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Physical Measurement Laboratory

Applied Physics Division

News and Updates

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Topic Area

Laser Radiometry: Powering Up

June 11, 2012

"If you made a long distance phone call or sent an email today, or if you're wearing clothes, then you are benefiting directly from our laser services," says

Looking At and Into the Ultra-Small

June 8, 2012

NIST is taking a huge step into the ultra-small with the Precision Imaging Facility (PIF) now being outfitted in new Precision Measurement Laboratory on the

Colorized micrograph of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Prototype NIST Device Measures Absolute Optical Power in Fiber at Nanowatt Levels

December 20, 2011

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a prototype device capable of absolute measurements of optical power

Powerful NIST Detectors on Hawaiian Telescope to Probe Origins of Stars, Planets and Galaxies

December 6, 2011

The world's largest submillimeter camera—based on superconducting technology designed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)—is now ready

Optically pumped GaN nanowire laser shown glowing orange.

Bright Future for GaN Nanowires

November 25, 2011

The gallium nitride nanowires grown by PML scientists may only be a few tenths of a micrometer in diameter, but they promise a very wide range of applications

Adding Up Photons with a TES

November 14, 2011

Scientists have demonstrated that a superconducting detector called a transition edge sensor (TES) is capable of counting the number of as many as 1,000 photons

Micrograph of magnetic microfluidic chip

Magnetic Attraction: NIST/CU Microchip Demonstrates Concept of 'MRAM for Biomolecules'

October 13, 2011

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and University of Colorado Boulder (CU) have developed a low-power microchip that

Piece of Cake: Arrays of Long Nanotubes May Help Measure Terahertz Laser Power

July 19, 2011

Terahertz radiation can penetrate numerous materials—plastic, clothing, paper and some biological tissues—making it an attractive candidate for applications

NIST Prototype 'Optics Table on a Chip' Places Microwave Photon in Two Colors at Once

July 6, 2011

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created a tunable superconducting circuit on a chip that can place a single

NIST's superconducting circuit containing a 'micro drum' sitting atop of a penny to show how much smaller it is.

Cooler Than Ever: NIST Mechanical Micro-Drum Chilled to Quantum Ground State

July 6, 2011

BOULDER, Colo. – Showcasing new tools for widespread development of quantum circuits made of mechanical parts, scientists from the National Institute of

Colorized micrograph of ultrafast single-photon detector

Key Ingredient: Change in Material Boosts Prospects of Ultrafast Single-photon Detector

June 30, 2011

By swapping one superconducting material for another, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found a practical way to

Graph shows the NIST detector's linear increase in frequency as a function of time

The Secret Behind NIST's New Gas Detector? Chirp Before Sniffing

May 10, 2011

Trace gas detection, the ability to detect a scant quantity of a particular molecule—a whiff of formaldehyde or a hint of acetone—in a vast sea of others

NIST physicist Samuel Benz with the two components that are compared in the first electronic measurement of the Boltzmann constant.

A Measurement First: NIST 'Noise Thermometry' System Measures Boltzmann Constant

March 30, 2011

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have for the first time used an apparatus that relies on the "noise" of jiggling

Collage of images from NIST museum of voltage standards.

Celebrating Superconductivity: NIST Debuts Online Museum of Quantum Voltage Standards

March 30, 2011

On April 8, 2011, the scientific community will celebrate the centennial of the discovery of superconductivity—the ability of certain materials to conduct

Colorized micrograph of NIST's aluminum drum

NIST Electromechanical Circuit Sets Record Beating Microscopic 'Drum'

March 9, 2011

BOULDER, Colo.—Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated an electromechanical circuit in which microwaves

Etched Quantum Dots Shape Up as Single Photon Emitters, NIST Tests Show

February 22, 2011

Like snowflakes or fingerprints, no two quantum dots are identical. But a new etching method for shaping and positioning these semiconductor nanocrystals might

Integrated circuit for NIST's new programmable AC/DC 10-volt standard

NIST Ships First Programmable AC/DC 10-Volt Standard

October 26, 2010

Extending its 26-year tradition of innovative quantum voltage standards, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have begun

NIST Researchers Create 'Quantum Cats' Made of Light

August 31, 2010

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created "quantum cats" made of photons (particles of light), boosting prospects

Colorized micrograph of the world's darkest material

Extreme Darkness: Carbon Nanotube Forest Covers NIST's Ultra-dark Detector

August 17, 2010

Harnessing darkness for practical use, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a laser power detector coated

Nano 'Pin Art': NIST Arrays Are Step Toward Mass Production of Nanowires

July 21, 2010

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have cultivated many thousands of nanocrystals in what looks like a pinscreen or "pin

Meet Phannie, NIST's Standard 'Phantom' for Calibrating MRI Machines

May 11, 2010

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—a widely used medical tool that relies on magnetic fields and radio waves to visualize the body's internal structures

Colorized micrograph of superconducting circuit

NIST Develops 'Dimmer Switch' for Superconducting Quantum Computing

April 27, 2010

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed the first "dimmer switch" for a superconducting circuit linking a quantum

NIST engineer Sae Woo Nam working on a photo detector

NIST Detector Counts Photons With 99 Percent Efficiency

April 13, 2010

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed the world's most efficient single photon detector, which is able to count

EEEL's New Optical Performance Monitoring of Polarization Impairment in Optical Fiber Communication, Oct 2009

October 22, 2009

High-performance optical fiber networks are susceptible to degradation effects that can change with time. An example of this is polarization-mode dispersion

New NIST Method Reveals All You Need to Know About 'Waveforms'

October 6, 2009

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has unveiled a method for calibrating entire waveforms -- graphical shapes showing how electrical

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