The scientific community was shocked to learn this past March that the NIST Atomic Spectroscopy Group would be subject to the new government efficiency cuts. Providing the global scientific community with a continually updated atomic spectra database, the Atomic Spectroscopy Group celebrated its 120th anniversary in December 2024. Because of the Group’s long history and well-referenced research, it received much moral support from the international community. Dr. Yuri Ralchenko, former Leader of the Atomic Spectroscopy Group at NIST, now Principal Research Scientist at the Department of Astronomy at University of Maryland, said in an email “I must say that we received incredible support from the community, from numerous reports in the media (search for “NIST atomic spectroscopy”) to hundreds of email of support and encouragement to a petition on change.org.”
The NIST website still states the mission of the Atomic Spectroscopy Group “is to measure, calculate, critically compile, and disseminate reference data on atomic properties and fundamental constants in support of basic research, commercial development, and national priorities.”
Though their mission statement will ultimately change, it turns out the Group will continue their work at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), as employees of University of Maryland College Park, beginning July 1st. The Atomic Spectra Database and online tools will remain static on NIST’s website, while the databases and some experiments (and their associated spectrometers) will transfer to Goddard. It was noted that instruments impractical for moving were to remain at NIST.
Once the Group transitions to the GSFC, they will discuss with management where they can best contribute. Hopefully, we can look forward to a formal press release about the availability of new spectra data and continuing experiments.
