Case Studies

The radiofrequency (RF) part of the electromagnetic spectrum (between 3 kHz and 300 GHz) is used by many current communication systems – including mobile phone networks, TV broadcasting, public radio, and satellites. To reduce interference between these different applications they operate in separate RF “bands” at different fre...

Time and frequency (T&F) reference signals underpin electricity grids, global navigation and the internet. Most applications use signals from orbiting satellites, but their precision is insufficient for advanced research into such things as fundamental physics and quantum technologies. One alternative is to deliver clock signa...

Nanoparticles (NPs) are extremely small – less than 100 nm in size. Due to their high surface area, nanoparticles often have increased activity. This has led to their use in a wide range of modern products, including sunscreen, fuel cells, semiconductors, drug and gene delivery vehicles, or as contrast agents for Magnetic Reson...

Infusion therapy, where drugs are delivered into a patient’s veins or under their skin, is the most common kind of medical therapy. These methods have applications across areas like pain relief, anaesthesia and chemotherapy, and require a precise dose of a drug to be delivered at a specific rate. In some instances, such as neon...

The determination of distances with low measurement uncertainty, linked to the SI, is used in the surveillance of large-scale facilities during construction and the deformation monitoring of critical infrastructures. It is also important in observations of geological hazards, such as volcanoes or tectonic faults and can help ch...

The second, the unit for time, is a component of six out of the seven base SI units and its realisation underpins almost all areas of metrology. The most precise devices available to measure time are optical clocks, a type of atomic clock that utilises isolated ions or neutral atoms with energy transitions in the high-frequency...