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Physical Measurement Laboratory / Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division

Photonics and Optomechanics Group

News and Updates

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Calculating Quantum Vacuum Forces in Nanostructures

February 7, 2013

One of the surprising predictions of quantum mechanics is that uncharged conductors can attract each other over small distances, even in empty space. While the

Photons Emitted by Quantum Dots Can be Made Indistinguishable Through Quantum Frequency Conversion

December 19, 2012

An international collaboration led by researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology has demonstrated the ability to make photons emitted

New Platform Developed to Measure and Exploit Optomechanical Interactions

December 12, 2012

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology and Caltech have developed a new design platform for measuring and exploiting strong

Schematic of the disk-cantilever sensor geometry.

Researchers Develop Versatile Optomechanical Sensors for Atomic Force Microscopy

October 24, 2012

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have developed on-chip optomechanical sensors for atomic force microscopy (AFM) that

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

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

Micromechanical Mirror Performs Under Pressure...Of Light

April 6, 2012

A team of scientists from PML's Quantum Measurement Division has designed and tested a novel device [1] that may lead to substantial progress in the new and

Nanopower: Avoiding Electrolyte Failure in Nanoscale Lithium Batteries

March 20, 2012

It turns out you can be too thin—especially if you're a nanoscale battery. Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the

NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology Researchers Efficiently Couple Light from a Plane Wave into a Surface Plasmon Mode

February 1, 2012

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have made a grating coupler that transmits over 45 % of the incident optical energy from a

CNST Collaboration Resolves Century-Long Debate Over How to Describe Electromagnetic Momentum Density in Matter

December 28, 2011

Researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology and the University of British Columbia have shown that the interaction between a light

CNST Collaboration Tunes Viscous Drag on Superhydrophobic Surfaces

November 30, 2011

By measuring the motion of a vibrating, porous membrane separating water and air, researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, the

Tiny Levers, Big Moves in Piezoelectric Sensors

November 22, 2011

A team of university researchers, aided by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have succeeded in integrating a new, highly

CNST and ITL Researchers Change the Color and Shape of a Single Photon

October 5, 2011

A team of researchers from the CNST and ITL has simultaneously changed the color and shape of a single photon, the smallest unit of light. The work, reported in

CNST Researchers Use Nanophotonics to More Efficiently Extract Photons from Single Semiconductor Quantum Dots

September 14, 2011

An international team of researchers led by the CNST has developed a new type of nanophotonic cavity that improves the efficiency of photon collection from

CNST Researchers Elucidate Micro-Optical Techniques for Solid-State Materials Characterization

July 27, 2011

In a chapter of the recently published book Optical Techniques for Solid-State Materials Characterization,* CNST researchers provide a detailed overview and

CNST's Kartik Srinivasan Receives Sigma Xi Young Scientist Award

July 6, 2011

CNST researcher Kartik Srinivasan was honored with the Sigma Xi Young Scientist Award for 2011. He shared this prestigious prize with Sheng Lin-Gibson, Acting

CNST Researchers Demonstrate Electo-Optic Modulation of Single Photons from a Quantum Dot

June 29, 2011

In a recent article in Applied Physics Letters,* CNST researchers demonstrated how commercially available electro-optic modulators can be used to tailor the

CNST Researchers Develop Integrated Nanomechanical Sensor for Atomic Force Microscopy

June 1, 2011

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is an important tool for nanoscale surface metrology. Typical AFMs map local tip-surface interactions by scanning a flexible

Schematic of flat electron wavefronts twisted into a fan of helices using a very thin film with a 5-micron-diameter pattern of nanoscale slits

NIST Puts a New Twist on the Electron Beam

January 13, 2011

Electron microscopes are among the most widely used scientific and medical tools for studying and understanding a wide range of materials, from biological

NIST, Harvard Researchers Share 2010 Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics

October 26, 2010

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) physical scientist Henri Lezec and Federico Capasso of Harvard have received the Julius Springer Prize for

This Little Light of Mine: Changing the Color of Single Photons Emitted by Quantum Dots

October 13, 2010

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated* for the first time the conversion of near-infrared 1,300 nm

Efficient Optical Fiber Technique Shown to Probe Individual Emitters

July 26, 2010

Using electromagnetic simulations, researchers from the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have shown that fiber taper waveguides can be a very

CNST Researchers Design Optical Interface to Probe Single Quantum Dots

November 30, 2009

CNST researchers have designed a nanophotonic interface to very efficiently collect light emitted from single semiconductor quantum dots, providing an avenue

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