PML Impact: The latest news from PML

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sent this bulletin at 05/13/2025 10:01 AM EDT

The latest news from PML.

New Atomic Fountain Clock

Clocks on Earth are ticking a bit more regularly thanks to NIST-F4, a new atomic clock at the NIST campus in Boulder, Colorado. This month, NIST researchers published a journal article establishing NIST-F4 as one of the world’s most accurate timekeepers. NIST has also submitted the clock for acceptance as a primary frequency standard by the BIPM, the body that oversees the world’s time.

FEATURE STORIES

Making SEMs Even More Useful

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) has long been a mainstay of the semiconductor industry. Now, researchers have begun a multi-year study to reduce uncertainties in measurements inferred from SEM images. Read More

Profile: Nicole Yunger Halpern

She was only 10 when she got her first taste of steampunk. Today, Nicole Yunger Halpern’s work as an award-winning physicist also straddles two centuries and two worlds – thermodynamics and quantum mechanics. Read More

Curved Neutron Beams

In a physics first, scientists have created a way to make beams of neutrons travel in curves. These beams could enhance neutrons’ ability to reveal useful information about materials including pharmaceuticals, perfumes, and pesticides. Read More

Anyone for Anyons?

Researchers have demonstrated that a strange type of quantum particle called the anyon, believed to exist in only two dimensions, can also be created in one dimension. The particles might someday be useful as a fundamental unit of memory in a quantum computer. Read More

Laboratory setup for using giant “Rydberg” atoms to measure temperature.

Atom-Based Thermometer

Scientists have created a new thermometer using atoms boosted to such high energy levels that they are a thousand times larger than normal. The thermometer’s sensitivity could improve temperature measurements in fields ranging from quantum research to industrial manufacturing. Read More

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