Novel 'noise thermometry' may help redefine international unit of temperature

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Photograph of circuit used in NISTs Johnson noise thermometry system. The system relies on the noise of jiggling electrons as a basis for measuring temperatures. It is extremely precise in part because it is based on the predictable quantum effects o ...
Photograph of circuit used in NIST’s Johnson noise thermometry system. The system relies on the "noise" of jiggling electrons as a basis for measuring temperatures. It is extremely precise in part because it is based on the predictable quantum effects of superconducting elements located between the dashed slits on the top and bottom of the chip. Credit: NIST

After seven years of work, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have built a system that relies on the "noise" of jiggling electrons as a basis for measuring temperatures with extreme precision. The system is nearly precise enough now to help update some of the crucial underpinnings of science, including the 54-year-old definition of the Kelvin, the international unit of temperature.


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