News from division 7

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanometer-sized cell-derived particles in body fluids and can be used as potential biomarkers for diseases such as cancer, inflammation and cardiovascular disease. EVs gained a lot of interest as they are released from all cell types and their biochemical composition, concentration and function are disease-dependent...

Until now, it has not been possible to measure the radiated power of millimeter waves in the terahertz spectral range in the so-called H-band with frequencies from 220 GHz to 330 GHz traceable to the International System of Units. The solution to this problem is a new type of terahertz detector, which was developed as part of a Franco-German cooperation project.

The optical constants fully describe how a material transmits, reflects, absorbs, refracts or scatters light. Their precise knowledge is therefore of central importance for optical technology. As part of the European joint projects "Advanced Traceable Metrology for Optical Constants" (ATMOC) and "14 Angstrom CMOS IC technology" (14ACMOS), PTB has started to build up a database of optical constants...

In a cooperation project between the PTB departments “Detector Radiometry and Radiation Thermometry” and “International Cooperation”, the Federal Association for Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA) and the Business Scout for Development programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), a simple but effective cooling effect was demonstrated on buildings in...

Reconstructing the spatial electron density of atomic systems not only provides new insights into quantum mechanics, but also advances in areas such as material science and functional surfaces. In the photoelectric effect, photoelectrons are emitted through interaction with light...

Dr. Steffen Rudtsch, Head of Division 7.4 "Temperature" for many years, passed away on January 20, 2024, after a short, serious illness at the age of 61.

Steffen Rudtsch studied physics at the universities of Leipzig and Cottbus, where he obtained his doctorate in 1994. He then worked in the field of thermophysics, from 1999 at the PTB.

In 2002, he moved to the "Thermometry" laboratory at PTB's...

As part of the "Quantum Systems Research Programme", the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the QVac project of the University of Bremen and the PTB. The aim of this project is to develop a compact primary standard for pressure measurements in ultra-high vacuum (pressures < 10^-6 Pa) based on cold atoms. For the pressure measurement, about 1 million of...

Primary receiver standards for optical radiant power are used for the metrological traceability of radiometric measurements to the SI system of units. Although the use of absorber-based radiometers at low temperatures is established, it is associated with very high costs. A primary receiver based on photodiodes would offer a much simpler possibility for scale realisation. As an important step in...