Digitalization of the reporting of key comparisons for radionuclide metrology

The Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) operates an international reference system (the SIR) to compare primary standards of radioactivity realized by National Metrology Institutes (NMIs). Recently, the way of managing data relating to this system has been redesigned. The new model is fully integrated into the SI digital transformation initiated by the metrology community. The new approach automates the production of reports on the results from key comparison exercises for publication in the Key Comparison DataBase (KCDB), aiming to reduce the time needed to prepare reports without impacting quality. In operation for a year, the new system has produced 12 comparison reports within deadlines at a quality that meets the needs of the stakeholders in radionuclide metrology. The database and the software are controlled using the states-of-the-art Git version control system. In addition, thanks to the machine-readable database it produces, it paves the way for more digital data exchanges meeting the FAIR principles and directly accessible through a new Application Programming Interface (API) that is under development.

On the recent claim of correlation between radioactive decay rates and space weather

In recent literature, several authors have challenged the validity of the exponential-decay law, based on observed variations in radioactive decay rate measurements beyond statistical accuracy. Tentative explanations have been sought in external interferences influencing the decay process, such as interactions of the nuclei with solar and cosmic neutrinos. Given the important implications of such statements on theoretical and practical level, one would expect that they are backed up with radionuclide metrology of the highest quality. In reality, they share the common traits of using poor metrology and incomplete uncertainty analysis with respect to the stability of the measurement technique. In this paper, new claims of correlations between decay rates and space weather are questioned.