NIST is developing advanced metrology techniques for small mass and force measurements, building on the redefinition of the SI units. The projects aim to:
1. Create an electronic milligram standard using electrical measurements, reducing uncertainty by 1-2 orders of magnitude compared to traditional methods. This will benefit calibration of small force sensors and improve measurements in fields like atomic force microscopy.
2. Develop miniaturized optomechanical sensors that can interconvert mass, force, and laser power using photon pressure forces. The goal is to create embedded references for these measurements, potentially enabling a laser power or attonewton force standard based on countable photons.
3. Realize the SI unit of radioactivity, the becquerel, using superconducting Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) to measure radioactive decay processes. This will require precise mass measurements of liquid radioactive standards, leveraging advances from the electronic milligram and NIST-on-a-chip projects.
The projects are at various stages, with some already implemented and others still in development. The potential impact includes improved calibration standards, more precise measurements in various fields, and new realizations of SI units. Implementation timeframes vary but could benefit industries and research requiring small force, mass, and radioactivity measurements.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/small-mass-and-small-force-metrology-nist
Keywords: Metrology, Force, Photons, Mass, Precision
