Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Physical Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

Keyword

Topic Area

New NIST Measurements Aim to Advance and Validate Portable MRI Technology

July 17, 2023

A new wave of smaller, less expensive MRI systems promises to expand the delivery of health care and the capabilities of medicine.

white matter mimic in the bottom half of the artificial cranium

Lessons from an Experimental Brain Phantom

July 12, 2023

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and colleagues have developed a novel, anatomically accurate reference model of the

Sam Oberdick and Gary Zabow pose for a picture, standing together with lab equipment in the background.

Spotlight: The Creative Minds Working Behind the Scenes on Agents of MRI Contrast

July 7, 2023

You might not recognize these two faces from such NIST social media hits as “microprinting with candy” and “molds for microparticles,” but they were behind that

Illustrated molecules, represented by red spheres and blue spheres connected by a white cylinder, fill a dark blue field. Alongside the molecules are electrons, represented by light blue spheres with directional arrows pointing through them.

Why Does Matter Exist? Roundness of Electrons May Hold Clues

July 6, 2023

JILA physicists make record-breaking measurement of a key electron property.

New NIST Licensing Opportunity Teems with Potential Applications

July 5, 2023

Max Planck, one of the Twentieth Century’s most eminent physicists, observed, "An experiment is a question that science poses to Nature, and a measurement is

NIST-Designed Photonic Chip Transforms a Single Beam of Light Into Multiple Beams, Each With a Panoply of Different Properties

June 30, 2023

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised a photonic circuit on a chip that transforms a single incoming beam of

New York State Annual Weights and Measures Association Meeting and Training School

June 30, 2023

NIST OWM had the opportunity and pleasure to attend the New York State Annual Weights and Measures Association and Training School the week of June 12-16, held

Green tool box with Learning Tools lettered in white

NIST OWM’s Informal Learning Resources

June 30, 2023

A few months ago, NIST OWM reached out to state weights and measures directors for their input on OWM’s “informal learning resources.” Through a series of

Man holding laptop with hexagonal shapes with images and Legal Metrology written in one

Our Digital Future in Legal Metrology: Lessons Learned from the International Conference of Weighing

June 30, 2023

On April 24-26, 2023 the European Weighing Industry Association ( CECIP) organized the first meeting of the International Conference of Weighing (ICW) in

NIST OWM Strategic Plan

June 30, 2023

As the NIST OWM Chief, I am very pleased to announce the completion and launch of the OWM Strategic Plan (FY2023 – FY2027). OWM has a long-standing history in U

Jun Ye: A Timely Profile

June 26, 2023

Physicist Jun Ye has a knack for making every second count—literally. At JILA, a joint research institute of the University of Colorado and the National

A blue-tinged drawing shows a schematic of the two qubits and resonator above a white rectangle, which represents the SQUID device that controls the connections and relationships among the qubits and resonator elements.

NIST ‘Toggle Switch’ Can Help Quantum Computers Cut Through the Noise

June 26, 2023

The novel device could lead to more versatile quantum processors with clearer outputs.

New Tiny Atomic Beam Clock Could Bring Stable Timing to Places GPS Can’t Reach

June 21, 2023

A new type of miniature atomic clock could provide better timing over the span of weeks and months compared with current systems.

Leveling-Up SEM Measurements for Chip Manufacturing

May 31, 2023

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and KLA Corporation, a provider of inspection and measurement systems for the

NIST Team Demonstrates Novel Way to Convert Heat to Electricity

May 19, 2023

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have fabricated a novel device that could dramatically boost the conversion of heat

Spotlight: Researcher Sae Woo Nam Speeds Up Our World With Photon Detection

May 18, 2023

He and his colleagues built a detector that’s now used all over the world.

NIST/JILA Physicist Ana Maria Rey Elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 9, 2023

As a theoretical physicist, Ana Maria Rey studies atomic, molecular and optical physics, condensed matter physics and quantum information science.

Flat surface designed with black lines that outline a red box and extend outward into a gold exterior. A gold column full of black lines cuts across the red box. At its center, a box in a faint green is surrounded by a thin silver border.

Spotlight: Differing Device Personalities Come Together for Future Quantum Computing Networks

April 28, 2023

We’re building the tools to trap ions and watch them glow (or not). The art-deco-esque device shown here is a combined trap for ions (charged atoms) and

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope collaboration, which includes scientists from NIST, Unveils New Map of Dark Matter

April 17, 2023

A groundbreaking new image taken by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) in Chile reveals the most detailed map ever taken of the distribution of dark matter

NIST Scientists Develop Novel CT Scan Device for Integrated Circuits

April 14, 2023

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their colleagues have developed a novel tabletop device that takes three

Manipulating Multiple Lasers on a Single Chip: Paving the Way for a New Generation of Quantum Devices

April 10, 2023

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed chip-scale devices for simultaneously manipulating the color, focus

JILA’s Frequency Comb Breathalyzer Detects COVID-19 With Excellent Accuracy

April 6, 2023

JILA researchers have upgraded a breathalyzer based on Nobel Prize-winning frequency-comb technology and combined it with machine learning to detect SARS-CoV-2

An SRM for the Verification of 3D Optical Medical Imaging Devices

April 4, 2023

Medical imaging devices and systems must be calibrated to ensure uniformity and reliability of test results. A Standard Reference Material (SRM) or "phantom"

NIST’s NanoFab Reopens its Doors to Universities, Industry, and Research Institutions

April 3, 2023

In the Lilliputian world of nanofabrication, where billions of microscopic circuit elements are sculpted or imprinted on a fingernail-sized silicon chip

Samantha Walker stands next to a four-tiered instrument suspended in the air.

Spotlight: Graduate Student Sam Walker Found Her Place in Space With NIST Detectors

March 31, 2023

NIST researcher Samantha Walker builds time machines. Not like in the movies, but her technology can help astronomers see the earliest light in our universe.

Advanced communications
-Open Radio Access Network (Open-RAN)
-Quantum communications
-Spectrum sharing
-Wireless (RF)
Bioscience
-Bioeconomy
--Biological data
-Bioimaging
-Bioinformatics
-Biomanufacturing
-Biomaterials
-Biometrology
-Biosecurity
--Biosurveillance
--Genomic cybersecurity
--Nucleic acid sequence screening
-Cell measurements
-Engineering / synthetic biology
--Biofabrication
--Cell-free systems
--Genome engineering
--Protein engineering
-Gene delivery systems
-Genome editing
-Genomics
-Glycomics
-Metabolomics
-Microbial measurements
-Proteomics
-Transcriptomics
Buildings and Construction
-Building codes and standards
-Building control systems
-Building damage and repair
-Building economics
-Building materials
-Energy efficiency
-Heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment
-Indoor air quality
-Structural engineering
-Thermal comfort
Chemistry
-Analytical chemistry
-Chemical engineering and processing
-Chemical thermodynamics and chemical properties
-Molecular characterization
-Theoretical chemistry and modeling
-Thermochemical properties
Electronics
-Electromagnetics
-Flexible electronics
-Magnetoelectronics
-Optoelectronics
-Organic electronics
-Semiconductors
-Sensors
-Superconducting electronics
Energy
-Alternative energy
-Conventional energy
-Electric power / smart grid
-Fuels
Environment
-Air / water / soil quality
-Climate Measurements
-Environmental health
-Greenhouse gas measurements
-Marine science
-Sustainability
Fire
-Fire detection
-Fire dynamics and science
-Fire fighting
-Fire modeling
-Fire risk reduction
-Materials flammability
-Structural fire resistance
-Wildland urban interface fire
Forensic Science
-Digital evidence
-Drugs and toxicology
-Firearms and toolmarks
-Forensic biometrics
-Forensic genetics
-Trace evidence
Health
-Biopharmaceuticals
-Cell and gene therapy
-Clinical diagnostics
--Cancer
--Medical imaging
-Food and nutrition
-Human microbiome
-Precision medicine
-Regenerative medicine and advanced therapy
--Flow cytometry
Information technology
-Artificial intelligence
--AI measurement and evaluation
--Applied AI
--Fundamental AI
--Hardware for AI
--Machine learning
--Trustworthy and responsible AI
-Biometrics
-Cloud computing and virtualization
-Complex systems
-Computational science
-Conformance testing
-Cyber-physical systems
--Smart cities
-Cybersecurity
--Cryptography
--Cybersecurity education and workforce development
--Cybersecurity measurement
--Identity and access management
--Privacy engineering
--Risk management
--Securing emerging technologies
--Trustworthy networks
--Trustworthy platforms
-Data and informatics
--Human language technology
--Information retrieval
--Natural language processing
-Federal information processing standards (FIPS)
-Health IT
-Internet of Things (IoT)
-Interoperability testing
-Location based services
-Mobile
-Networking
--Mobile and wireless networking
--Network management and monitoring
--Network modeling and analysis
--Network security and robustness
--Network test and measurement
--Next generation networks
--Protocol design and standardization
--Software defined and virtual networks
-Privacy
-Software research
--Software testing
-Usability and human factors
--Accessibility
-Video analytics
-Virtual / augmented reality
-Visualization research
-Voting systems
Infrastructure
Manufacturing
-Additive manufacturing
-Factory communications
-Factory operations planning and control
-Interoperability in manufacturing
-Machining
-Manufacturing economics
-Manufacturing quality assurance
-Manufacturing systems design and analysis
-Monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics
-Process improvement
-Process measurement and control
-Product data
-Robotics in manufacturing
--Agility and adaptability
--Collaborative robots
--Dexterous grasping
--Manipulation
--Mobility and industrial autonomous vehicles
--Navigation / actuation / control
--Sensing and perception
-Supply chain
-Sustainable manufacturing
-Systems engineering
-Systems integration
-Technology commercialization
Materials
-Ceramics
-Composites
-Concrete / cement
-Materials characterization
--Composition and structure
--Mechanical properties
--Thermal properties
-Metals
-Modeling and computational material science
-Polymers
-Superconductors
Mathematics and statistics
-Experiment design
-Image and signal processing
-Modeling and simulation research
-Numerical methods and software
-Statistical analysis
-Uncertainty quantification
Metrology
-Amount of substance
-Dimensional metrology
-Electrical / electromagnetic metrology
-Flow metrology and rheology
-Force metrology
-Humidity metrology
-Ionizing radiation metrology
-Mass metrology
-Metric
-Optical / photometry / laser metrology
-Pressure and vacuum metrology
-Thermometry metrology
-Time and frequency metrology
-Weights and measures
Nanotechnology
-Nanobiotechnology
-Nanochemistry
-Nanoelectronics
-Nanofabrication / manufacturing
--Lithography
--Self-assembly
-Nanofluidics
-Nanomagnetics
-Nanomaterials
-Nanomechanics
-Nanometrology
-Nanophotonics
-Nanophysics
-Nanoplasmonics
Neutron research
Performance excellence
-Assessment tools and services
-Baldrige award
-Baldrige examiners
-Baldrige Framework and Criteria
-Best practices
-Leadership development
Physics
-Atomic / molecular / quantum
-Biological physics
-Condensed matter
-Electron physics
-Magnetics
-Nuclear physics
-Optical physics and communications
-Quantum information science
-Radiation
-Spectroscopy
-Thermodynamics
-Time and frequency
Public safety
-Chemical / Biological / Radiological / Nuclear / Explosives (CBRNE)
-First responder preparedness
-Law enforcement
-Public safety communications research
-Response robots
Resilience
-Community resilience
--Recovery
--Resilience metrics
-Disaster and failure studies
-Earthquake risk reduction
-Resilience economics
-Resilient materials
-Windstorm impact reduction
Standards
-Accreditation
-Calibration services
-Conformity assessment
-Documentary standards
-Frameworks
-Quality assurance
-Reference data
-Reference instruments
-Reference materials
-Standards education
Technology transfer
Transportation
-Aerospace
-Automotive