Novel 'Noise Thermometry' May Help Redefine International Unit Of Temperature
Tuesday, June 3, 2008 - 10:14
in Physics & Chemistry
After seven years of work, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have built a system that relies on the "noise" of jiggling electrons as a basis for measuring temperatures with extreme precision. The system is nearly precise enough now to help update some of the crucial underpinnings of science, including the 54-year-old definition of the Kelvin, the international unit of temperature.