scholarly journals The watt balance: determination of the Planck constant and redefinition of the kilogram

2011 ◽  
Vol 369 (1953) ◽  
pp. 3936-3953 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Stock
Keyword(s):  
International System ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Planck Constant ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Macroscopic Quantum Effects ◽  
Watt Balance ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Base Units

Since 1889, the international prototype of the kilogram has served as the definition of the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI). It is the last material artefact to define a base unit of the SI, and it influences several other base units. This situation is no longer acceptable in a time of ever-increasing measurement precision. It is therefore planned to redefine the unit of mass by fixing the numerical value of the Planck constant. At the same time three other base units, the ampere, the kelvin and the mole, will be redefined. As a first step, the kilogram redefinition requires a highly accurate determination of the Planck constant in the present SI system, with a relative uncertainty of the order of 1 part in 10 8 . The most promising experiment for this purpose, and for the future realization of the kilogram, is the watt balance. It compares mechanical and electrical power and makes use of two macroscopic quantum effects, thus creating a relationship between a macroscopic mass and the Planck constant. In this paper, the operating principle of watt balance experiments is explained and the existing experiments are reviewed. An overview is given of all available experimental determinations of the Planck constant, and it is shown that further investigation is needed before the redefinition of the kilogram can take place. Independent of this requirement, a consensus has been reached on the form that future definitions of the SI base units will take.

Revision of the SI: The Determination of the Avogadro Constant as the Base for the Kilogram

2014 ◽  
Vol 613 ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnold Nicolaus ◽  
Horst Bettin ◽  
Michael Borys ◽  
Ulrich Kuetgens ◽  
Axel Pramann
Keyword(s):  
International System ◽  
Fundamental Constant ◽  
Lattice Parameter ◽  
Planck Constant ◽  
Avogadro Constant ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Working Groups ◽  
Fixed Constant ◽  
Watt Balance

At least four units of the International System of Units (SI) are on the way to a new definition. Especially for the unit of mass, the kilogram, a rigorous change is considered. Instead of the current definition, a 1kg-artifact in form of a Pt-Ir-cylinder, the intended formulation relates the unit of mass to a fundamental constant. In detail this requires in a first step a measurement of the chosen fundamental constant with contemporary lowest uncertainty and best reproducibility. The constant will then be fixed to that value. As an example the metre is related to the fixed constant speed of light.For the kg there are considered two ways: one is a watt balance, which determines the mass in units of the Planck constant, h. While at present the watt balances show a heterogeneous appearance, the second class of experiment the determination of the Avogadro constant, NA, which measures the mass in terms of the number of elementary entities has reached a considerable level of uncertainty and reproducibility. The fundament of the new determination of the Avogadro constant is a highly enriched 28Si crystal. The different working groups of the Avogadro team determine molar mass and lattice parameter of the crystal, and mass and volume of two precision spheres made from different positions, but of the same crystal. All measurements are carried out for both spheres and all measurement quantities are determined at least from two independent working groups, usually of different countries.

Investigation on the Noise Separation in Watt Balance Experiments

2008 ◽  
Vol 381-382 ◽  
pp. 619-622
Author(s):  
W. Zeng ◽  
Xiang Qian Jiang ◽  
P. Scott ◽  
L. Blunt
Keyword(s):  
Background Noise ◽  
International System ◽  
Histogram Method ◽  
Stationary Noise ◽  
Vibration Data ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Environmental Vibration ◽  
Transient Events ◽  
Watt Balance ◽  
Definition Of

The detection of stationary and non-stationary noise in environmental vibration data is an important issue when considering the precision of the Watt balance, an electromechanical apparatus for the new definition of the kilogram in the international system of Units (SI). In this paper, the authors propose a frequency histogram method to find the structure of the stationary noise from large amount of datasets. For the non-stationary noise, the authors propose a wavelet based denoising methods to distinguish the transient events from the background “noise”, to find their duration and content and to identify their location in time.

scholarly journals The kelvin redefinition and its mise en pratique

2016 ◽  
Vol 374 (2064) ◽  
pp. 20150037 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Fellmuth ◽  
J. Fischer ◽  
G. Machin ◽  
S. Picard ◽  
P. P. M. Steur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International System ◽  
Thermodynamic Temperature ◽  
Fundamental Constants ◽  
Primary Thermometry ◽  
A Value ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Mise En Pratique ◽  
Explicit Constant ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Base Units

In 2018, it is expected that there will be a major revision of the International System of Units (SI) which will result in all of the seven base units being defined by fixing the values of certain atomic or fundamental constants. As part of this revision, the kelvin, unit of thermodynamic temperature, will be redefined by assigning a value to the Boltzmann constant k . This explicit-constant definition will define the kelvin in terms of the SI derived unit of energy, the joule. It is sufficiently wide to encompass any form of thermometry. The planned redefinition has motivated the creation of an extended mise en pratique (‘practical realization’) of the definition of the kelvin ( MeP -K), which describes how the new definition can be put into practice. The MeP -K incorporates both of the defined International Temperature Scales (ITS-90 and PLTS-2000) in current use and approved primary-thermometry methods for determining thermodynamic temperature values. The MeP -K is a guide that provides or makes reference to the information needed to perform measurements of temperature in accord with the SI at the highest level. In this article, the background and the content of the extended second version of the MeP -K are presented.

scholarly journals Definition of the mole (IUPAC Recommendation 2017)

2018 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Marquardt ◽  
Juris Meija ◽  
Zoltán Mester ◽  
Marcy Towns ◽  
Ron Weir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International System ◽  
International Committee ◽  
Fundamental Physical Constants ◽  
Weights And Measures ◽  
Technical Report ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Iupac Recommendation ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Base Units ◽  
Fundamental Physical

AbstractIn 2011 the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) noted the intention of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) to revise the entire International System of Units (SI) by linking all seven base units to seven fundamental physical constants. Of particular interest to chemists, new definitions for the kilogram and the mole have been proposed. A recent IUPAC Technical Report discussed these new definitions in relation to immediate consequences for the chemical community. This IUPAC Recommendation on the preferred definition of the mole follows from this Technical Report. It supports a definition of the mole based on a specified number of elementary entities, in contrast to the present 1971 definition.

scholarly journals Progress on vacuum-to-air mass calibration system using magnetic suspension to disseminate the Planck-constant realized kilogram

ACTA IMEKO ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Carl Benck ◽  
Corey Stambaugh ◽  
Edward Mulhern ◽  
Patrick Abbott ◽  
Zeina Kubarych
Keyword(s):  
International System ◽  
High Accuracy ◽  
Magnetic Suspension ◽  
Calibration System ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Planck Constant ◽  
Air Mass ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Mass Calibration ◽  
Definition Of

<p><span style="font-size: small;">The kilogram is the unit of mass in the International System of units (SI) and has been defined as the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram (IPK) since 1889.  </span><span style="font-size: small;">In the future, a new definition of the kilogram will be realized by fixing the value of the Planck constant.</span><span style="font-size: small;">  </span><span style="font-size: small;">The new definition of the unit of mass will occur in a vacuum environment by necessity, so the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is developing a mass calibration system in which a kilogram artefact in air can be directly compared with a kilogram realized in a vacuum environment.</span><span style="font-size: small;">  </span><span style="font-size: small;">This apparatus uses magnetic suspension to couple the kilogram in air to a high accuracy mass balance in vacuum.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></p><p> </p>

scholarly journals On the five base quantities of nature and SI (The International System of Units)

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-246
Author(s):  
G. Kaptay
Keyword(s):  
International System ◽  
Fundamental Constant ◽  
Fundamental Constants ◽  
Planck Constant ◽  
Amount Of Substance ◽  
Substance Mole ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Elementary Charge ◽  
Base Units ◽  
Constants Of Nature

It is shown here that five base quantities (and the corresponding five base units) of nature are sufficient to define all derived quantities (and their units) and to describe all natural phenomena. The base quantities (and their base units) are: length (m), mass (kg), time (s), temperature (K) and electric charge (C). The amount of substance (mole) is not taken as a base quantity of nature and the Avogadro constant is not considered as a fundamental constant of nature, as they are both based on an arbitrary definition (due to the arbitrary value of 0.012 kg for the mass of 1 mole of C-12 isotope). Therefore, the amount of substance (mole) is moved from the list of base quantities to the category of the supplementary units (to be re-created after its abrogation in 1995). Based on its definition, the luminous intensity (cd) is not a base quantity (unit), therefore it is moved to the list of derived quantities (units). The ampere and coulomb are exchanged by places in the list of base and derived units, as ampere is a speed of coulombs (but SI defines meter, not its speed as a base unit). The five base quantities are re-defined in this paper by connecting them to five fundamental constants of nature (the most accurately known frequency of the hydrogen atom, the speed of light, the Planck constant, the Boltzmann constant and the elementary charge) with their numerical values fixed in accordance with their CODATA 2006 values (to be improved by further experiments).

Quantum Metrology of Electrical Quantities and Mass

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-25
Author(s):  
Mun-Seog KIM ◽  
Dong-Hun CHAE ◽  
Kwang-Cheol LEE
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Josephson Effect ◽  
International System ◽  
Quantum Hall ◽  
Fundamental Constants ◽  
Planck Constant ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Elementary Charge ◽  
Base Units ◽  
New Si

The new International System of Units (SI) became effective on 20 May 2019. In the new SI, the complete system of units can be traced to seven fixed values of the fundamental constants, not to seven base units as in the old system. Electrical metrology has two important quantum mechanical foundations. Here, we introduce the basics and the metrological applications of the Josephson effect and the quantum Hall effect, which play key roles in linking electrical quantities to the fundamental constants, including the Planck constant h, the elementary charge e, and the transition frequency of cesium 133 ΔνCs. Finally, we discuss the redefinition of the kilogram as one of the important examples of electrical metrology based on quantum physics.

scholarly journals Explaining to different audiences the new definition and experimental realizations of the kilogram

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Joaquín Valdés
Keyword(s):  
International System ◽  
Atomic Mass ◽  
Planck Constant ◽  
International System Of Units ◽  
Si Units ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Final Agreement ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract. Different options were discussed before reaching the final agreement on the new definitions of the SI units, effective from 20 May 2019, especially with regard to the kilogram, now defined in terms of the numerical value of the Planck constant (h). Replacing the artefact definition of the kilogram with a new one based on the mass of a particle, or the atomic mass constant (mu), would have been preferable for ease of understanding, among other reasons. In this paper we discuss some limitations of teaching to different audiences what a kilogram is in the redefined International System of Units (SI), including realizations of the new definition.

scholarly journals The NIST Johnson Noise Thermometry System for the Determination of the Boltzmann Constant

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan E. Flowers-Jacobs ◽  
Alessio Pollarolo ◽  
Kevin J. Coakley ◽  
Adam C. Weis ◽  
Anna E. Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International System ◽  
Standard Uncertainty ◽  
Boltzmann Constant ◽  
Correlated Noise ◽  
Johnson Noise ◽  
Noise Thermometry ◽  
Relative Standard ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Johnson Noise Thermometry

In preparation for the redefinition of the International System of Units (SI), five different electronic measurements of the Boltzmann constant have been performed using different Johnson noise thermometry (JNT) systems over the past seven years. In this paper, we describe in detail the JNT system and uncertainty components associated with the most recent National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) determination of the Boltzmann constant: k = 1.380642 9(69) × 10−23 J/K, with a relative standard uncertainty of 5.0 × 10−6 and relative offset of −4.05 × 10−6 from the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) 2014 recommended value. We discuss the input circuits and the approach we used to match the frequency response of two noise sources. We present new measurements of the correlated noise of the 4 K on-chip resistors in the quantum-accurate, pseudorandom, voltage-noise source, which we used to estimate the correlated, frequency-dependent, nonthermal noise in our system. Finally, we contrast our system with those used in other measurements and speculate on future improvements.

scholarly journals Adapting the International System of Units to the twenty-first century

2011 ◽  
Vol 369 (1953) ◽  
pp. 3907-3924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian M. Mills ◽  
Peter J. Mohr ◽  
Terry J. Quinn ◽  
Barry N. Taylor ◽  
Edwin R. Williams
Keyword(s):  
International System ◽  
International Committee ◽  
First Century ◽  
Weights And Measures ◽  
International System Of Units ◽  
System Of Units ◽  
Elementary Charge ◽  
Magnetic Constant ◽  
Base Units ◽  
New Si

We review the proposal of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (Comité International des Poids et Mesures, CIPM), currently being considered by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (Conférences Générales des Poids et Mesures, CGPM), to revise the International System of Units (Le Système International d'Unitès, SI). The proposal includes new definitions for four of the seven base units of the SI, and a new form of words to present the definitions of all the units. The objective of the proposed changes is to adopt definitions referenced to constants of nature, taken in the widest sense, so that the definitions may be based on what are believed to be true invariants. In particular, whereas in the current SI the kilogram, ampere, kelvin and mole are linked to exact numerical values of the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram, the magnetic constant (permeability of vacuum), the triple-point temperature of water and the molar mass of carbon-12, respectively, in the new SI these units are linked to exact numerical values of the Planck constant, the elementary charge, the Boltzmann constant and the Avogadro constant, respectively. The new wording used expresses the definitions in a simple and unambiguous manner without the need for the distinction between base and derived units. The importance of relations among the fundamental constants to the definitions, and the importance of establishing a mise en pratique for the realization of each definition, are also discussed.

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