Benck, E.
, Abbott, P.
and Kubarych, Z.
(2014),
Progress on Vacuum-to-Air Mass Calibration System Using Magnetic Suspension to Disseminate the Planck-Constant Realized Kilogram, CPEM 2014 Conference Digest, Rio De Janeiro , BR
(Accessed February 14, 2026)
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Progress on Vacuum-to-Air Mass Calibration System Using Magnetic Suspension to Disseminate the Planck-Constant Realized Kilogram
Published
Author(s)
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Abstract
The kilogram is the unit of mass in the International System of units (SI) and has been defined as the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram (IPK) since 1889. In the future, a new definition of the kilogram will be based on precise measurements of the Planck constant. The new definition will occur in a vacuum environment by necessity, so NIST is developing a mass calibration system in which a kilogram artifact in air can be directly compared with a kilogram realized in a vacuum environment. This apparatus uses magnetic levitation to couple the kilogram in air to a high precision mass balance in vacuum. Technical details of the levitation technique, the vacuum-to-air calibration system, and vehicles for transferring masses into and out of vacuum will be presented.Proceedings Title
CPEM 2014 Conference Digest
Conference Dates
August 24-29, 2014
Conference Location
Rio De Janeiro , BR
Conference Title
Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements (CPEM)
Pub Type
Conferences
Keywords
Magnetic levitation, mass metrology, Planck constant, revised SI, SI units, watt balance
Citation
Issues
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Created October 2, 2014, Updated February 13, 2026