Validating the Cold Atom Vacuum Standard (IMAGE)
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To verify the accuracy of their new approach for measuring ultra-low vacuum pressures, NIST researchers built a high-performance version of a traditional pressure metrology setup, known as a dynamic expansion system. In this system, they injected gas at a flow rate of roughly 10 to 100 billion molecules per second into the top chamber. The gas moved from the upper chamber to the lower chamber, which is evacuated by a large pump, at a known rate through a precisely dimensioned orifice. A set of gauges measured the pressure ratio between the top and bottom chambers to correct for imperfections. Using the flow rate of gas in and the rate that gas moves from between the two chambers, the researchers calculated the pressure in the top chamber, which the CAVS independently measures. The researchers found agreement between this known pressure value and the readings from the CAVS sensors, thereby validating their new method.
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NIST
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