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Physical Measurement Laboratory

Applied Physics Division

News and Updates

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NIST Launches New Calibration Service for High-Power Lasers

October 29, 2014

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched a new calibration service for high-power lasers of the sort used by manufacturers for

Photo illustration of NIST experiment using a pair of laser frequency combs

NIST 'Combs' the Atmosphere to Measure Greenhouse Gases

October 29, 2014

By remotely "combing" the atmosphere with a custom laser-based instrument, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in

Better Diagnostic Imaging for Traumatic Brain Injuries

October 23, 2014

Image-calibration technology designed and developed by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in collaboration with the

NIST Laser Comb System Maps 3D Surfaces Remotely for Manufacturing, Forensics

October 7, 2014

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a laser-based imaging system that creates high-definition 3D maps of

NIST chip containing a single-photon detector made of superconducting nanowires. Four chips like this were used in the experiment that entangled three photons.

Three's a Charm: NIST Detectors Reveal Entangled Photon Triplets

September 15, 2014

Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have directly entangled three photons in the most technologically useful state for the first time, thanks in

NIST engineer Tasshi Dennis with NIST's solar simulator based on a white light laser.

Novel NIST Laser System Mimics Sunlight to Test Solar Cell Efficiency

May 28, 2014

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a laser-based instrument that generates artificial sunlight to help test

AFM Systems Take a Tip from Nanowires

May 22, 2014

In response to requests from the semiconductor industry,* a team of PML researchers has demonstrated that atomic force microscope (AFM) probe tips made from its

NIST Chips Help BICEP2 Telescope Find Direct Evidence of Origin of the Universe

March 18, 2014

Editor’s Note (Feb. 3, 2025): After this NIST news article was published, the BICEP2 team members found an error in their analysis and retracted their

Magnetic Attraction: Physicists Pay Homage to the SQUID at 50

March 11, 2014

From humble beginnings in a series of accidental discoveries, SQUIDs have invaded and enhanced many areas of science and medicine, thanks, in part, to the

prototype receiver for laser communications

Clever NIST/JPL Technology Decodes More Information from Single Photons

February 11, 2014

It's not quite Star Trek communications—yet. But long-distance communications in space may be easier now that researchers at the National Institute of Standards

simulation of laser flashes on windshield

Helping the Judicial System Understand Laser Strikes on Aircraft

January 14, 2014

Joshua Hadler and colleagues in PML's Quantum Electronics and Photonics Division have devised a simple, accurate measurement system that can help law

Probing the Inner Secrets of Nanowires

December 11, 2013

Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are vanishingly small: NWs from a recent batch made by scientists in PML's Quantum Electronics and Photonics Division measure

NIST Calibration Tools to Encourage Use of Novel Medical Imaging Technique

December 3, 2013

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed prototype calibration tools for an experimental medical imaging technique that offers

Force to be Reckoned With: NIST Measures Laser Power with Portable Scale

October 22, 2013

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a novel method for measuring laser power by reflecting the light off

NIST Carbon Nanotube Chips Go Ballooning for Climate Science

October 22, 2013

A huge plastic balloon floated high in the skies over New Mexico on Sept. 29, 2013, carrying instruments to collect climate-related test data with the help of

NIST Unveils Prototype Video Imaging System for Remote Detection of Hidden Threats

September 30, 2013

By adapting superconducting technology used in advanced telescope cameras, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built a

The Persistence of Memory: Looking into MRAM

August 5, 2013

Many in the electronics industry want to change how memories are made. So PML scientists are exploring the physics and developing the metrology required to do

MRI Phantoms: Moving to the Next Stage

June 21, 2013

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an indispensable tool for diagnosing, treating, and understanding a host of medical conditions, and the technology

Closing the Last Bell-test Loophole for Photons

June 3, 2013

An international team of researchers has reached a milestone in experimental confirmation of a key tenet of quantum mechanics, using ultra-sensitive photon

NIST Demonstrates Transfer of Ultraprecise Time Signals over a Wireless Optical Channel

April 30, 2013

By bouncing eye-safe laser pulses off a mirror on a hillside, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have transferred

Super-Nanotubes: 'Remarkable' Spray-on Coating Combines Carbon Nanotubes with Ceramic

April 17, 2013

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Kansas State University have demonstrated a spray-on mixture of carbon nanotubes

NIST Boulder researcher Johannes (Hannes) Hubmayr

NIST Goes to the End of the Earth for Measurement Science

April 3, 2013

NIST Boulder researcher Johannes (Hannes) Hubmayr recently spent several weeks at the South Pole Telescope, where he optimized the performance of a NIST camera

NIST Tests Underscore Potential Hazards of Green Laser Pointers

March 20, 2013

Using a low-cost apparatus designed to quickly and accurately measure the properties of handheld laser devices, National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST Quantum Refrigerator Offers Extreme Cooling and Convenience

March 5, 2013

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a solid-state refrigerator that uses quantum physics in micro- and

MRI: Contrast Agents of Change

March 5, 2013

Thanks to burgeoning progress in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), it may soon be possible to track and study, in vivo and in real time, heretofore invisible

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