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Electricity
Summary
The BIPM watt balance
Calculable capacitor
Other areas of research and development
BIPM services in the field of electricity
International comparisons
Calibration services
Activities related to external organizations
Recent publications
Staff of the Department
Director's Report 2012
Direct access
The introduction on 1 January 1990 of conventional values for the Josephson constant KJ-90 and the von Klitzing constant RK-90, following their adoption by the CIPM in 1988, has resulted in a significant improvement in the world-wide coherence of electrical measurements. For the BIPM, the formal introduction of these two macroscopic quantum effects into electrical metrology has changed the way in which international comparisons at the highest level are carried out.

The reproducibility of a voltage standard using an array of Josephson junctions is a few parts in 1010 and that of a resistance standard based on the quantum Hall effect is a few parts in 109. No secondary travelling standard, such as a Zener standard or a wire-wound resistor, has a stability comparable with this.

     
Summary

The BIPM watt balance
Calculable capacitor
Other areas of research and development

BIPM services in the field of electricity
International comparisons
Calibration services
Activities related to external organizations
Recent publications
Staff of the Department
 Director's Report 2012