NIST has developed a new programmable 10-volt quantum voltage standard that measures both direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) voltages. Building on 26 years of quantum voltage standard research, the new system uses superconducting integrated circuits containing 300,000 Josephson junctions, which exhibit quantum behavior to ensure precise voltage measurements.
The new standard offers several advantages over previous generations, including higher immunity to noise, greater stability, and easier setup and operation. It also enables a wider range of applications by producing AC waveforms for accurately calibrating AC signals with frequencies up to a few hundred hertz. The first system was shipped to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida earlier this month, with others on order by standards laboratories in Brazil and Taiwan.
Quantum voltage standards are based on the Josephson effect, where a current tunnels through a superconducting junction when separated by a thin insulating or resistive film. The resulting voltage can be calculated based on the applied microwave frequency and fundamental constants of nature.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2010/10/nist-ships-first-programmable-acdc-10-volt-standard
Keywords: Standard, Voltage, Josephson, Superconducting, Metrology
