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Using Radiation Pressure to Develop a Radio-Frequency Power Measurement Technique Traceable to the Redefined SI
Published
Author(s)
Christopher L. Holloway, Matthew T. Simons, David R. Novotny, John H. Lehman, Paul A. Williams, Gordon A. Shaw
Abstract
We discuss a power measurement technique traceable to the International System of Units based on radiation pressure (or radiation force) carried by an electromagnetic wave. A measurement of radiation pressure offers the possibility for a power measurement traceable to the kilogram and to Planck's constant through the redefined SI. Towards this goal, we performed measurements of the radiation pressure from a radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic field at three frequencies (26.5~GHz, 32.5~GHz, and 40.0~GHz) and power levels (ranging from 2~W to 25~W) using a commercially available mass scale. We show comparisons between the RF power obtained with this technique and those obtained with a conventional power meter. The results in this paper are the first step towards the realization of a more direct link to RF power within the newly redefined SI.
Holloway, C.
, Simons, M.
, Novotny, D.
, Lehman, J.
, Williams, P.
and Shaw, G.
(2018),
Using Radiation Pressure to Develop a Radio-Frequency Power Measurement Technique Traceable to the Redefined SI, Applied Physics Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=926474
(Accessed October 7, 2025)