BOULDER, Colo. – A new “superradiant” laser that traps 1 million rubidium atoms into a 2-cm space between two mirrors produces a deep-red laser beam that could boost the performance of the most advanced atomic clocks, communications and navigation systems, and space-based astronomical instruments. Scientists at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder, developed the prototype, which has the potential to be 100 to...

GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 8, 2012 — A novel four-wave mixing technique that restructures parts of light pulses to travel faster than the speed of light could improve the timing of communications signals and help examine the propagation of quantum correlations.

SAN DIEGO, May 2, 2012 — For the first time, a heralded single photon was generated from a silicon chip.

BOULDER, Colo. – A new laser frequency comb soon may be able to answer one of the most intriguing scientific questions: Are there other earthlike planets in our galaxy capable of supporting life as we know it? A collaboration of the National Institute of...

GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 13, 2012 — Hyperspectral imaging devices, calibrated to new National Institute of Standards and Technology standard reference spectra, could be used as noninvasive diagnostic tools for discriminating between healthy and diseased tissue and for providing new...

BOULDER, Colo., April 4, 2012 — A new “superradiant” laser design that traps 1 million rubidium atoms into a 2-cm space between two mirrors produces a deep-red laser beam that could boost the performance of most advanced atomic clocks, communications and navigation systems, and...

Apr 1, 2012 — SPIE moves its DSS conference and trade show to the Charm City to maximize exposure to governmental agencies, military institutions and research organizations. At the mention of Baltimore, certain things come to mind: crab cakes, the Orioles, Camden...

BOULDER, Colo., March 22, 2012 — Specialized x-ray lasers reveal the inner workings of magnets, a discovery that could lead to smarter, faster computers.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., March 8, 2012 — A new laser frequency comb soon may be able to determine whether life on other planets really exists.

GAITHERSBURG, Md., March 8, 2012 — A better fundamental understanding of how to optimize a cell’s performance could bring organic solar cells a step closer to market.

BOULDER, Colo., Feb. 6, 2012 — The first “frequency comb” in the extreme ultraviolet band has the potential to advance nuclear clocks and to measure previously unexplored behavior in atoms and molecules.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – A new compact laser frequency comb is no larger than a shoebox and has a high-quality optical cavity just 2 mm wide. Until now, frequency combs have been delicate lab instruments, bulky – about the size of a suitcase – and challenging to...

MAUNA KEA, Hawaii, Dec. 8, 2011 — The world’s largest submillimeter camera is now ready to scan the universe, including faint and faraway parts never before seen. Mounted on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Mauna Kea, the instrument will advance studies of the origins of...

Dec 1, 2011 — Dr. Ian Spielman and professor Gora Shlyapnikov were honored for their contributions to the field of Bose-Einstein Condensation by Toptica Photonics AG of Martinsried, Germany, during the Bose-Einstein Conference in Sant Feliu, Spain, in September....

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 31, 2011 — A compact laser frequency comb has been developed that is no bigger than a shoebox. Until now, frequency combs usually have been bulky, delicate lab instruments — about the size of a suitcase — that are challenging to operate. The...

VICTOR, N.Y., Oct. 11, 2011 — Dr. Ian Spielman and professor Gora Shlyapnikov were honored for their contributions to the field of Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) by Toptica Photonics AG during the Bose-Einstein Conference in Sant Feliu, Spain, the company announced. Dr....

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2011 — Two months after a House committee recommended defunding the project altogether, the James Webb Space Telescope was saved by a Senate subcommittee, which is allocating $530 million to the international project in 2012. The 2012 appropriations bill...

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – A tiny, tunable superconducting circuit can place a single microwave photon in two frequencies simultaneously, potentially leading to the long-sought “optics table on a chip.” Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and...

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – A new low-noise oscillator generates microwave signals more pure and stable than those from conventional electronic sources. The instrument could improve signal stability and resolution in radar, communications and navigation systems, and in certain...

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Aug. 25, 2011 — The dawn of optical fibers a few decades ago made it possible for independent phone conversations to travel long distances across town and even across the ocean along a single glass cable with little interference. So why then, years later, is it so...

BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 15, 2011 — For the first time NIST physicists have linked the quantum properties of two separated ions by manipulating them with microwaves instead of the usual array of laser beams. The development could pave the way for miniaturized, easy-to-commercialize...

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – A new “chirping” sensor developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology detects trace gases hundreds of times more quickly than similar technologies in use today. The sensor is also more sensitive and may make detectors...

BOULDER, Colo. – Think of the jounces you sometimes feel when riding in a car or a van. Now imagine taking a laser on the road that is sensitive to even minimal vibration. In a step toward making the most advanced atomic clocks more portable, scientists have...

GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 20, 2011— Dense arrays of extra-long carbon nanotubes absorb nearly all light of long wavelengths and are promising coatings for prototype detectors intended to measure terahertz laser power. This type of radiation can penetrate numerous materials, making it...

GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 13, 2011 — A tiny, tunable superconducting circuit can place a single microwave photon in two frequencies simultaneously, potentially leading to the long-sought “optics table on a chip.” Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and...