We report on acoustic and microwave measurements made with a purified helium sample maintained close to a single thermodynamic state (Texp ∼ 273.16 K, pexp ∼ 410 kPa) within a 2.1 L volume stainless steel spherical cavity. From these measurements and ab initio calculations of the non-ideality and the refractive index of helium, we determine a value for the Boltzmann constant kB which is consistent with the recommended 2006 CODATA value: (kB − k2006)/k2006 = (−7.5 ± 7.5) × 10−6. We discuss the current limits of the experiment and the prospects of a further reduction in the uncertainty associated with the determination of kB.

Launched in 2011 within the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) of EURAMET, the joint research project "MeteoMet" -Metrology for Meteorology -is the largest EMRP consortium: National Metrology Institutes, Universities, meteorological and climate agencies, Research Institutes, collaborators and manufacturers are working together, developing new metrological techniques, as well as improving already existing ones, for meteorological observations and climate records. The project focuses on: humidity in the upper and surface atmosphere, air temperature, surface and deep-sea temperatures, soil moisture, salinity, permafrost temperature, precipitation and snow albedo effect on air temperature. All tasks are performed under rigorous metrological approach and include design and study of new sensors, new calibration facilities, investigation of sensors characteristics, improved techniques for measurements of Essential Climate Variables with uncertainty evaluation, traceability, laboratory proficiency and inclusion of field influencing parameters, long-lasting measurements, and campaigns in remote and extreme areas. MeteoMet vision is to make a further step towards establishing full data comparability, coherency, consistency and long-term continuity, through a comprehensive evaluation of the measurement uncertainties for the quantities involved in the global climate observing systems and the derived observations. The improvement of quality of Essential Climate Variables records, through the inclusion of measurement uncertainty budgets, will also highlight possible strategies for the reduction of the uncertainty. This contribution presents selected highlights of the MeteoMet project and reviews the main ongoing activities, tasks and deliverables, with a view to its possible future evolution and extended impact.

Current progress in the INRiM experiment for the determination of the Boltzmann constant k B by means of acoustic thermometry is reported. Particularly, the microwave determination of the volume of a triaxial ellipsoidal resonator with an inner radius of 5 cm which was designed at LNE-CNAM is discussed. For the same cavity, acoustic measurements in helium at T w over the extended pressure range between 50 kPa and 1.4 MPa are reported and these results are compared with the predictions of a model which accounts for several perturbing effects. The procedures, methods, and results obtained in the calibration of several capsule-type SPRTs used in the experiment are briefly illustrated, together with the estimate of the temperature uniformity of the experiment.

No abstract

A small volume (65 cm3) gold-plated quasi-spherical microwave resonator\ud has been used to measure the water vapor mole fraction xw of H2O/N2 and\ud H2O/air mixtures. This experimental technique exploits the high precision achievable\ud in the determination of the cavity microwave resonance frequencies and is particularly\ud sensitive to the presence of small concentrations of water vapor as a result of the\ud high polarizability of this substance. The mixtures were prepared using the INRIM\ud standard humidity generator for frost-point temperatures Tfp in the range between\ud 241K and 270K and a commercial two-pressure humidity generator operated at a\ud dew-point temperature between 272K and 291 K. The experimental measurements\ud compare favorably with the calculated molar fractions of the mixture supplied by the\ud humidity generators, showing a normalized error lower than 0.8

We report the first measurements of a quasi-spherical microwave resonator used as a dew-point hygrometer. In conventional dew-point hygrometers, the condensation of water from humid gas flowing over a mirror is detected optically, and the mirror surface is then temperature-controlled to yield a stable condensed layer. In our experiments we flowed moist air from a humidity generator through a quasi-spherical resonator and detected the onset of condensation by measuring the frequency ratio of selected microwave modes. We verified the basic operation of the device over the dew-point range 9.5–13.5 °C by comparison with calibrated chilled-mirror hygrometers. These tests indicate that the microwave method may allow a quantitative estimation of the volume and thickness of the water layer which is condensed on the inner surface of the resonator. The experiments reported here are preliminary due to the limited time available for the work, but show the potential of the method for detecting not only water but a variety of other liquid or solid condensates. The robust all-metal construction should make the device appropriate for use in industrial applications over a wide range of temperatures and pressures.

With the goal of achieving a better understanding of gas-shell coupling perturbations in the acoustic resonators used at INRiM for the determination of the Boltzmann constant, we measured the variation of their acoustic and microwave resonances induced by changing the composition of a binary He-Ar mixture which filled the cavity at constant temperature and pressure. As a consequence of the progressive dilution of a sample of initially pure He with Ar, the radial acoustic modes of the resonator spanned decreasing frequency intervals, partially overlapping, for several modes. In addition to the expected breathing mode of the shell, the results evidenced the presence of several other shell resonances at lower and higher frequencies, confirming that the elastic response of the assembled resonator significantly differs from that of a simple spherical shell. Experimental results are reported for two resonators which differ in design, dimensions, and constructing material. In spite of their being preliminary and susceptible of significant improvement, these results favor the interpretation of acoustic thermometry measurements with pure gases.

A low frost-point generator (INRIM 03) operating at sub-atmospheric pressure has been designed and constructed at the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRIM) as part of a calibration facility for upper-air sounding instruments. This new humidity generator covers the frost-point temperature range between  −99 °C and  −20 °C and works at any controlled pressure between 200 hPa and 1100 hPa, achieving a complete saturation of the carrier gas (nitrogen) in a single passage through a stainless steel isothermal saturator. The generated humid gas contains a water vapour amount fraction between 14  ×  10−9 mol mol−1 and 5  ×  10−3 mol mol−1. In this work the design of the generator is reported together with characterisation and performance evaluation tests. A preliminary validation of the INRIM 03 against one of the INRIM humidity standards in the common region is also included. Based on experimental test results, an initial uncertainty evaluation of the generated frost-point temperature, Tfp, and water vapour amount fraction, xw, in the limited range down to  −75 °C at atmospheric pressure is reported. For the frost-point temperature, the uncertainty budget yields a total expanded uncertainty (k  =  2) of less than 0.028 °C, while for the mole fraction the budget yields a total expanded uncertainty of less than 10−6 mol mol−1.