NIST News

Quantum cryptography is potentially the most secure method of sending encrypted information, but does it have a speed limit? According to a new paper* by researchers at the National Institute of … more

Starting in mid-October, teams of business, education, health care and nonprofit experts will visit 14 organizations as the final review stage for the 2007 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, … more

The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today announced 56 new awards for innovative industrial research and development projects under the … more

The terrorist threat to the global transportation system, private-sector implementation of the preparedness provisions of the 9/11 Commission recommendations and a review of standards-based … more

A high-speed quantum cryptography system that allows “Alice” and “Bob” to discuss things in absolute secrecy earned a 2007 R&D 100 Award for a team … more

Spectroscopic image showing the microwave-frequency magnetic resonances of an array of parallel, metallic thin film nanowires ("stripes"). The peak in the center is due to … more

How do you conveniently measure something that not only is 14 times lighter than air but also invisible? That’s just one of the tasks National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) … more

Artist's rendition of the NIST superconducting quantum computing cable. Illustration by:Michael Kemper View hi-resolution version Physicists at the National Institute of … more

Artist's rendition of the NIST superconducting quantum computing cable. Illustration by:Michael Kemper View hi-resolution version BOULDER, Colo.— Physicists at the … more

Crackling embers and glowing firebrands might make for a romantic evening in front of the fireplace, but for homeowners in high fire-risk areas, windborne fire material is the stuff of nightmares. … more

Collaboration Aims to Strengthen the Nation's Lead in Nanoelectronics & Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the world’s leading university-research consortium for … more

Visible and ultraviolet laser light has been used for years to cool trapped atoms—and more recently larger objects—by reducing the extent of their thermal motion. Now, applying … more

All researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) wanted was a simple, quick method for making thin films of block copolymers or BCPs (chemically distinct polymers linked … more

A team of international physicists that includes researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has found experimental evidence of a highly sought-after type of … more

Optical profilometer image of the broken surface of a glass rod shows height of peaks (yellows and reds) and valleys (blues and purples) of the fracture surface in millionths of a meter. … more

Many Web-based services, from shopping to online word processing, allow computer programs to talk to each other and exchange user data across several Web sites without human intervention. Many of … more

Recommendations for a new set of requirements intended to make future voting systems more “secure, reliable, and easier for all voters to use” have been submitted in a 598-page … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), a university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, today announced … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with the MIT Enterprise Forum™ and TEDCO, will host a technology transfer workshop on Oct. 9, 2007, to showcase … more

In preparation for the September 2 international voting deadline, the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has supported a U.S. national body … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted experiments this week in Sharon Hill, Pa., on the hazards of fires under residential floors, which can surprise firefighters by … more

If you want to exploit the ability of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) to absorb, fluoresce and scatter light, take the advice of a sandlot quarterback and “go long.” In … more

Factories have much to gain from wireless technology, such as robot control, RFID tag monitoring, and local-area network (LAN) communications. Wireless systems can cost less and offer more … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently released an improved version of its Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Data Generator, a downloadable Java application … more

Konrad Lehnert, a physicist at JILA, is a finalist for the 2007 Service to America medals, presented annually by the non-profit, non-partisan Partnership for Public Service to celebrate excellence … more

“America’s Most Wanted” meets Web 2.0 as researchers develop an additional implementation of a data format that allows disparate law enforcement agencies to exchange … more

Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez will host a national meeting of private and public sector officials that will focus on promoting innovation and economic development across the United States. … more

Officials from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Aug. 10 designed to … more

On Aug. 9, the President signed the America COMPETES Act (Public Law Number 110-69), which authorizes funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the next three years. … more

While the new calibration service for phasor measurement units (PMUs) offered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sounds like it would appeal to Star Trek fans, … more

If only the flame retardant chemicals routinely added to consumer products from carpets to cell phones just did their job and nothing more. Health officials, however, are concerned that one class … more

High-magnification scanning electron microscopy shows (center of micrograph) the leg of an osteoblast (bone precursor), called a cytoplasmic extension, attaching to nano-sized … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a suite of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) for ginkgo biloba, one of the most popular dietary supplements in the … more

A new process for adjusting the resistance of semiconductor devices by carpeting a small area of the device with tiny pits, like a yard dug up by demented terriers, may be the key to a new class of … more

August 10, 2007--The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has voted for conditional approval of a proposed international standard for open … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released three draft Special Publications (SP) documents for public comment. Revision 1, Wireless Network Security: IEEE 802.11a/b/g, … more

Lead in goat blood might not be on the top of your shopping list, but for U.S. medical personnel who each year perform more than 2 million human blood measurements, Standard Reference Material … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is making available “virtual machine images” of secure configurations of the Microsoft Windows XP and VISTA operating … more

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) have done the first theoretical determination of the dominant … more

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have induced thousands of atoms trapped by laser beams to swap “spins” with partners simultaneously. The … more

It’s a truism that the world looks very different through the eyes of quantum mechanics. In a new paper appearing in Science,* an international team of scientists working at the National … more

A layer of ruthenium just a few atoms thick can be used to fine-tune the sensitivity and enhance the reliability of magnetic sensors, tests at the National Institute of Standards and Technology … more

NIST Advance Is Step Toward Quantum Computing with Neutral Atoms GAITHERSBURG, MD—Physicists at the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced that it is beginning a technical study of the June 18, 2007, fire at the Super Sofa Store furniture store/warehouse in … more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed an improved version of a real-time magnetic microscopy system that converts evidence of tampering on magnetic audio and video … more

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director William Jeffrey has named Clare Allocca as the chief of NIST’s new United States Measurement System (USMS) Office. The … more

Electricity, power, water, communications, waste treatment—we call the facilities that supply these services our “critical” infrastructures because they truly are … more

Wartime military patrols and civilian encounters can be especially dangerous if neither group understands the other’s language. To help American forces secure critical information and … more

For electrical charges racing through an atom-thick sheet of graphene, occasional hills and valleys are no big deal, but the potholes—single-atom defects in the … more

GAITHERSBURG, MD—The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that it is beginning a technical study of the June 18, 2007, fire at … more

A revolutionary robotic platform developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been adapted for the U.S. Air Force to address the critical, expensive,and nasty work of … more