In another area of precision measurement research, JILA scientists are developing a novel measurement technique that will combine elemental specificity with microscopic spatial resolution. Such detailed information is crucial to the microelectronics and photonics industries, in which device features have now gotten so small that their analysis eludes present measurement capabilities. Here the nanometer-scale sharpness of the probe enhances the electric field of a laser in the region of the probe tip, providing dramatic improvement in spatial resolution over conventional NSOM fiber optic methods. This technique should provide unprecedented sensitivity in the characterization of molecules on surfaces. In a future extension of this work, a pump-probe approach will be added to provide temporal information as well.
Considerable research is also underway in optical atomic clocks and frequency standards.
As information communication becomes faster, the need for more precise timing grows. All of these projects depend on continuing advances in both the technology of measurement science and the theory of measurement itself. In addition, squeezed light is likely to play an important role in future frequency standards. Finally, as communication via the Internet increases, a need has arisen for security of documents. This system may eventually replace notary publics.