**Quantum Standard: Josephson Junction Digital to Analog Converter**
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a new quantum standard for accurate AC waveform synthesis using Josephson junctions. This technology converts digital signals into analog signals with minimal noise, allowing for precise control over the frequency and amplitude of AC waves.
**Organizations Involved:** NIST is leading this development, creating programmable voltage standards that can generate metrologically accurate waveforms.
**Current Status:** The invention provides a low-phase noise digital to analog converter that can be used in calibration systems or radar systems requiring cryogenic temperatures.
**Potential Impact:** This technology will enable independent checks on the accuracy of thermal voltage converters currently used in metrology applications. It will also shift the fundamental method of AC metrology from detector-based calibrations to source-based calibrations, providing more reliable measurements.
Implementation timeframes are not specified in this article; however, it represents an advancement towards developing quantum technologies for various fields such as calibration and radar systems.
Key technical points:
– **Josephson Junctions**: Tiny devices made from superconducting materials that convert digital information into precise electrical currents.
– **Low-phase Noise**: A measure of how stable an electronic signal is over time. Lower phase noise means less variability in the signal’s frequency or amplitude.
– **Cryogenic Temperatures**: Extremely low temperatures required by some high-tech applications like superconducting electronics or magnetic resonance imaging machines
Keywords: Josephson, Metrology, Calibration
