This paper concerns an international research project aimed at determining the Avogadro constant by counting the atoms in an isotopically enriched silicon crystal. The counting procedure was based on the measurement of the molar volume and the volume of an atom in two 1 kg crystal spheres. The novelty was the use of isotope dilution mass spectrometry as a new and very accurate method for the determination of the molar mass of enriched silicon. Because of an unexpected metallic contamination of the sphere surfaces, the relative measurement uncertainty, 3 × 10−8 NA, is larger by a factor 1.5 than that targeted. The measured value of the Avogadro constant, NA = 6.022 140 82(18) × 1023 mol−1, is the most accurate input datum for the kilogram redefinition and differs by 16 × 10−8 NA from the CODATA 2006 adjusted value. This value is midway between the NIST and NPL watt-balance values.

New results are reported from an ongoing international research effort to accurately determine the Avogadro constant by counting the atoms in an isotopically enriched silicon crystal. The surfaces of two 28 Si-enriched spheres were decontaminated and reworked in order to produce an outer surface without metal contamination and improved sphericity. New measurements were then made on these two reconditioned spheres using improved methods and apparatuses. When combined with other recently refined parameter measurements, the Avogadro constant derived from these new results has a value of N A = 6.022 140 76(12) × 10 23 mol -1 . The X-ray crystal density method has thus achieved the target relative standard uncertainty of 2.0 × 10 -8 necessary for the realization of the definition of the new kilogram.

The Avogadro constant links the atomic and the macroscopic properties of matter. Since the molar Planck constant is well known via the measurement of the Rydberg constant, it is also closely related to the Planck constant. In addition, its accurate determination is of paramount importance for a definition of the kilogram in terms of a fundamental constant. We describe a new approach for its determination by counting the atoms in 1 kg single-crystal spheres, which are highly enriched with the 28Si isotope. It enabled isotope dilution mass spectroscopy to determine the molar mass of the silicon crystal with unprecedented accuracy. The value obtained, NA = 6.022,140,78(18) × 10(23) mol(-1), is the most accurate input datum for a new definition of the kilogram.

For the accurate determination of the Avogadro constant, two 28Si spheres were produced, whose macroscopic density, in addition to other values, must be determined. To make a contribution to the new definition of the kilogram, a relative standard uncertainty of less than 2 × 10−8 has to be achieved. Each silicon surface is covered by a surface layer (SL). Consequently, correction parameters for the SL are determined to be applied to the mass and volume determination of the enriched spheres. With the use of a large set of surface analysing techniques, the structure of the SL is investigated. An unexpected metallic contamination existing on the sphere surface enlarges the uncertainty contribution of the correction parameters above the originally targeted value of 1 × 10−8. In the framework of this investigation this new obstacle is resolved in two ways. A new combination of analytical methods is applied to measure the SL mass mSL and the thickness dSL, including this new contamination, with an uncertainty of u(mSL) = 14.5 µg and 14.4 µg, respectively, and u(dSL) = 0.33 nm and 0.32 nm for the 28Si spheres AVO28-S5 and AVO28-S8, respectively.In the second part of the work, the chemical composition of these metallic contaminations is found to be Cu, Ni and Zn silicide compounds. For the removal of this contamination, a special procedure is developed, tested and applied to the spheres to produce the originally expected surface structure on the spheres. After the application of this new procedure the use of x-ray reflectometry directly at the spheres will be possible. It is expected to reduce the uncertainty contribution due to the SL down to 1 × 10−8.

A new single crystal from isotopically enriched silicon was used to determine the Avogadro constant N A by the x-ray-crystal density method. The new crystal, named Si28-23Pr11, has a higher enrichment than the former 'AVO28' crystal allowing a smaller uncertainty of the molar mass determination. Again, two 1 kg spheres were manufactured from this crystal. The crystal and the spheres were measured with improved and new methods. One sphere, Si28kg01a, was measured at NMIJ and PTB with very consistent results. The other sphere, Si28kg01b, was measured only at PTB and yielded nearly the same Avogadro constant value. The mean result for both 1 kg spheres is N A = 6.022 140 526(70) × 10 23 mol −1 with a relative standard uncertainty of 1.2 × 10 −8 . This value deviates from the Avogadro value published in 2015 for the AVO28 crystal by about 3.9(2.1) × 10 −8 . Possible reasons for this difference are discussed and additional measurements are proposed.

The 8th International Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters (ICAG2009) took place at the headquarters of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) from September to October 2009. It was the first ICAG organized as a key comparison in the framework of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM MRA) (CIPM 1999). ICAG2009 was composed of a Key Comparison (KC) as defined by the CIPM MRA, organized by the Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities (CCM) and designated as CCM.G-K1. Participating gravimeters and their operators came from national metrology institutes (NMIs) or their designated institutes (DIs) as defined by the CIPM MRA. A Pilot Study (PS) was run in parallel in order to include gravimeters and their operators from other institutes which, while not signatories of the CIPM MRA, nevertheless play important roles in international gravimetry measurements. The aim of the CIPM MRA is to have international acceptance of the measurement capabilities of the participating institutes in various fields of metrology. The results of CCM.G-K1 thus constitute an accurate and consistent gravity reference traceable to the SI (International System of Units), which can be used as the global basis for geodetic, geophysical and metrological observations of gravity. The measurements performed afterwards by the KC participants can be referred to the international metrological reference, i.e. they are SI-traceable. The ICAG2009 was complemented by a number of associated measurements: the Relative Gravity Campaign (RGC2009), high-precision levelling and an accurate gravity survey in support of the BIPM watt balance project. The major measurements took place at the BIPM between July and October 2009. Altogether 24 institutes with 22 absolute gravimeters (one of the 22 AGs was ultimately withdrawn) and nine relative gravimeters participated in the ICAG/RGC campaign. This paper is focused on the absolute gravity campaign. We review the history of the ICAGs and present the organization, data processing and the final results of the ICAG2009. After almost thirty years of hosting eight successive ICAGs, the CIPM decided to transfer the responsibility for piloting the future ICAGs to NMIs, although maintaining a supervisory role through its Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities.

Accumulating evidence indicates that signaling centers controlling the dorsoventral (DV) polarization of the neural tube, the roof plate and the floor plate, play crucial roles in axon guidance along the DV axis. However, the role of signaling centers regulating the rostrocaudal (RC) polarization of the neural tube in axon guidance along the RC axis remains unknown. Here, we show that a signaling center located at the midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) regulates the rostrally directed growth of axons from midbrain dopaminergic neurons (mDANs). We found that beads soaked with fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8), a signaling molecule that mediates patterning activities of the MHB, repelled mDAN axons that extended through the diencephalon. This repulsion may be mediated by semaphorin 3F (sema3F) because (1) FGF8-soaked beads induced an increase in expression of sema3F, (2) sema3F expression in the midbrain was essentially abolished by the application of an FGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and (3) mDAN axonal growth was also inhibited by sema3F. Furthermore, mDAN axons expressed a sema3F receptor, neuropilin-2 (nrp2), and the removal of nrp-2 by gene targeting caused caudal growth of mDAN axons. These results indicate that the MHB signaling center regulates the growth polarity of mDAN axons along the RC axis by inducing sema3F.

The adsorption isotherms on SiO 2 /Si(100) surfaces were measured using a vacuum mass comparator. Samples with a surface area difference of 816.6 cm 2 were used for the measurement, and a substitution weighing method was adopted to reduce the uncertainty due to the drift and non-linearity of the indication of the mass comparator. We measured adsorption isotherms of water vapour on the SiO 2 /Si(100) surfaces outgassed at a temperature of 500 ˚C and found that dissociative adsorption caused an irreversible increase of 0.028 µg cm −2 with an uncertainty of 0.004 µg cm −2 (k = 1). We also found that the physical adsorption of water molecules on hydroxylated surfaces had a monolayer capacity of 0.004 µg cm −2 with an uncertainty of 0.002 µg cm −2 (k = 1). In addition, the adsorption isotherms for ethanol vapour and n-octane vapour, which were different from water vapour in adsorption properties, were measured and analysed.