Comparison of Coulomb Blockade Thermometers with the International Temperature Scale PLTS-2000

The operation of the primary Coulomb blockade thermometer (CBT) is based on a measurement of bias voltage dependent conductance of arrays of tunnel junctions between normal metal electrodes. Here we report on a comparison of a CBT with a high accuracy realization of the PLTS-2000 temperature scale in the range from 0.008 K to 0.65 K. An overall agreement of about 1% was found for temperatures above 0.25 K. For lower temperatures increasing differences are caused by thermalization problems which are accounted for by numerical calculations based on electron-phonon decoupling.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Frequency dependent effects in measurements with industrial platinum resistance thermometers

Report no. EUR 12181 ENSIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:GP-EUR/12181 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Investigation of low-temperature fixed points by an international star intercomparison of sealed triple-point cells

An overview of the results of an international star intercomparison of low-temperature fixed points is given. Between 1997 and 2005, 68 sealed triple-point cells (STPCs) of the twelve laboratories represented by the authors were investigated at PTB. The STPCs are used to realize the triple points of hydrogen, neon, oxygen and argon as defining fixed points of the International Temperature Scale of 1990, ITS-90. The melting curves (MCs) of all STPCs have been measured on the same experimental equipment, adhering strictly to a single measurement program. This protocol enables separation of the effects influencing the MCs and direct comparison of the thermal behaviour of the STPCs, which are quite different with respect to design, age, gas source and filling technology. In the paper, special emphasis is given to the spread of the liquidus-point temperatures and to the uncertainty of their determination. Connections between the star intercomparison and completed and ongoing international activities are also discussed