Physics

Esther Baumann leans over a lab table, surrounded with wires and scientific equipment.

A Laser Could Offer a Peek Into the Insides of Our Muscles or Look Through Fire

November 20, 2024

A NIST-developed laser system might someday check your muscle health when you flex your arm. These lasers can also see how an object changes during heat

Historical photo shows three men standing next to a refrigerator-sized piece of machinery with an analog clock attached to the top.

How Atomic Clocks Have Changed Our World

November 4, 2024

We spend our days immersed in time. But where does time come from? How do we track it? This has evolved along with technology in recent years.

Trey Diulus poses sitting in the lab with a large, complex scientific instrument in the foreground.

Curiosity to Career: Encouraging Students to Pursue STEM Education

September 18, 2024

A NIST researcher is volunteering to educate young students about life as a scientist — and encourage kids to envision a career for themselves in STEM.

Unlocking Our World’s Earliest Secrets — One Tiny Electron at a Time

August 7, 2024

Why do we exist? It’s a big question — and one that some of NIST’s early universe detectives are getting closer to answering.

A researcher wearing a lab coat uses tongs to place a silvery sphere into a large scientific device as another researcher looks on.

One of the World’s Roundest Objects Is Helping to Build a Better Mass Measurement

July 17, 2024

Different countries' approaches can lead to different definitions of the kilogram. But NIST is working with our international partners to see how we can close

Four people sitting outside on a green tarp wear eclipse glasses as they peer up into the sky.

NIST Researchers Measure Greenhouse Gases During the Solar Eclipse

June 5, 2024

Check out some of the things happening at NIST during the past few months through the lens of social media.

NIST Physicist’s Once Obscure Work Is Now Helping Researchers Learn About the Origins of the Universe

May 1, 2024

A NIST researcher worked in obscurity for years — until his work was needed to help us understand the origins of our universe.

A researcher wearing safety glasses reaches into a box of circuitry and other equipment, which emits a green glow.

Demystifying Quantum: It’s Here, There and Everywhere

April 10, 2024

It’s time to celebrate World Quantum Day! But what is quantum, anyway? A NIST physicist answers your questions.

A spiral-bound calendar page is blurred at the edges.

Leap Day Is Here: It Doesn’t Have to Be Your Standard Weekday

February 28, 2024

We get an extra day this year, but why do we need a leap day every four years on Feb. 29? It all comes down to standards.

Samuel Márquez Gonzalez leans forward to look through a microscope in the lab.

From Pokémon to Physics: My Journey of Perseverance Into Research

February 14, 2024

A childhood love of video games led Samuel Márquez Gonzalez to a career in science and a NIST internship program for early career researchers.

Historical photo shows Henry Moseley sitting at a desk reading a thick book, with other open books on the desk.

Henry Moseley: A Patriotic Scientist Who Changed the Periodic Table — and Then Went Off to War

February 7, 2024

At a young age, physicist Henry Moseley changed the periodic table of the elements — before dying in a bloody World War I battle.

Melinda Kleczynski poses sitting at her desk, with a monitor showing data and graphs behind her.

From Diamonds in Your Computer to Safer Medications, NIST Researchers Look at What’s Next for 2024 and Beyond

January 3, 2024

Our up-and-coming researchers look ahead to 2024 and beyond — and tell us how their work will impact the world.

An antique clock showing a few minutes before 12 is topped with a party hat, and colorful streamers hang in the background.

Auld Lang ‘Time’: One of the Country’s Timekeepers Makes Sure We Ring in 2024 at Just the Right Second

December 28, 2023

As you prepare to watch the ball drop or pop champagne on New Year’s Eve, we’ll be keeping an eye on the clock — just as we always do.

Think You Know What a Second Is? It Will Likely Change in the Next Decade.

November 8, 2023

As the world has modernized and our pace of life has increased, our relationship to time has changed.

Isabelle Rivera poses smiling at a computer with two monitors, one showing a spreadsheet and the other multiple file icons.

Reaching for the Stars: My Summer Internship Learning About Spectroscopy in Space and on Earth

October 4, 2023

As a summer high school intern at NIST, I got to take a deep dive into one of the ways scientists study space — the absorption and emission of light by matter

Two people wearing coveralls in a "clean room" lab look up at a disk-shaped object that one of them is holding.

Agents of Contrast, Software Runaway Hit, Our Early Universe: A Sample of Stories on NIST Social Media

September 6, 2023

Curious? It’s time to get you caught up on a few of the summer happenings at NIST.

Grace Waters poses smiling in the lab, leaning against a desk with a computer monitor showing data and graphs.

A Summer of Science: NIST Interns’ Stories of Their Time in the Lab

August 2, 2023

From measuring UV light to working on virtual reality software, a summer at NIST is not your average internship.

Drawing of Nikola Tesla with his chin propped on his hand.

What’s in a Name? The Tesla

July 10, 2023

Do you enjoy flipping on the light switch? Well, you can thank Nikola Tesla — born 167 years ago today.

From Escaping a War to Becoming a Mom of 3 at Once, Science Has Always Been There for Me

July 26, 2023

I learned as a young adult not to get attached to material things; they can be gone in an instant. But there were some things I knew no one could take — an

NIST researchers Yoshi Ohno and Jane Li demonstrate different types of lighting in their lab on NIST’s campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The Eye of the Beholder: How Lighting Affects Our Color Perception

June 28, 2023

Remember the social media controversy over the color of a dress? That’s a lighthearted example of how illumination can affect the things we see, but this is

Under Pressure: Blaise Pascal, the Barometer and Bike Tires

June 14, 2023

On his 400th birthday, we celebrate the scientist whose name is the unit of measurement for air, bike and car tire pressure. You should read it. No pressure.

Benchy the Boat, Irradiated Mangoes, Quantum Window: A Sample of Stories on NIST Social Media

May 31, 2023

NIST’s research can range from the complex to the downright whimsical, but all the papers published here can trace back to a benefit for everyone in the U.S.

From GPS to Laser Pointers, Quantum Science Is All Around Us

April 12, 2023

Ahead of World Quantum Day this week, we asked Andrew Wilson, who leads NIST’s Quantum Physics Division, to explain just what exactly quantum science is and why

NIST’s Researchers Look Ahead to High-Tech Trends in 2023 and Beyond

December 27, 2022

They study topics that impact all of us, from indoor air quality to cybersecurity.

The Twelve Days of Metric

December 20, 2022

As we approach the end of 2022, we wanted to share with our readers a NISTified version of a classic seasonal song about a topic that is near and dear to our

AMO for All: How Online Portals Are Democratizing the Field of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

November 2, 2022

Portals allow less-experienced researchers to do real calculations without knowing how to build the code themselves.

A Lego structure wired to various electronic readout devices stands on a wooden counter surrounded by other scientific equipment. A sign on the concrete wall behind reads "No Turkeys Allowed."

How Lego Bricks Shaped My Career at NIST

September 7, 2022

Leon Chao explains how the popular toys inspired the first tabletop version of an ultraprecise measurement machine.

What’s a Physicist? My Summer as a Student Intern at NIST

August 31, 2022

Valeria Viteri-Pflucker found what she was looking for at NIST: hands-on experimental experience.

Six men stand in front of an airplane in a hangar, with equipment displayed on carts in front of them.

From Waxlight to Moonlight: 21st Century Standard Candles at NIST

July 6, 2022

Before I tell you about the high-altitude NASA aircraft we use and the lunar observatory we are building, let’s talk about the earliest standard for measuring

How Henrietta Lacks Changed My View of Human Cells as a Physicist

June 8, 2022

A NIST researcher has developed a whole different kind of appreciation for her samples.

Taking Measure