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Director's Message
We hope this report conveys the excitement and the relevance of the programs within the NIST Physics Laboratory. First and foremost, we support U.S. industry by providing measurement services and research for optical, electronic, and radiation technologies. Our great strength -- and what distinguishes us from an academic or industrial laboratory -- is that we are vertically integrated. Our world-class measurement services are backed by state-of-the-art engineering efforts to develop new measurement standards, which are in turn supported by frontier, mission-oriented research that anticipates the Nation's future measurement needs. Thus the Laboratory addresses the fundamental triad of standards, measurements, and data in a climate of vigorous and competitive research. We believe that the quality of our service stems in large measure from the breadth, vigor, and excellence of our research programs and that our contributions gain credibility because they are based on the best technical judgment available. For example, our Time and Frequency Division is delivering seven different kinds of time and frequency services while also developing optical frequency atomic clocks, chip-scale atomic clocks, and a futuristic atomic clock for space flight. While our Internet Time Service provides official U.S. time in over a billion daily transactions, we are also pursuing research on trapped ions for the next generation of frequency standards -- and quantum-logic devices. Similarly, our Ionizing Radiation Division is developing highly sensitive neutron detectors for homeland security while also using ultracold neutrons to investigate symmetries and parameters of the nuclear weak interaction. We maintain the U.S. national standards for the Système International (SI) base units of time (the second), light (the candela), and noncontact thermometry (the kelvin, especially above 1200 K). We provide the basis for such SI derived units as the hertz (frequency), the becquerel (radioactivity), and the optical watt and the lumen (light output). At the same time, scientists in the Physics Laboratory work with industry to develop new measurement technologies that can be applied to such fields as communications, microelectronics, nanomagnetics, photonics, industrial radiation processing, the environment, health care, transportation, space, energy, security, and defense. Our partners are many and our outreach is extensive. For optical radiation measurements, we rely heavily on the Council for Optical Radiation Measurements (CORM), formed to help define pressing problems and projected national needs in radiometry and photometry. Its aim is to establish a consensus on industrial and academic requirements for physical standards, calibration services, and interlaboratory collaborative programs in the fields of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared measurements. Similarly, the Council on Ionization Radiation Measurements and Standards (CIRMS) helps to advance and disseminate the physical standards needed for the safe and effective application of ionization radiation, x rays, gamma rays, and energetic particles such as electrons, protons, and neutrons. When we can assist in an important area of measurement or research, we may form Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with industry groups or individual firms. Laboratory staff serve with distinction in standards-development committees, and readily give of their time to assist the public. We have been recognized for the quality and excellence of our programs and staff many times over the years, by the American Physical Society, the Optical Society of America, and other leading scientific organizations. Members of our staff have been elected to fellowship in the National Academy of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, and other esteemed bodies. Twice since 1997, Laboratory scientiests have won the Nobel Prize in Physics. In the section Awards and Honors we highlight some of the many honors bestowed upon us recently. Our talent is focused on meeting today's challenges -- in biosystens and health care, quantum technologies, and nanoscale metrology, to name but a few. For health care, the Physics Laboratory conducts research on standards to enable hospitals to use nuclear medicine more effectively. We develop ways to image single biomolecules and to use terahertz radiation for measuring biomolecular processes. The Physics Laboratory is at the forefront of the nascent field of quantum information processing -- computing and communications -- challenging preconceived notions of computational complexity and communications security. Similarly, the Physics Laboratory has been a leading center for metrology at the nanoscale, even before "nanotechnology" gained prominence. We pioneered electron-spin microscopy, which images magnetic materials, and our unique EUV optics facility supports the electronic industry in its drive to develop advanced lithographic systems for producing ever smaller chips. As you browse this summary of the Physics Laboratory, we expect you will want to learn more. We invite you to visit our web site, http://physics.nist.gov/, and we invite your inquiries and interest in measurement services and collaborations.
Katharine Gebbie |
