength Converter

September 5, 2012

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have demonstrated a low-noise device for changing the wavelength of light using

Simulating the Sun for Photovoltaic Research

August 29, 2012

PML researchers have devised a novel source of portable sunlight that may fill an urgent need in renewable energy research – namely, light sources that generate

Researchers Determine the Optimum Path for Tracking Fluorescent Nanoparticles Using a Laser

August 29, 2012

NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology researchers Gregg Gallatin and Andrew Berglund (now at Quantifind in Palo Alto, CA) have determined the optimum

PML Goes to Mars: Far-Out Thermal Calibration

August 29, 2012

Sometimes the chain of measurement traceability – the unbroken series of links between a calibrated instrument and the official NIST standard – can get pretty

Disseminating the Kilogram, No Strings Attached

August 24, 2012

The impending redefinition of the kilogram presents a weighty dilemma. Methods to be used to realize the redefined kilogram are based on the Planck constant and

PML Uses Combined Optical Techniques to Provide Important Answers on Graphene Structures

August 13, 2012

That graphene is the hot new material in the world of future electronics manufacturing is well known. With its high carrier mobility and low noise, graphene is

A microfluidic lab on a chip device sitting on a polystyrene dish.

NIST Focuses on Testing Standards to Support Lab on a Chip Commercialization

August 8, 2012

Lab on a chip (LOC) devices—microchip-size systems that can prepare and analyze tiny fluid samples with volumes ranging from a few microliters (millionth of a

NIST's Speedy Ions Could Add Zip to Quantum Computers

August 8, 2012

Take that, sports cars! Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can accelerate their beryllium ions from zero to 100 miles per

This short movie shows the image of the 'N' in NIST being randomly amplified and de-amplified by the four-wave mixing technique.

Seeing the Light with NIST's New Noiseless Optical Amplifier

August 8, 2012

Most devices that amplify light suffer from the same problem: making the image brighter also adds muddying distortion. Scientists working at the National

This cartridge case shows the three distinct marks, or 'signatures,' impressed on its surface when it was fired by a gun

Shelling Out Evidence: NIST Ballistic Standard Helps Tie Guns to Criminals

August 8, 2012

Thanks to a new reference standard developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), law enforcement agencies will have an easier time

CNST Releases the Summer 2012 Edition of The CNST News

August 8, 2012

The NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) is pleased to announce the release of the summer 2012 edition of The CNST News. This quarterly

Researchers Track Nanoparticle Dynamics in Three Dimensions

August 1, 2012

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have used three-dimensional single-particle tracking to measure the dynamic behavior of

A close-up photo of the center of the experimental set-up. The small transparent chamber that holds the ultracold rubidium atoms is surrounded by a dotted line.

Simulating Superconductors with a Touch of Disorder

July 26, 2012

Since their discovery in 1986, high-temperature (high-Tc) superconductors have been the subject of intense interest to researchers. But the mechanism behind the

Three NIST Researchers Earn Presidential Honor

July 25, 2012

The White House has announced that three researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will receive the 2011 Presidential Early

MEMS Reference Material: Tiny Dimensions, Big Impact

July 23, 2012

Over the past two decades, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have become ubiquitous, with applications in cell phones, ink-jet printers, accelerometers and

New SRM for Bullet Casings

July 23, 2012

At a time when the reliability of crime lab findings is under increasing scrutiny, PML researchers have provided law enforcement with an important new tool for

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