The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, established in 1901 as the National Bureau of Standards and renamed in 1988. NIST’s primary function is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. The institute conducts research in various fields, including physics, material science, engineering, information technology, cybersecurity, and biology. NIST also plays a critical role in developing and maintaining measurement standards that ensure the accuracy and reliability of instruments and products, from industrial applications to consumer goods. Its work supports crucial infrastructure in science and industry, providing the technical foundation for transportation, healthcare, telecommunications, and manufacturing, among other sectors. Additionally, NIST develops guidelines for cybersecurity practices and has played a pivotal role in establishing robust security protocols for information systems used by the U.S. government and other entities.
JILA researchers have created the most precise atomic clock yet, using visible light for time measurement. This breakthrough could redefine timekeeping standards and unlock new…
Researchers have developed methods to entangle large numbers of particles, improving the precision and speed of quantum measurements. These advancements could revolutionize quantum sensors and…
New insights can help scientists make superconducting materials more robust and useful. Superconductors have enabled new technologies for health care, transportation, and scientific exploration. Scientists…
Chip manufacturing, gravitational wave detectors, and quantum computers could all benefit from better ways to measure a vacuum. A vacuum chamber is never perfectly empty….
A team of researchers at JILA has for the first time successfully combined two of the “spookiest” features of quantum mechanics to make a better…
JILA physicists have measured Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, or more specifically, the effect called time dilation, at the smallest scale ever, showing that…
In a significant advance toward the future redefinition of the international unit of time, the second, a research team led by the National Institute of…
JILA researchers have used a state-of-the-art atomic clock to narrow the search for elusive dark matter, an example of how continual improvements in clocks have…
Tracking lab-grown tissue with light: New proof-of-concept photonic pH sensor could advance studies of tissue regeneration. Someday, doctors would like to grow limbs and other…
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made one of the highest-performance cameras ever composed of sensors that count single photons,…
JILA physicists have demonstrated a novel atomic clock design that combines near-continuous operation with strong signals and high stability, features not previously found together in…
Possible “topological superconductor” could overcome industry’s problem of quantum decoherence. A potentially useful material for building quantum computers has been unearthed at the National Institute…
JILA scientists have invented a new imaging technique that produces rapid, precise measurements of quantum behavior in an atomic clock in the form of near-instant…
Imagine a miniature device that suffuses each room in your house with a different hue of the rainbow—purple for the living room, perhaps, blue for…
The JILA strontium atomic clock has set new world records for both precision and stability, improving precision by 50 percent from the previous record holder…
By replacing a flat surface with a surface that contained engineered nanoscale structures, researchers found that the Casimir attraction between two surfaces decreased much more…
For the first time, a team of scientists at JILA have used an atomic clock as a quantum simulator, mimicking the behavior of a different,…
Scientists have developed “super-nanotubes” by using a spray-on mixture that combines the optical, thermal, and electrical properties of nanotubes with the robustness of the high-temperature…