June 24, 2002

In This Issue:
	Design Proposed for Large-Scale Quantum Computer
	A Commitment to Innovation
	NIST Study: Software Bugs Take Huge Bite Out of Nation's Economy
	New Partnership, Workshops Focus on Small Biz IT Security
	NIST Develops Two New Wavelength Calibration Standards
	NIST Odor Measurements Help Reduce Threat from Leaking Gas

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Physics

Design Proposed for Large-Scale Quantum Computer

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Michigan have proposed a design for a quantum computer based on a large number of interconnected ion traps using techniques already demonstrated on a smaller scale. A quantum computer makes use of the properties of atoms and molecules to perform calculations or store information. No such computer currently exists, but various research groups are competing to build a quantum computer that could factor very large numbers, perform cryptography and aid science in big projects such as modeling the world’s weather.

NIST has been a leader in the development of electromagnetic traps where ions (electrically charged atoms) can be stored, observed and manipulated. Previously, researchers have suggested that a quantum computer could be developed by manipulating a large number of ions in a single trap. But in a paper published in the June 13, 2002, issue of Nature, the NIST/MIT/University of Michigan team says the single trap idea “presents immense technical difficulties.”

Instead, they suggest a computer architecture consisting of a large number of small, inter-connected ion traps. By changing the operating voltages in these traps, they can confine a few ions in each trap or shuttle them from trap to trap. This shuttling scheme allows them to create both mem-ory and logical processing regions. A first step has been taken at NIST where a pair of interconnected ion traps has been constructed; they are separated by 1.2 mm. Efficient transport of ions between the two traps has been demonstrated. “Scaling up to large ion-trap quantum computers appears straightforward,” they conclude in their paper.

Media Contact:
Fred McGehan (Boulder), (303) 497-7000

 

Nanotechnology

A Commitment to Innovation

Small stuff is a hot topic in Washington, and the Bush Administration has made nano-technology a top R&D priority. President Bush has proposed a 17-percent increase in funding for the government-wide National Nanotechnology Initiative. The federal investment in nanotechnology would grow to more than $700 million in the coming year.

“The Bush Administration fully recognizes and deeply appreciates the importance of the tiny revolution in science and technology that is just beginning,” said Benjamin Wu, deputy under secretary for technology. He was speaking at the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Nanotechnology Open House on June 20. He encouraged the 200 scientists and students attending to “pursue this opportunity with passion.”

Nanotechnology is impacting a variety of fields within science and engineering, including electronics, materials, manufacturing, chemistry and physics, as scientists make new and exciting discoveries in nanometer-scale dimensions, on the order of billionths of a meter.

“We expect the ability to engineer devices and materials at the nanoscale to have as much impact on early 21st-century technology and the economy as did the emergence of semiconductor electronics and antibiotics in the last half of the 20th century,” said Arden Bement, NIST director. He was speaking at a dinner meeting of an industry consortium, the National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, on June 19.

Media Contact:
Mark Bello, (301) 975-3776

 

Economics

NIST Study: Software Bugs Take Bite Out of Nation's Economy

Software bugs, or errors, are so prevalent and so detrimental that they cost the U.S. economy an estimated $59.5 billion annually, or about 0.6 percent of the gross domestic product, according to a newly released study commissioned by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). More than half of the costs are borne by software users, and the remainder by software developers/vendors.

The study also found that, although all errors cannot be removed, more than a third of these costs, or an estimated $22.2 billion, could be eliminated by an improved testing infrastructure that enables earlier and more effective identification and removal of software defects. These are the savings associated with finding an increased percentage (but not 100 percent) of errors closer to the development stages in which they are introduced. Currently, over half of all errors are not found until “downstream” in the development process or during post-sale software use.

NIST funded the study, which was conducted by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) in North Carolina, as part of a joint planning process with industry to help identify and assess technical needs that would improve software-testing capabilities. Findings of the 309-page report are intended to identify the infrastructure needs that NIST can meet through its research programs and which, if met, will have significant economic impacts.

To request a copy of NIST Planning Report 02-3, contact Denise Herbert at (301) 975-2667. The report is available on the World Wide Web at www.nist.gov/director/prog-ofc/report02-3.pdf. For more information, contact Gregory Tassey, (301) 975-2663, gregory.tassey@nist.gov.

Media Contact:
Michael E. Newman, (301) 975-3025

 

Small Business

New Partnership, Workshops Focus on Small Biz IT Security

The National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently signed
a partnership agreement to provide computer and information technology security to help small businesses across the nation safeguard their information systems.

The protection of information is one of the most valuable assets of an organization and is critical to the operation of a small business. An increasing number of businesses rely on information technology for storing, processing and communicating information. Information security provides a sound foundation for business success by safeguarding financial and customer records, and business strategies. It serves to protect against threats and vulnerabilities and to ensure business continuity.

To launch the new partnership, the NIPC, SBA and NIST will co-sponsor an upcoming series of computer and information security workshops for small businesses. The workshops are scheduled for July 11, 2002, in Washington, D.C., at SBA’s headquarters; for Aug. 2, 2002, in San Francisco at the SBA’s San Francisco District Office; and for Sept. 26, 2002, in Chicago at the John Marshall Law School’s Center for Information Technology and Privacy Law.

Emphasis will be placed on training small business owners to identify the cost-effective security products, processes and services they will need to keep their IT systems intact.

For more information on the computer security workshops, go to http://csrc.nist.gov/securebiz.

Media Contact:
Philip Bulman, (301) 975-5661

 

 

Optoelectronics

NIST Develops Two New Wavelength Calibration Standards

NIST has developed two new wavelength calibration transfer standards for the new L-band of wavelength division multiplexed optical fiber communication systems. These standards, based on the absorption spectrum of carbon monoxide, are now available from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as Standard Reference Materials (SRM) 2514 and 2515.

Wavelength division multiplexing in optical fiber communication systems increases bandwidth by using many wavelength channels. Current systems typically employ 50 or 100 gigahertz channel spacing in the 1530 to 1560 nanometer C-Band; wavelength division multiplexing expands into the L-band region (1565 to 1625 nanometers). Wavelength references are needed in this region to calibrate instruments such as optical spectrum analyzers, tunable lasers and wavelength meters used to characterize system components and measure the channel wavelengths.

SRM 2514 can be used to calibrate the wavelength scale of measurement equipment in the 1560 to 1595 nanometer region while SRM 2515 can be used in the 1595 to 1630 nanometer region. Since they are based on the quantized vibrational and rotational motion of molecules, these SRMs provide wavelength references that are very stable under changing environmental conditions.

The SRMs may be purchased from the NIST Standard Reference Materials Program, NIST, 100 Bureau Dr., Stop 2322, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-2322; (301) 975-6776; fax: (301) 948-3730; srminfo@nist.gov or online at http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/230/232/232.htm. More information about the development of the SRMs may be obtained from Sarah Gilbert of the NIST Optoelectronics Division.

Media Contact:
Fred McGehan (Boulder), (303) 497-7000

 

 

Safety

NIST Odor Measurements Help Reduce Threat from Leaking Gas

The more we know about how we can keep the smell of gas alive, the more we can protect people and their property from explosions caused by undetected gas leaks.

Since the early 1920s in the United States, sulfur compounds with a distinctive odor have been added to natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to alert individuals to gas leaks.

Unfortunately, because of natural phenomena, the intensity of these odorant compounds in the fuel gases decreases, even to a level where the human nose no longer can detect it. This phenomenon, called odorant fading, is often seasonal and occurs through various mechanisms. For example, odor fading can occur when gas is exposed to soil during a leak.

Although it long has been suspected that odorant fading is affected by the interaction with the soil, recent research performed by the Physical and Chemical Properties Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) validated the hypothesis. Moreover, for the first time, this work has provided a measurement of the odorant’s binding strength to soil.

NIST chemist Thomas Bruno developed the measurement method several years ago and recently applied it to the odorant fading problem with the help of postdoctoral associate Keith Miller. Now, engineers and emergency workers will be able to calculate the magnitude of the danger posed by this type of fading. The work also has determined that t-butyl mercaptan (TBM), the sulfur compound commonly used as a gas odorant in the United States, is more likely to penetrate through the soil and keep the smell of gas alive than tetrahydrothiophene (THP), the odorant commonly used in Europe.

For additional information, contact Bruno at (303) 497-5158 or bruno@boulder.nist.gov.

Media Contact:
Fred McGehan (Boulder), (303) 497-7000