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Towards quantum-based realisations of the pascal

Short Name: QuantumPascal, Project Number: 18SIB04
Image of a Fabry-Pérot resonator used at CNAM for photon-based pressure - Courtesy of CNAM
Fabry-Pérot resonator used at CNAM for photon-based pressure - Courtesy of Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM)
Coordinator
Tom Moses Rubin (PTB)

Quantum-based realisations of the pascal expected to yield new ways to calibrate gas pressure measurements


Despite minimal improvements in performance over decades, industrial and scientific measurements of gas pressure are still made with manometers containing toxic mercury. Piston gauges are more accurate but require exchange of weights during calibration and can be slow, bulky, complex, and require additional methods below 3 kilopascals. In theory, the drawbacks could be fixed using photon-based devices that use helium or other gases as the calculable reference substance. Miniaturisation could also enable faster, cheaper, calibration-free measurements.

 

The project has developed photon-based standards, applying quantum methods showing potential as a replacement primary standard of the SI unit of pressure, the pascal. Various methods were tried, some pioneering, combined with new calculations of thermodynamic and electromagnetic gas properties. Performance was then compared with current primary pressure standards.

Technologies developed will be promoted to end users and standards bodies: as quantum-based realisations of the pascal could enable more accurate and versatile pressure measurement methods, to benefit other fields of metrology, wider science, industry and manufacturing.

 

Links
Project website
Link
Final Report
Publishable Summary
Publications
Path-integral calculation of the third dielectric virial coefficient of helium based on ab initio three-body polarizability and dipole surfaces
2024

The Journal of Chemical Physics

Status and performance of the LNE-Cnam Fabry-Perot refractometer
2024

Proceedings of the 7th IMEKO TC16 Conference on Pressure and Vacuum Measurement

Demonstration of a Transportable Fabry–Pérot Refractometer by a Ring-Type Comparison of Dead-Weight Pressure Balances at Four European National Metrology Institutes
2023

Sensors

Toward the realization of a primary low-pressure standard using a superconducting microwave resonator
2023

Review of Scientific Instruments

Realisation of an optical pressure standard by a multi-reflection interferometric technique
2023

Measurement

Towards a quantum standard for absolute pressure measurements
2022

Fast Simultaneous CO2 Gas Temperature and Concentration Measurements by Quantum Cascade Laser Absorption Spectroscopy
2022

Applied Sciences

CO2 Gas Temperature Sensing near Room Temperature by a Quantum Cascade Laser in Inter Pulse Mode
2022

Photonics

Subpromille Measurements and Calculations of CO (3–0) Overtone Line Intensities
2022

Physical Review Letters

In situ determination of the penetration depth of mirrors in Fabry-Perot refractometers and its influence on assessment of refractivity and pressure
2022

Optics Express

Thermodynamic effects in a gas modulated Invar-based dual Fabry–Pérot cavity refractometer
2022

Metrologia

Sub-percent accuracy for the intensity of a nearinfrared water line at 10,670 cm−1: experiment and analysis
2022

Molecular Physics

An optical pascal in Sweden
2022

Journal of Optics

Absolute ¹³C/¹²C isotope amount ratio for Vienna PeeDee Belemnite from infrared absorption spectroscopy
2021

Nature Physics

Path-integral calculation of the third dielectric virial coefficient of noble gases
2021

The Journal of Chemical Physics

Highly-accurate second-virial-coefficient values for helium from 3.7 K to 273 K determined by dielectric-constant gas thermometry
2021

Metrologia

Combined Dielectric-Constant Gas Thermometry and Expansion Experiments - Virial Coefficients of Argon
2021

Rayleigh scattering for pressure assessment
2021

Measurement: Sensors

The Short-Term Performances of Two Independent Gas Modulated Refractometers for Pressure Assessments
2021

Sensors

Ability of gas modulation to reduce the pickup of drifts in refractometry
2021

Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Optical realization of the pascal—Characterization of two gas modulated refractometers
2021

Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B

Assessment of gas molar density by gas modulation refractometry: A review of its basic operating principles and extraordinary performance
2021

Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy

Procedure for robust assessment of cavity deformation in Fabry–Pérot based refractometers
2020

Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B

Invar-based refractometer for pressure assessments
2020

Optics Letters

An Invar-based Fabry-Perot cavity refractometer with a gallium fixed-point cell for assessment of pressure
2020

ACTA IMEKO

Recent advances in Fabry-Perot-based refractometry utilizing gas modulation for assessment of pressure
2020

ACTA IMEKO

A transportable refractometer for assessment of pressure in the kPa range with ppm level precision
2020

ACTA IMEKO

QED calculation of the dipole polarizability of helium atom
2020

Physical Review A

Simulation of pressure-induced cavity deformation – the 18SIB04 Quantumpascal EMPIR project
2020

ACTA IMEKO

Path-Integral Calculation of the Second Dielectric and Refractivity Virial Coefficients of Helium, Neon, and Argon
2020

Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology

Calculated values of the second dielectric and refractivity virial coefficients of helium, neon, and argon.
2020

J Res Natl Inst Stan

Theoretical determination of polarizability and magnetic susceptibility of neon
2020

Physical Review A

Towards an improved helium-based refractometer for pressure measurements
2020

ACTA IMEKO

Dataset related to the publication "A transportable refractometer for assessment of pressure in the kPa range with ppm level precision"
0

Acta IMEKO

Dataset related to the publication "Assessment of gas molar density by gas modulation refractometry: A review of its basic operating principles and extraordinary performance"
0

Spectrochimica Acta Part B

Calculated values of the third dielectric virial coefficient of helium-4, neon-20, and argon-40
0

The Journal of Chemical Physics

Dataset related to the publication "Procedure for robust assessment of cavity deformation in Fabry–Pérot based refractometers"
0

Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B

Dataset related to the publication "Ability of gas modulation to reduce the pickup of drifts in refractometry"
0

Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Dataset related to the publication "An invar-based fabry-perot cavity refractometer with a gallium fixed-point cell for assessment of pressure"
0

Acta IMEKO

Dataset related to the publication "Invar-based refractometer for pressure assessments"
0

Optics Letters

Dataset related to the publication "Recent advances in Fabry-Perot-based refractometry utilizing gas modulation for assessment of pressure"
0

Acta IMEKO

Dataset related to the publication "Optical realization of the pascal - Characterization of two gas modulated refractometers"
0

Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B

Dataset related to the publication "The Short-Term Performances of Two Independent Gas Modulated Refractometers for Pressure Assessments"
0

Sensors

Dataset related to the publication "In situ determination of the penetration depth of mirrors in Fabry-Perot refractometers and its influence on assessment of refractivity and pressure"
0

Optics Express

Dataset related to the publication "Thermodynamic effects in a gas modulatedInvar-based dual Fabry–Pérot cavity refractometer"
0

Metrologia

Dataset related to the publication "An optical pascal in Sweden"
0

Journal of Optics

Dataset related to the publication "Simulation of pressure-induced cavity deformation – the 18SIB04 Quantumpascal EMPIR project"
0

Acta IMEKO

Participating EURAMET NMIs and DIs
CEM (Spain)
INRiM (Italy)
LNE (France)
LNE-LCM/CNAM (France)
MIRS/IMT/LMT (Slovenia)
PTB (Germany)
RISE (Sweden)
Other Participants
Fondazione Bruno Kessler (Italy)
Umeå Universitet (Sweden)
University College London (United Kingdom)
Uniwersytet Warszawski (Poland)
WIKA Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG (Germany)

Information

Programme
EMPIR
Field
SI Broader Scope
Status
completed
Call
2018
Duration
2019-2022