School/University

A new primary measurement facility at PTB is making the calibration of beta radiation sources more efficient and accurate.

Targeted collision of single photons or electrons enables a sensitive measurement method that can be used to investigate and control the way in which they influence each other. This reduction to single sharp signal impulses allows the measurement resolution to be improved and new components to be created for quantum information processing. In nanostructured semiconductor circuits, two separate electrons can be guided ballistically on intersecting signal paths; in this way, the electrons’ interaction can be used to control or probe electrical signals. The basic function of a non-linear circuit component of this type has been demonstrated in distinct, complementary realizations by three independent research teams led by NEEL (F), NPL (UK) and PTB.

Can dark matter interact with photons and influence atomic structure? A comparison of two different kinds of optical atomic clocks at PTB has improved existing experimental detection limits for a possible coupling by more than an order of magnitude and over a wide range of dark matter particle mass. While no evidence of a dark matter coupling has been found, the work brings us closer to understanding the nature and potential interactions of dark matter.

In principle, sensor networks and appropriate interpolation methods can be used to determine the temperature at any desired location in a room. The reliability of such interpolated data was tested at PTB.

With well over 100 million examinations per year worldwide, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the second most important medical imaging method. However, patients with implants often have to refrain from this life-saving diagnostic option or accept a lower image quality. Especially with active implants, such as cardiac pacemakers and neurostimulators, MRI scanning can lead to dangerous tissue heating in the body if not applied in a cautious way. PTB has shown that wireless communication between the implant and the magnetic resonance scanner can solve this problem.

“Think Metrology” is the motto from 26-29 August 2024 at the World Congress of the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO). It will be a summit meeting for the world’s leading metrologists. More than 700 researchers and users will report on innovations and current topics stemming from the expansive field of metrology. You can already register and submit your paper.

Further information: https://www.imeko2024.org 
(Contact: imeko2024(at)ptb.de)

In the recently launched project “TruePA” (Truly Resilient Quantum Limited Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifiers), researchers from PTB and seven European partner institutions are jointly developing the next generation of parametric amplifiers, or TWPAs for short. Due to their extremely low noise, they are significant for the detection of weak electromagnetic signals at microwave frequencies of several gigahertz. The EU is providing three million euros in funding for the project which will run for three years. The project’s website: www.truepa.eu. (Contact: Lukas Grünhaupt, +49 531 592-9453, lukas.gruenhaupt(at)ptb.de)

An optical gas sensor specially developed by PTB for the trace water vapor range enables calibration-free, SI-traceable measurements for use in climate research and industry.

Anyone who has conducted precision measurements within the scope of a scientific project or assignment should pay close attention: You are eligible to apply for the Helmholtz Prize. It is Europe’s most prestigious award in metrology — the science of exact measurement — and will be awarded in two categories: “Precision Measurements in Fundamental Research” and “Precision Measurements in Applied Metrology”. Prize money of 20,000€ awaits the winner in each category. With this prize, which is awarded every two years, the Helmholtz-Fonds e.V. (Helmholtz Fund) and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Donors’ Association for the Promotion of Science and Humanities in Germany) honor scientists for outstanding scientific and technological achievements in the field of precision measurement in physics, chemistry and medicine. The closing date for applications for the current call for proposals is 31 January 2024. Further information...

She comes from the coast, and soon she’ll see nothing but the sea for two whole months. We’re talking about Rieke Schäfer, who is 26 years young, and a doctoral student at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). On 14 April 2023, she’ll be swapping her desk job and lab work for life on the high seas. Her new place of work will be a large research ship that is going to sail about 16 000 km across the Pacific. She’ll be sharing this rocking and rolling vessel with around 40 other researchers who will also be on board. They are going to work on a large variety of burning questions for two months. The question that interests Rieke Schäfer the most is this: How acidic is the ocean now? And how can we measure this even more accurately and reliably? This question has to do with how strongly global warming is affecting marine organisms – above all those that have calcium carbonate shells or build coral reefs. Rieke Schäfer is going to...