Overview
The Optical Technology Division (OTD) supports the NIST Mission by advancing
knowledge, developing expertise, providing technical leadership, and delivering
the highest quality standards, calibrations, and measurements in targeted areas
of optical technology.
The Division has the mandate to provide high quality national measurement
standards and support services to advance optical technologies spanning the
ultraviolet through the microwave spectral regions in support of customers in
industry, government, and academia. The Division also has the institutional
responsibility for maintaining two fundamental SI units: the unit for
temperature, the kelvin, above 1234.96 K and the unit for luminous
intensity, the candela. In carrying out its responsibilities the Division:
- develops, improves, and maintains the national standards for radiometry,
radiation thermometry, spectroradiometry, photometry, colorimetry, and
spectrophotometry;
- disseminates these standards by providing the highest accuracy measurement
services and Standard Reference Materials (SRM’s) to customers;
- improves the Nation’s technical expertise through publication and training
in optical technology;
- conducts research in photophysical and photochemical properties of
materials, in radiometric and spectroscopic techniques and instrumentation, and
in the application of optical technology; and
- anticipates measurement needs in new application areas of optical
technology, such as biophysics, medicine, nanotechnology, and quantum
information.
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Aperture Area Measurement Tool: The Optical Technology Division has
developed a precision instrument to accurately measure the areas of precision
apertures required for the radiometric scales of radiance and irradiance and
the photometric scales of luminance and illuminance. The high accuracy of
modern radiometry necessitates the use of an interferometrically controlled,
coordinate measuring machine to determine absolute aperture areas to better
than 0.005 % (k = 2). |
