The International

Bureau of

Weights and

Measures

1875-1975

""EAU of

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau of Standards

NBS SPECIAL PUBLICATION 420

Aerial view of the Pavilion de Breteuil and the immediate environs. To the east, the Seine and

the Pont de Sevres; to the northwest, the Pare de Saint-Cloud: between the Pavilion de

Breteuil (circled) and the bridge: the Manufacture Nationale de Porcelaine de Sevres. The

new laboratories (1964) are situated north of the circle and are scarcely visible; they were

built in a way to preserve the countryside. (Document Institute (leographique National,

Paris).
Medal commeiiKiraUn-i the centennial (if the Convention cif tlie Metre and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. (Desifined by R. Corbin. Monnaie de Paris)
The International Bureau

of Weights and Measures 1875-1975

Edited by

Chester H. Page

National Bureau of Standards, U.S.A.

and

Pan I Vigoiireiix

National Physieal Laboratory, U.K.

Translation of tlie BIPM Centennial Volume

Piibli>lieH on the ocrasioii <>( the

lOOth Aniiiver^ai y ol tlie Treaty of tlie Metre

May 20, 1975

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Richard W. Roberts, Direcior

Issued May 1 975
National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 420

Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Spec. Publ. 420. 256 pages (May 1975)

CODEN: XNBSAV

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON: 1975

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents

U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402

Paper cover Price $3.00

Stock Number 003-003-01408

Catalog Number C13.10:420
FOREWORD

The metric system was made legal by Congress in 1866, the United

States of America signed the Treaty of the Metre in 1875, and we have been

active in international coordination of measurements since that time. In

science, in pharmacology, and increasingly in industry, the United States

is making ever greater use of the International System of Units (SI).

In view of this ongoing conversion to the metric system, the celebration of both the Centennial of the Treaty and the first century of metrology

at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) holds considerable interest for the American public. It therefore gives me great plea- sure to make available this translation of the BIPM's official centennial

volume.

Richard W. Roberts

Director, National Bureau of Standards

III

THE INTERNATIONAL BUREAU OF WEIGHTS AND

MEASURES AT THE TIME OF ITS CENTENNIAL

We have all heard of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; it is even one of the memories which have been part of us since our

school days. And it is still more true in countries other than France, without

doubt because there is added to the prestige of the "Standard Metre" and

the "Standard Kilogram," that of the metric system conceived by the Paris

Academy of Sciences under the French Revolution.

The International Bureau of Weights and Measures is situated on French ground, but it is independent of France: decisions concerning it rest with a Conference which assembles the delegates of 43 countries,

furthermore, the 18 members of the Committee elected by the Conference,

who constitute, with the Director of the Bureau, its operations directorate,

must be scientific persons of entirely different nationalities. These 43

countries contribute, each its share, to the operating expenses of the

BIPM, which was therefore since the beginning, and still is, truly international.

That which characterizes the BIPM now, at the time of its centennial,

is the blending of permanence, which comes from its mission, and of rapid

renovation, as in the techniques used to accomplish this mission. Its permanent mission is to achieve uniformity of physical measurements

throughout the world, at the highest level of precision; this uniformity,

recognized as necessary as early as 1875, has become even more so since

the advent of the rapid scientific and industrial progress which dominates

our civilization. As for the level of precision, it raises itself today, by virtue

of the discoveries in atomic physics, to a degree which would have been inconceivable 10 or 20 years earlier; the former standards of a mechanical

nature tend to be replaced by standards of an atomic nature controlled by

rigorous universal quantum laws. This is why the BIPM needs a staff of an

ever higher scientific level: additionally, its technical equipment must be

regularly updated. Thus, in the fields where it specializes narrowly, the

BIPM keeps itself at the level of the best metrological laboratories in the

world.

The BIPM furnishes standards to countries needing them, compares

the standards of countries which are sufficiently advanced to establish

their own standards, and contributes to research looking forward to the still higher precision of the future; it serves as a neutral and impartial scientific

arbiter when national sensitivities impede an international agreement. It is

v
also a center for discussion, for coordination, and for preparation of international decisions, whenever these decisions concern standards, for example, those of length and time (change of the definition of the metre in 1960

and of the second in 1967), or the International System of Units, developed

from the Metric System. The importance of the mission of the BIPM is well

illustrated by the progressive adoption, in all countries, of the International

System of Units; despite the force of habit which retards change, this

system is spreading inevitably on its own merits, and is supplanting the

multiplicity of disparate units which we have too long endured.

In the present volume, the chapter on the measurement units of the

International System of Units is due to Professor Jan de Boer (University of

Amsterdam), Secretary of the International Committee on Weights and

Measures. The history is by H. Moreau, metrological editor of the BIPM.

The following chapters discuss the principal laboratory activities of the

BIPM; they have been composed by its scientific staff. An editing committee, consisting of J. Bonhoure, P. Carre, G. Leclerc, A. Rytz. and P.

Giacomo, deputy director, has seen to making them homogeneous in

presentation and so easily readable that a large number of readers can absorb the most important aspects of the basic metrology, often ignored,

sometimes even by scientists.

J. Terrien

Director, BIPM

VI
CONTENTS

Page

Foreword HI The International Bureau of Weights and Measures

at the time of its centennial, by J. Terrien V

From the earlier systems of measures to the

International System of Units, by J, de Boer 1

I. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 21 The Metre Convention and its organs 21 A century of metrology 29

II. MASS 43

The Prototype Kilograms and periodic verifications 43

Determination of the mass of Kilograms outside the periodic verifications 48

Balances and methods used for the comparison of Kilograms, auxiliary

measurements 50

Recent balances and current studies 54

III. LENGTH 65

Measurements of length based on the International Metre 66

Toward the change of the definition of the metre 72

Putting the 1 960 definition of the metre into practice 77

Complementary studies of the standard radiation 88

Lasers 92

IV. GRAVIMETRY 103

Metrological importance of the i<nowledge of the acceleration of gravity 1 03

Reversible pendulums 103

Free fall of a graduated scale 104

Method of two stations 106

V. MANOBAROMETRY 117

VI. THERMOMETRY 125

The gas thermometer and the mercury thermometer 125

The International Practical Temperature Scale 1 26

Pyrometric study of the freezing-point temperature of gold 131

VII. ELECTRICITY 135

Electric units 1 36

Standards 137

Installations of the BIPM 140

Periodic international comparisons 1 45

Maintenance of the ohm and the volt by the BIPM 151

Progress of metrology in the field of electricity 1 54

VIII. PHOTOMETRY 163

Apparatus and measurement methods at the BIPM 164

International comparisons of intensity and of luminous flux 170

Maintenance of the units and stability of the standard lamps 173

Spectrophotometric measurements 173

International comparison of distribution temperature scales 1 75

Prospects offered by radiometry 1 75

VII
IX MEASUREMENT OF RADIOACTIVITY 179

Generalities on the methods of measurement 1 79

The method of counting by 4 tt/? (PC)- 7 coincidences 180

The BIPM laboratory for radionuclide measurements 181

Radioactivity standards 183

International comparisons of radionuclides 1 84

Statistics of counting 185

Energy measurement: alpha-particle spectrometry 190

X. X AND GAMMA RAYS 197

Generalities 1 97

Measurement of X Radiation 200

Measurement of Gamma Radiation 203

XL NEUTRON MEASUREMENTS 213

Generalities 213

Measurement of the emission rate of a neutron source

by the manganous sulfate bath method 215

Comparative measurements of neutron sources 218

Measurement of the flux density of a source of fast monoenergetic neutrons 221

Appendixes

1 . Convention of the Metre (May 20, 1 875) 225

2 Member States of the Metre Convention 231

3- Members and officers of the CIPM, and Directors of the BIPM from 1 875 to 1 975 233

4 The base units of the'SI and their origins 238

5 Worldwide expansion of the Metric System 243

6. Publications of the Metre Convention Organs 245

7, Abbreviations used in this volume 247

VIII
FROM THE EARLIER SYSTEMS

OF MEASURES TO THE

INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS

J. de Boer

Numbers and Measures

On the occasion of the celebration of the centenary of the Convention

of the Metre* it seems appropriate to review the origins and historical

developments of unit systems and in particular of the International System

of Units, one of the most important results of the broad international collaboration that has been realized in the framework of the Convention of the

Metre.

The development of such an internationally accepted unit system is closely related with the history of science itself. The purely metrological

aspects of the development of weights and measures and of measuring

standards in general are of course directly influenced by science and

technology. But also the logical structure of the system, the symbolical and

mathematical formalism and the manner in which numerical statements

are expressed are intimately connected with the status of the mathematical

sciences at any given moment. Moreover, adequate methods to measure

and to express results of measurements in a symbolic form are also essential for the development of the experimental sciences such as physics,

chemistry, and technology. There exists an intimate interaction which Cassirer expressed as follows: "'Physical theories gain their definiteness from

the mathematical form in which they are expressed. The function of numbering and measuring is indispensable even in order to produce the raw

material of facts that are to be reproduced and unified in a theory."

So even a brief review of the history of such a unit system as the Inter- national System of Units — related with and deeply rooted as it is in the

development of modern science and technology — necessarily has to pay at- tention also to the symbolism for expressing numbers and numerical state- ments and to the whole set of formal symbohc rules which all together constitute the elements of a sophisticated system of units and which give it its central place in modern exact science.

Editor's note: In the U.S.A. commonly called "Treaty of the Metre."

1
Balance of around 5000 B.C.. iduiid in a |ii fliistoric lomli in Na^iada in Efjypt: length cif beam = 8. .5 cm (Courtesy Petrie Museum. University College London).

In most of the early civilizations the economic needs for making quantitative measurements, for instance of areas of land, amounts of food,

water, and materials, and for establishing reliable time scales and calendars, led in an early phase to the introduction of systems of counting and

expressing numbers, and of various measures and measuring systems for a great variety of purposes. Obviously we are unable to go here into a detailed account of this early history; we have to limit ourselves to a few

main points which are relevant for our subject.

Already in the early Egyptian system of measures, mainly of length,

area, and volume, a decimal system of counting was used, with distinct

symbols for the numbers 1. 10. 100. and 1000. The decimal system was

also, though not systematically, used for expressing multiples of their basic

measures: their basic length unit was the "meh" or cubit; the "khet" is equal to 100 cubits. The "sethat." the unit of area of land, is equal to a square khet. etc. However, for the submultiples of the cubit no decimal

fractions were used: thus for instance the "shesap" (or handpalm) and the

"djeba" (or finger) were equal to 1/6 and 1/24 of a cubit respectively.

It is well known that the Sumerians and Babylonians used a sexagesimal system, which had in fact many advantages because of the

easy divisibility of the number 60 by 2. 3. 4. 5. 6, 10, 12, etc. The very high

level of astronomy and advanced status of time-measurement in these early

Mesopotamic cultures and the influence which this early development had

in the later development of science have resulted in the absorption of es- sential features of this sexagesimal system into western civilization. We

still divide 1 hour into 60 minutes and 1 minute into 60 seconds and these

2
units are so universally used that they had to be maintained as such for use

with the present International System of Units!

However, their system of measures did not make systematic use of

sexagesimal division: thus for instance one "kus" (cubit) was divided into

30 "shusi" whereas 12 kus made a "gar" (comparable to the pole), which

was frequently used for land measurements.

A very important new development appears in the cuneiform texts of

the Sumerians: their symbol for 60 was the same as that for 1 and the value

to be attributed to this symbol depends on its position in the number. So

the Sumerians really introduced positional notation in writing numbers,

contrary to the Egyptians who repeated the symbols for 1, 10. 100, etc., as many times as was needed to symbolize large numbers. This invention of

positional notation is well known to have been of the utmost importance for

the simplification of numerical calculations, but it would still take a long

time before the decimal system of the Egyptians was combined with the

positional notation.

What was needed here were separate symbols for the numbers 1 to 9

and for zero, which were introduced in India in the first centuries, A.D.

From these Indian symbols originate the Western Arabic figures, from

which our figures have been derived, as well as the Eastern Arabic figures,

which have developed into the present Arabic notation. The oldest inscriptions using a real decimal and positional notation with Indian figures date

from around A.D. 600. The zero seems to have come into use only a few

hundred years later. The introduction of these figures in Western Europe still gave rise to considerable difficulties. In fact. Europe inherited from Rome the

"Roman" figures with their complex juxtapositional notation and the use

of the abacus for numerical calculations. The Indian-Arabic figures with

positional notation for the numbers 1 to 9 and the zero sign, became known

through the books on Indian calculation from the Arab writer Al-Khwarizmi. which were translated into Latin in the 12th century by an English

monk. The reaction to the use of Indian-Arabic figures in Western Europe

was not always favorable: in fact their use instead of the usual Roman

figures was often forbidden by the banks, which feared confusion. The

struggle between the "abacists" and the "algorithniicists," supporters of

the abacus and of Al-Khwarizmi respectively, continued up to the 15th century; but gradually people in Europe became convinced of the superiority

of the system of Arabic figures with positional notation, which we use at present.

Before leaving this subject, it should be mentioned that a separate effort was yet needed to introduce the decimal notation for fractions. Figures

hke 8 1/4 and 1.37 .3/8 were usually used instead of 8.25 and 137.375. Many

claims for the invention of the decimal writing of fractions have been

made — the Chinese used decimal fractions already around A.D. 1200 — but

it is generally agreed that very much of the credit for its introduction in Eu3
rope has to jio to Simon Steviii from Leiden who pubhshed in 1585 his

famous essay "De Thiende" (The Tenth), very soon translated into En^hsh

and French. In this essay decimal fractions in positional writing were introduced and the modern calculus with decimal fractions was developed in

great detail. John Napier, the inventor of the logarithms, was responsible

for introducing the decimal sign. Another very important contribution of

Simon Stevin was his request to replace the existing great variety of fractions and multiples of existing measures by decimal fractions in the measures for lengths, surfaces, and capacities as well as in astronomy (angles!)

and in money systems. This proposal was certainly a very clear example of

the foresight which he had for the needs of a good measuring system in the

future. Indeed, the main prerequisites in the field of calculation, which

were needed for setting up a good system of units, had now been obtained.

After having gone, very briefly, into the history of numbers — an essential element of the precise expression of the results of measurements — we

now return to the measures themselves.

In fact, most of the early practice in Europe in making quantitative

statements in the field of weights and measures was inherited from the

Romans. Their weights and measures were based on the basic units of

length and weight, the "pes" or foot and "libra" or pound respectively. The

unit of capacity, the "amphora," was equal to one cubic pes. But for land

measurements the square pes was too small; in fact the Romans used the

"jugerum" which was equal to twice the area of a square on a side of 120

pedes. In addition a great many other units were introduced which were

simple fractions and multiples of these units, so that no systematic use of

decimal multiples and submultiples appears in these Roman weights and

measures, contrary to their decimal system of counting. Many of these

Roman weights and measures were taken over in the civilization of

Western Europe, but the rather feudal structure of the society, developing

after the breakdown of the Western Roman Empire, led to a large diversity

of local customs, of weights and measures and rules, which was a source of

much confusion. Already in 789 Charlemagne had promulgated a decree on

the unification of measures in all countries under his crown but unfortunately this attempt disappeared with the empire of Charlemagne. The

development of a new society, following the growth of important and independent towns in Italy, France, Germany, and other countries starting in

the 14th century, and the corresponding growth of an economy, based on manufacture and money, and on trade relations over land and over sea, was

a stimulus for the growth of science: mathematics, astronomy, mechanics,

and the technical sciences. The quantitative aspects of life became more

and more important and as a consequence weights and measures were also

looked at more carefully. Several attempts were made in the great kingdoms of the 15th and 16th centuries to introduce well defined systems of

weights and measures.

4
Averdepois" weight of Edward III. (British Crown Copyright. Science Museum, London.)

5
"Pile de Charlemagne"" with its case bearing the inscriplioii ""i'dids Driginal de la Cour des

Monoyes" (Musee National des Techniques. Paris).

In France, at the end of the 15th century, the "Pile de Charlemagne"

defined the "Livre poids du marc" (490 g) and its (nondecimal) subdivisions; and around 1670 the "Toise du Chatelet" was introduced, one sixth

of the length of which defined the length of the "Pied du Roi" (32.5 cm), the

French foot, in terms of which the "pouce," the "ligne" and the "point"

were defined by successively dividing by twelve. In England Queen

Elizabeth I introduced at the end of the 16th century the "avoir du poids"

weight of 1 pound (453 g) divided into 16 ounces and the yard divided into

3 feet (30.5 cm), each foot being 12 inches. But in spite of these valuable at- tempts to unify weights and measures the confusion persisted: in fact even

the French government never succeeded in imposing the "Parisian" units on the whole country, and so in the whole of Europe an infinite variety of

weights and measures continued to exist.

Origin of the Metric System

So it is not surprising that in the course of the 17th and 18th centuries

not only leading people in government circles, but also scientists who were making the first important steps in developing the modern picture of ex- perimental sciences, became more and more disturbed by the existing disorder and uncertainty as regards the various weights and measurements,

which they too had to use to express their experimental results. In 1742 a

6
group of scientists made a careful comparison between the so-called "Paris

measures"' and those used in England at that time, with the result that the

French "pied" and "livre" were found to be larger than the English "foot"

and "pound" by 6 and 8 percent respectively. Scientists started to search

for a suitable universal unit — not bound to any nationality — on which a system of measurements, identical in all countries, could be based. Two

very different propositions were made for the choice of the basic unit of

length: one being the length of a seconds pendulum and the other being a basic length related to the length of an arc of the meridian. The first proposal had already been made by the French astronomer Mouton (1670)

and by Huijghens (1673) and was supported by the Royal Society of England. In France Talleyrand in 1790 made a formal proposal to the Constituent Assembly in this same direction, but the French Academy of

Sciences rejected the proposal for the well known reason that the length of

the seconds pendulum depends on the gravitational acceleration and therefore differs from place to place on the earth. The Academy favored the al- ternative proposal and on its recommendation the General Assembly

adopted in 1791 the principle of a system of weights and measures founded

entirely on one base unit of length, the "metre, defined to be equal to one

ten-millionth of the length of the quadrant of the earth meridian. Units of area and capacity would be decimal multiples and submultiples of the

square metre and the cubic metre respectively and the unit of weight (or

mass) would be the weight (or mass) of a cubic decimetre of water at the

temperature of maximum density (4 °C).' The system would have to be entirely decimal, using prefixes like milli (1/1000), centi (1/100), deci (1/10)

and deca (10), hecto (100) and kilo (1000) to be added to the names of the

units to indicate submultiples and multiples. Because of its foundation entirely on the metre this system got the name "Systeme Metrique," the name

through which the system would gradually spread all over the world. Unfortunately, however, the English and American governments considered the

French proposal impracticable and decided to derive their basic unit of

length on the seconds pendulum, so that the French people had to pursue

their goal alone.

Soon after this decision Delambre and Mechain measured the arc of

the meridian between Dunkerque and Barcelona whereas Lavoisier and

others made careful measurements of the weight (or mass) of a known

volume of water. On the basis of these measurements an end standard

made of sintered platinum representing the metre and a platinum standard

kilogram were constructed and then deposited as such on June 22, 1799 in

the Archives de la Republique in Paris. These two standards really would

be the starting point for the whole development of the present universally

adopted International System of Units. Already in 1793 Lavoisier said:

'The Romans had already chosen their unit of capacity, the amphora, such that the amount

of water filHng the amphora weighed exactly an attic talent.

573-106 O - 75 - 2 7
Metre and Kilogram "of the Archives" (1799) with their cases bearing the inscription "Conforme a la Loi du 18 Germinal an 3. presente le 4 Messidor an 7," and decrees of 1793 and

1795 instituting the Metric System in France (Photo Archives Nationales, Paris).

"Never has anything grander and simpler and more coherent in all its parts

come from the hands of men."

However — from the formal point of view — it has to be remarked, that

the final result: the metre and kilogram "des Archives," two basic standards for length and weight (or mass) which were legally given the values

of 1 metre and 1 kilogram respectively, in fact represented a system of

weights and measures based on two material standards, which in the future

might easily be found to deviate from their origin: the length of the

quadrant of the earth meridian and the simple numerical value for density

of water agreed upon by definition. In fact it was found later than the

"Metre des Archives" is about 0.2 mm shorter than one ten-millionth of the

length of the quadrant of the meridian and that the mass of the "Kilogramme des Archives" is equal to that of 1.000 028 cubic decimetres of

water — at the maximum density — instead of 1 cubic decimetre exactly.^

- This small difference has been the source of long controversy about the ratio of the litre, defined as the volume of 1 kg of water at its maximum density, to the cubic decimetre: this

ratio is given by the same number 1.000 028. In 1964, the litre was finally defined to be exactly

1 dm^.

8
The Metre Convention

With the initiative of the French people the starting sign had been

given for a triumphal tour of the metric system all over the world. Already

in 1820 the system was introduced by law in the Low Countries (Holland,

Belgium, and Luxembourg). Spain, Colombia, Mexico, Portugal, Italy, and

many other countries followed. In 1864 the use of metric weights and measures concurrently with those of the imperial system was authorized in

Great Britain and a few years later the metric system was introduced in

Germany.

During the world exhibition of Paris in 1867 a great many scientists,

impressed by the tremendous industrial development in the world, created

a Committee for Weights and Measures and for Money, with the special

task of creating more uniformity in the world. Following this valuable initiative the French government in 1869 invited numerous countries to send

delegates to Paris for an "International Commission for the Metre." A total

of 24 countries appointed delegates and the meetings started in August

1872. The great majority of those present at the meeting felt that the metre

and kilogram which were conserved in the "Archives de Paris ' should be

the reference for new prototypes and for various copies to be constructed

and distributed among the participating countries.

Unfortunately the work was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian war

but in 1872 the same Commission, then consisting of delegates representing 30 countries, met again and confirmed its previous decision to construct new prototypes of the metre and the kilogram and to provide a large

number of copies, all made from one single melt of a special platinum-iridium alloy with 10 percent iridium. The standards of the metre should be

line-standards with an X-shaped cross section. The values of the new prototypes should be based on the metre and the kilogram in the "Archives."

On the 1st of March 1875 the French Government convened the

"Conference Diplomatique du Metre" to which 20 countries had sent

government representatives and scientists who were authorized to sign for

their governments. These delegates approved the proposals made by the

Committee, so that finally on the 20th of May 1875 the "Convention du

Metre" could be signed officially.

The newly established "Comite International des Poids et Mesures"

concentrated on the preparations for the construction of the prototypes and

the various copies of the metre and the kilogram. Many very serious difficulties had to be overcome and it was a real scientific accomplishment of

the first order when in 1899 at the first "Conference Generale des Poids et Mesures" the national prototypes could be distributed and approval given

to the two prototypes for the metre and the kilogram which from then on were considered to form the basis for the metric system. These prototypes were to be conserved in the "Bureau International des Poids et Mesures,"

which should be the central laboratory for future international comparisons

9
and which should be the international center for the propagation of the

metric system. The International Bureau should work under the direction

and exclusive supervision of the International Committee which itself is subordinated to the General Conference.

We will not follow the history of the International Bureau of Weights

and Measures and its further expansion together with the governing

bodies: the International Committee and the various Consultative Committees. This will be dealt with elsewhere in the present volume. Our aim is to review briefly the development of the scie;ntific ideas about units and how

they have to be related and combined into a unit system.

The Concept of a Unit System

The two or three centuries preceding the signing of the metre convention had been a period of tremendous scientific development in which the

role of physics as the most advanced experimental science had become

more and more pronounced: physics had developed into a real science of

measurements, in which the concept of "physical quantities" is introduced; these are mathematical entities, such as mass, force, energy,

etc., connected with and describing the physical phenomena. They are defined in terms of actual measurements and their introduction leads to a description in terms of mathematical relations between these physical

quantities, which can be looked upon as definitions or as physical laws,

although this distinction is generally difficult to make.

According to Maxwell every physical quantity can be expressed as the

product of a pure number and a unit, where the unit is a selected reference

quantity in terms of which all quantities of the same kind can be expressed.

The ratio of the quantity to the corresponding unit, which is a number, is usually referred to as the numerical value of the quantity expressed in that

particular unit. The unit as introduced here thus has the same kind of abstract mathematical character as the corresponding physical quantity itself. Such abstract units should therefore not be confused with their explicit physical realizations, which are usually called measurement units or standards.

Physics had become the prototype of an exact science. Obviously the

choice and the definition of the units for the various physical quantities and

the way they are integrated into this mathematical description as a "unit

system" are extremely important. The experimental and metrological

aspects of physics and the various related engineering sciences require an

ever increasing experimental accuracy, which leads to a continuous need

to improve the precision of the measuring standards representing the vari- ous units. On the other hand the theoretical and mathematical aspects of

the physical sciences require the units to constitute a logical system, which

itself is an integral part of the whole mathematical formalism through

10
which the various relations between physical quantities and the laws of

physics are expressed. We briefly sketch some important steps which

seem to be essential in the long and often very curved road, which runs from the beginnin<i of the French Metric System up to the present more so- phisticated International System of Units.

In the second half of the last century, the British Association for the

Advancement of Science (B.A.A.S.) played an important role in developing

the concepts relating to unit systems. In particular the Standards Committee has been a center of very fruitful cooperation of a great many famous

scientists of that time, among whom Maxwell, in particular, should be mentioned. This Standards Committee studied around 1860 the best choice for

the units corresponding to the various physical quantities such as electric

charge, current, resistance, capacitance, and potential, which had been introduced in the theory of electricity. The Committee made clear that when

a unit corresponding to a particular physical quantity has to be defined,

there are always two questions to be answered: one should first determine

what would be the most convenient unit and then second, what would be

the best form and material for the standard physically representing that

unit.

Although in principle one would be able to choose a unit and a cor- responding standard for every kind of quantity it would be very inefficient

to choose all the units independently. We have seen that already at a very

early stage people felt that, for instance, the unit of area should be chosen

to be the square of the unit of length. Only because of reasons of con- venience, multiples or elementary fractions of this more systematic choice

often came into use. In the metric system the logical choice for the unit of

velocity is the metre per second, and the kilometre per hour which is so widely used at present is not "coherent" with this system.

The CGS-Unit System

The B.A.A.S. Standards Committee stressed the need for a coherent

unit system which is built up systematically on a certain number of "fundamental" units — or base units as they are called now. The three base units

for mechanics were chosen to be the centimetre, the gram, and the second

of mean solar time, the centimetre being chosen instead of the metre

because in fact one cubic centimetre — and not one cubic metre — of water

had a mass of approximately one unit of mass (or gram) at the temperature

of maximum density of water. The corresponding base standards of length

and mass were accepted to be those conserved in Paris, whereas the definition of the time scale was left to the astronomers. This was the birth of the

CGS-systeni, the first system of units conceived as such and still very much

in use in physics.

11
The development of physics into an exact science governed by a mathematical system of equations, thus also has its implications for the

units. Only a Hmited set can be arbitrarily chosen and once the choice of

these base units has been made, the whole system of units can be built up

systematically.

One number of base units on which the physics of mechanical

phenomena could be based appeared to be three, and the actual choice of

the three fundamental quantities length, time, and mass — on the units of

which the CGS-system was based — agreed with what intuitively had al- ready been the selection for centuries. Often such a system is called a three-dimensional system, the number three referring here to the number

of independent base units or quantities on which the system was based.

Once the three base units are decided upon, the requirement of

coherence is sufficient to define all the other units, at present called

derived units, in contrast to the base units. Thus for instance the physical

quantity "velocity" is defined as distance travelled per unit time and as a consequence the "coherent" unit is defined to be the centimetre per

second (cm/s), the physical quantity "momentum" is defined as mass times

velocity so that the coherent unit is the gram centimetre per second (g •

cm/s), "force" is defined as increase of momentum per unit time with the

unit (g • cm/s)/s or g

• cm/s- and "work" is defined as force times length of

path with the unit (g • cm/s-) • cm or g

• cm-/s-. In this way for every quantity, following its definition in terms of other quantities, the corresponding

unit can be coherently defined. Any coherent unit system built up in this

way is based on the system of equations which relate the various physical

quantities.

New problems arose when electrical phenomena had to be taken into

account. Already in 1832 Gauss — in his famous publication "The intensity

of the earth's magnetic force reduced to absolute measure" — stressed the

need to replace geomagnetic measurements with a magnetic needle by

"absolute" measurements in terms of mechanical units of force. For that

purpose Gauss introduced an "absolute" unit system for the electrical

units based on the millimetre, the milligram, and the second. Gauss was

supported by Weber who extended his work to other electrical measurements. In England William Thomson, later Lord Kelvin, made similar measurements in the early fifties — measurements needed for telecommunication—in terms of the British mechanical units. In 1863 Maxwell wrote:

"The phenomena by which electricity is known to us, are of a mechanical

kind and therefore they must be measured by mechanical units or standards." The B.A.A.S. Standards Committee recommended following the

same scheme and in particular extending the CGS-unit system by defining

appropriate units for all electric quantities by just following the equations,

developed by Faraday, Thomson, Maxwell. Weber, and many others, ex- pressing them in terms of mechanical quantities length, time, force, and

work. The units so obtained were called "absolute" in the sense of

12
"coherent," i.e., they were not arbitrarily chosen but were simply the con- sequence of the system of equations by which the electrical and magnetic

phenomena are represented. Unfortunately the electrical and magnetic

phenomena could actually be described by two — mutually incompatible—systems of equations, depending on whether one started from the inverse-square distance force law between two magnetic poles or from that

between two electric charges. For each of these two systems of equations

Weber defined in 1851 a coherent "absolute" unit system and he called the

two "absolute" CGS-unit systems: the electromagnetic and the electrostatic systems. The electromagnetic CGS-unit of electric resistance thus

turned out to be one centimetre per second and already in 1851 Weber had

performed beautiful experiments to determine the electric resistance of a wire in this "absolute measure."

The Standards Committee adopted in 1863 a method proposed by W.

Thomson for such an "absolute" resistance measurement, with which

method successful experiments were performed by Maxwell, Stewart, and

Jenkin. With these measurements of the electric resistance a standard re- sistance in the form of a resistance coil could be prepared, the value of

which in electromagnetic CGS-units would be obtainable with a sufficient

precision of about 1 in 10,000. Once this electric resistance standard would

be available the measurement of all other electric quantities such as electric current and electromotive force in terms of electromagnetic CGS-units

was considered to offer no more serious difficulties.

Practical Electric Units

However, the size of the electromagnetic CGS-units proved to be

much too small, which was the reason that the B.A.A.S. recommended the use of certain "practical" units, i.e., the ohm for resistance and the volt for

electromotive force, which were equal to 10"' and 10** times the corresponding electromagnetic CGS-units respectively. The First International Electrical Congress approved this decision in Paris in 1881 and even introduced one more practical unit: the ampere for electric current, which was equal

to one tenth of the corresponding electromagnetic CGS-unit. Later on the

coulomb for electric charge and the farad for capacitance and several

others were added.

This set of practical units actually also formed a "system" in the sense

that they constituted a system, coherent with the system of equations con- necting the electrical quantities with each other, but not with those in

which mechanical quantities Uke force or work occurred. For instance the

practical units of work, the volt-ampere-second, called joule, was equal to 10^ CGS-units of work. The introduction of these units, needed for practical

purposes, thus spoiled the beautiful coherence of the original electromag13
netic CGS system: only a limited coherence of the electric units among

themselves was left. There was, however, another very disturbing development: so far the

definitions of the practical units were still "absolute" definitions in the sense that they were still given — with integral powers of ten — in terms of

the (absolute) electromagnetic CGS-system. However, the material standards of the ohm (a mercury column), the volt (the Weston cell) and the ampere (silver voltameter), which were used for practical purposes as secon- dary standards, started to live their own life: at the International Electrical

Congress in 1881 and more clearly at that in Chicago in 1893, the ohm, the

volt, and the ampere were "legally" defined in terms of these material standards. Although the numerical values of these material standards ex- pressed in electromagnetic CGS-units did not deviate very much from the

integral powers of ten, it was nevertheless clear that the principle of this

decision to define the electric units in terms of independent material standards, was quite contrary to the coherence principle used so far by the

B.A.A.S. in their "absolute" definitions. However, the International Electrical Congress in London confirmed these new developments in 1908 and

even adopted for legislation purposes and for metrology a complete system

of these so-called "international" electric units based on the material standards of the ohm and the ampere. It would still take more than 25 years before this decision could be reversed, but we first have to pay attention to various developments which took place in the description of electrical

phenomena.

The Giorgi Proposal

In the beginning of this century very important new ideas came up

about the theoretical presentation of the electrical and magnetic

phenomena and the construction of its unit system, which ultimately would

lead to a new choice for a coherent unit system covering the whole field of

electrical, magnetic, and mechanical phenomena.

Already in 1901 Giorgi remarked that the electric unit of work, the

joule or volt-ampere-second, which is equal to 10"^ CGS-units of work or 10^

g • cm'-/s-, is in fact equal to 1 MKS-unit of work or 1 kg • m-/s-. However,

simply replacing everywhere the centimetre and the gram by the metre and

the kilogram in the "absolute" definitions of the electric units does not give

the practical units because, for instance, the ohm which was defined to be

10-' electromagnetic CGS-units or 10-' cm/s, is equal to 10' m/s and not to 1 m/s.

Giorgi showed that this difficulty could be solved by increasing the

number of fundamental units or base units on which the unit system for

mechanics, electricity, and magnetism should be based from three to four

base units: the metre, the kilogram, and the second of the MKS system,

r4
together with one base unit of electrical nature, for instance the ampere or the ohm. But the requirement of coherence of the unit system with the

system of equations relating the various physical quantities then makes it necessary also to add to the three base quantities length, time, and mass,

a fourth base quantity of electrical nature. This means that the electric

quantities should no longer be defined in terms of the three "mechanical"

quantities length, time, and mass exclusively — typical of Maxwell's formulation of the electromagnetic theory — but that in the force law for the magnetic interaction, which Maxwell had considered to be the starting point for

the definition of the magnetic and electric quantities and their electromagnetic units, a constant of proportionality, the vacuum permeability, now

had to be introduced. The value of this constant followed from the independent choice of the electric units to be 10"' MKS-units of force per ampere

squared.

It would take some time for the ideas of Giorgi to find acceptance

among physicists and in electrical technology. The original Maxwell formulation of the theory, based on the mechanical quantities alone, found — and

even at present still has — its active supporters. Still there was much intuitive logic in the request to increase the number of base quantities by one in

going from mechanics to the description of the electrical phenomena. One

might say that basic for any theory in physics are the base quantities for

length and time. Characteristic for the mechanical dynamics is the concept

of mass, which connects force and acceleration and which determines also

the gravitational interaction. In electricity a similar quantity — of the same

kind of fundamental nature — is the quantity electric charge or current. As

long as this quantity is not shown to be of mechanical nature it plays in

electricity a role similar to that of mass in mechanics, so that the total

number of base quantities should increase to four. Consequently also the

number of units on which the coherent unit system should be based, should

be four.

Another indication of the insufficiency of the Maxwell presentation of

all electric quantities and units in terms of mechanical ones alone was the

fact that the formal unit expressions often carried fractional exponents,

e.g., the electromagnetic CGS-unit of electric current: cm^'- g"-/s, or the occurrence of rather strange unit expressions like the cm/s for electric re- sistance. These are all clear indications that the chosen number of base

quantities and units is too small. The only conclusion could be that in the

future the equations of Maxwell ought to be rewritten in four-dimensional

form, i.e., with four base quantities — including one of electrical na- ture—such that a coherent unit system would also be founded on four base

units, three of mechanical and one of electrical nature, in agreement with

the 1901 proposal of Giorgi.

In addition scientists became more and more convinced that it would

be logical to introduce one more change in Maxwell's set of equations for

electricity, i.e., to introduce numerical factors 477 in various places, where

15
they would logically occur, and to drop them from other places (so-called

"rationalization"). As a result of the coherence of the unit system, this does

not change the formal expressions for the units, but it does change the size

of some of the corresponding standards. In fact it also modifies the value of

the vacuum permeability into • 10 " MKS-units of force per ampere

squared. So at present the four-dimensional set of equations for electricity

is always written in the "rationalized" form.

After long discussions in various international organizations the International Electrotechnical Commission, at its meeting in Scheveningen in

1935, adopted the Giorgi proposal, leaving still open, however, the choice

of the fourth quantity and unit of electrical nature on which the system

should be based.

In this connection it is important to note that Giorgi, supported by vari- ous other scientists, was in fact in favor of choosing this fourth electric unit

to be the international ohm, defined by an independent primary standard.

Others, however, favored one of the practical units defined as mentioned

above on an "absolute" basis. The choice was left open in order to obtain

the opinion of the International Committee for Weights and Measures and

that of the S.U.N. Commission for Symbols, Units and Nomenclature of the

International Union of Pure and Applied Physics — presided over by Sir

Richard Glazebrook — which commission in the past had already made important contributions to the formulation of the new ideas.

What made the discussions and decisions so difficult at that time, were the conceptionally very different points of view which various

scientists had about the philosophy of setting up a unit system: on one hand

there was the metrological point of view, which was trying to define a measuring standard for every quantity and to establish primary standards for a certain set of base units which were metrologically independent. From

this metrological point of view the original Giorgi proposal with an independent base unit for resistance represented by a primary standard, was the

simplest solution. Defining electric quantities by giving the permeability of

vacuum the numerical value 477 X 10"' seemed to be strange to the usual

metrological procedures. It appears to be similar to defining the unit of

mass in terms of the metre by giving the density of water, at the temperature of maximum density, the value of 10^ kg/m^ by definition, a principle

which was originally aimed at in the metric system, but which was given up

later in view of the metrological praxis, which required standards for both

length and mass. On the other hand there was the systematic point of view, which looked

primarily at the algebraic rules, which any unit system — coherent with a system of equations between physical quantities — has to satisfy. This

required a system with a fourth independent electric quantity and unit — independent from the systematic or algebraic point of view. The reasons are then essentially the arguments, partly theoretical or algebraic and partly

16
more philosophical, which were given above in favor of the four-dimensional system.

In the case under consideration the systematic point of view prevailed.

The International Committee decided in 1935 that:

(1) the permeability of vacuum, in the rationalized form of writing the

equations, was defined to be 477 X 10 newton per ampere squared, where

the newton was introduced as a new name for the MKS-unit of force.

(2) a definition of the ampere in terms of the force between two parallel

conductors was considered to be the most appropriate basis for deriving all the other practical electric units.

However, for the transition from the abandoned "international" units

to the "absolutely" defined electric units one now had to make available

accurate values for the conversion factors. The final decision on these conversion factors was interrupted by World War II. However, in 1946 the In- ternational Committee, authorized by the General Conference in 1933, formally confirmed its previous decisions, the date for the introduction of the

"absolute" practical electric units being decided to be January 1, 1948.

The International System of Units

The general tendency, existing after World War II, to further intensify

international collaboration and to review the existing situation with the aim

of promoting everything which would advance better international un- derstanding in particular in science and technology and in international industrial and trade relations, had also a definite influence on the development of a generally accepted international unit system. There still existed

a large diversity of systems: in France the metre-tonne-seconde (M.T.S.)

system had been introduced legally in 1919; in technical circles a technical

metric system, the metre-kilogram-force-second system, was generally

used with the confusing name "kilogram" for a base unit of force instead of

mass; physicists used the COS system; and in England and the U.S.A.

similar systems based on the foot, pound, and second had been used for

centuries.

The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and its S.U.N.

Commission for Symbols, Units and Nomenclature had expressed the need

for the international adoption of an "international practical system of

units" for international communication, to be based on the metre, the

second, the kilogram and an electric unit of the absolute practical system.

A similar request was made by the French government. This resulted in an

international inquiry made by the International Committee — on the

request of the 9th General Conference in 1948 — in scientific and technical

circles and in institutions charged with education and teaching. On the

basis of the information obtained, the 10th General Conference decided in

1954 that such an international practical system should be based on six

17
base units, i.e., the metre, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin,'' and candela.

The choice of the first set of four base units agreed with the MKSA-system

already approved in 1948. The introduction of the kelvin and the candela

may require some special attention.

So far the physical phenomena for which a unit system was designed were of purely mechanical, electrical or magnetic nature, such that their

description in terms of physical quantities could be based entirely on the

four base quantities: length, time, mass, and electric current. However, for

the description of thermal phenomena a new base quantity, the thermodynamic temperature, has to be introduced both for systematic and for

metrological reasons. The ratio of the thermodynamic temperatures of two

systems is determined by thermodynamics — using a Carnot cycle — in

terms of the ratio of two amounts of heat (or energy). In agreement with the

procedure followed in defining standards for other base quantities it is then

sufficient to attach — by definition — a certain numerical value to the thermodynamic temperature of one particular physical state. In 1948 the

General Conference had selected this physical state to be the triple point

of water and in 1954 the corresponding thermodynamic temperature was

defined to be 273.16 kelvins^.

If we now turn to the description of the phenomena of light it appears

that here three base quantities are sufficient: length and time and one

physical quantity of luminous origin for which the luminous intensity has

been chosen. The candela, the unit of luminous intensity, is then defined as the luminous intensity in the perpendicular direction of a particular area of a blackbody at a certain specified temperature. This definition was approved by the General Conference in 1948 and was put in its final form in

1968.

In 1960 the 11th General Conference gave the name "International

System of Units" to the unit system based on the six base quantities and

units already introduced in 1954. For all other quantities the corresponding

derived units can be expressed in the base units, although in many cases

special symbols are given. Only for the two quantities plane angle and solid

angle was it left undecided by the General Conference — in view of the

many different existing opinions in this field — whether these have to be

considered as base quantities or as derived quantities. The corresponding

units, the radian and steradian, were placed in a separate group with the

name "supplementary units" and may be regarded either as base units or

as derived units. The base units and the derived units together with these

supplementary units, were called SI Units, where "SI" is the generally

adopted abbreviation for International System. This set of SI units forms

a coherent system of units in the sense explained in the previous sections

of this article: the system is directly related to the whole set of algebraic

equations on which physics, chemistry, and technology at present is based.

Still called the degree Kelvin at that time.

18
The system includes also a set of symbols for prefixes to be used to form

decimal multiples and submultiples of the SI units.

It has already been stated that the whole structure of the International

System of Units is intimately related with, and forms part of, the whole

mathematical description of the physical phenomena, on which modern

sciences are built. But then it must also be understood that such a system

of units cannot be adopted for eternity: as science is developing, so is the

International System of Units. One must expect that from time to time

necessary improvements or changes have to be introduced in order to keep

the system up to date with developing science.

When the system was adopted it was already evident, for instance,

that the quantity mass, although it may be an appropriate concept in

mechanics, is entirely unsuitable for use in chemistry where the molecular

structure and in particular the number of molecules in a system is much

more relevant than its total mass. For that reason the concept "amount of

substance" has been introduced in chemistry as a useful and necessary

base quantity with the base unit mole, which by definition is the amount of

substance of 12 grams of carbon-12. In 1971 the General Conference added

this base quantity and its unit as such to the International System of Units.

The International System has had a considerable impact on science

and technology, in the international relations between countries and civil

hfe: in education and teaching at the primary, secondary, and university

levels. Of course the gradual development of this system has not

eliminated at once all other systems, neither has the great diversity of units

not fitting into the system suddenly disappeared. Some of these units had

to be retained for general use, but others have to disappear in the course of

time. General rules and recommendations have been given in the brochure

"The International System of Units" published by the International Bureau

and edited for the International Committee by its Consultative Committee

for Units. In this brochure one finds the full definitions of the seven base

units of the International System together with further explanations con- cerning their practical realization. The logical structure of the International

System — with its SI units and their decimal multiples and submultiples — is presented together with various rules adopted by the General Conference

about the symbolic representation, and additional recommendations of the

International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Both of these are es- sential for the incorporation of the International System into the whole

mathematical structure which describes our present day knowledge in the

field of the exact sciences and technology. I would like to close this contribution by expressing the hope that the very fruitful cooperation which

exists between various international organizations will continue with the

aim of further improving the International System as an efficient tool in the

field of science and technology and as an essential hnk between the peoples in a growing world of ever increasing complexity.

19
Metric System medal struck in 1840 after a 1799 design.

20
CHAPTER I

HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION

THE METRE CONVENTION AND ITS ORGANS

A century has passed since the Diplomatic Conference on the Metre

was convened in Paris on March 1, 1875. at the invitation of the French

Government [1]. At the closing session of that Conference, May 20, 1875,

the plenipotentiaries of 17 of the 20 countries represented signed the treaty

known by the name. Convention of the Metre. This Convention and its appended Regulations sanctioned the birth of the International Bureau of

Weights and Measures (BIPM),^ a scientific and permanent agency supported at the common expense of the signatory countries; its location was

set in France, the cradle of the Metric System. The BIPM was placed

under the authority of a diplomatic conference, the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), and of a committee of scientific experts,

the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM). This agency has for its goal the assurance of the "international unification and

development of the Metric System."

The BIPM must, for its part, "establish new metric standards, conserve the international prototypes, and carry out the comparisons necessary to assure the uniformity of measures throughout the world."

The accomplishments prior to the fiftieth anniversary of the creation

of the BIPM have been described in the volume on that occasion pubhshed

in 1927 [2]; the origins of the Metric System and of the Convention of the

Metre, and the history of the Pavilion de Breteuil have an important place

therein along with the work of the BIPM during the first half century of its existence. We shall repeat only the main topics of this past.

The Metric System was born from the desire to put an end to the chaos

which reigned in France in the field of measurements (decree of May 8,

1790). Its founders, however, immediately set themselves a more noble

aim: to base the measures of the new system on a "universal natural unit"

which belonged to no one and which could be adopted by all countries

' Appendix 7 gives the list and meaning of the abbreviations used in this book.

21
I

T

I
without problems of national pride. Their choice thus fell on a decimal

system whose unit of length, the metre, was to be the ten-milhonth part of a quarter of the terrestrial meridian, and the unit of mass to be that of a cubic decimetre of water.

This new system was legalized in France on April 7, 1795; the law of

December 10, 1799, fixed the values of the metre and kilogram by adopting

the prototype platinum standards known by the names Metre of the

Archives and Kilogram of the Archives.

After slow and difficult beginnings, hobbled by contradictory decisions (1800, 1812, 1816), the law of July 4, 1837, finally made the Metric

System compulsory in France starting on January 1 , 1840.

Gradually learned of in foreign countries, appreciated for its simplicity, its logical structure and universal applicability, the Metric System

began to spread through Europe and the world. On the occasion of international expositions held between 1851 and 1867, "when man found himself in

the presence of the immense variety of products sent from all parts of the

world, and whose values as well as quantities were described in all kinds of

measurement standards," the need for unification struck all clearsighted

minds. A "Committee for weights, measures, and currencies." set up on

the occasion of the 1867 Paris Exposition, announced itself in favor of

universal adoption of the Metric System.

The momentum of opinion was launched and events rushed forward

after the resolutions and recommendations adopted between 1867 and 1869

by the International Association for Geodesy, the Bureau of Longitude

(Paris), and the Academies of Science of Saint Petersburg and Paris. The

International Commission of the Metre (1870, 1872) took the first practical

Casting the platinum n idium alloy called "1874 Alloy," at the Paris Conservatory of Arts and

Crafts. (Ulllustration. May 16. 1874).

573-106 0-75-3 23
steps toward the internationalization of the Metric System. The permanent

working committees and the French Section of this Commission constructed new metric standards, derived from the original standards of the

Archives, which were to be distributed throughout the world.

All the preparatory tasks and dehberations culminated in 1875 in the

signing of the Convention of the Metre (app. 1, p. 225) and in the founding

of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

*

Since 1875, the organs of the Metre Convention have not been subjected to change. However, by reason of the increasing complexity of scientific questions related to metrology, the CIPM established several Consultative Committees, starting in 1927. The relations among these organs,

the member States, the speciahzed international organizations, and the national laboratories are shown below.

Consultative

Committees

Working

groups

Convention of the Metre 1875

General Conference

on Weights and Measures (CGPM)

International Committee

for Weights and Measures

(CIPM)

International Bureau

of Weights and Measures

(BIPM)

Diplomatic

treaty

overnments and

Member States

^ Speciolized

-*-\ international bodies

Notional

I aboratori es

The Metre Cdnveiition Organs. In 1975. there are seven Consultative Committees: Electricity, Photometry and Radiometry. Thermometry, Definition of the Metre, Definition of the Second. lonizinj; Radiation, Units.

24
The General Conference on Weights and Measures, an intergovernmental conference comprising delegates of member States of the Metre

Convention,' is the supreme authority which controls the administration of

the BIPM; it has for its primary mission: — to discuss and initiate the necessary measures to assure the

propagation and development of the International System of Units

(SI), the modern form of the Metric System; — to ratify the results of new fundamental metrological determinations and to adopt various scientific resolutions of international importance; — to adopt important decisions concerning the organization and

development of the BIPM.

From 1889 to 1971, the CGPM met 14 times. The 15th CGPM coincides with the centennial of the Convention of the Metre.

The International Committee for Weights and Measures is charged

with preparing and executing the decisions of the CGPM. It directly supervises the operation of the BIPM and oversees its work.

Originally composed of 14 members, a number raised to 18 in 1921, the

CIPM assembles men of science and eminent metrologists of all different

nationalities ( app. 3, p. 233). Elected by the CGPM, these members sit in

the CIPM in a personal capacity and they are not in any way official

representatives of their countries. The CIPM met for the first time in April

1875; it held its 63d meeting in 1974, these meetings having been annual or biennial at various times. Between meetings of the CIPM, its executive

committee — comprising a president, a vice-president (position created in

1954), and a secretary — examine current business, keep the CIPM informed on important questions, and prepare the meetings. The director of

the BIPM participates ex officio in the meetings of the CIPM and in the

meetings of its executive committee.

Each of the Consultative Commi?iees — occasionally helped by "Working Groups" — assembles a small number of representatives of the best

laboratories in the research and measurements peculiar to a particular

field of metrology.

These Consultative Committees, currently seven in number, have the

mission of advising the CIPM on questions of a scientific nature which it submits to their examination: orientation of the work of the BIPM, coor- dination of this work with that of the national metrological laboratories, or- ganization and promotion of international undertakings, decisions which

the CIPM is led to take directly or to submit to approval by the CGPM.

- As of January 1, 1975, 43 States were members of this Convention (see app. 2, p. 231, for the

list of these States and the dates of accession).

25
The International Bureau of Weights and Measures, organ for executing the decisions of the CGPM and the CIPM, is a permanent laboratory

and the world center of scientific metrology whose progress, particularly

spectacular in our time, is intimately linked to the development of scientific discoveries, industrial technology, and international comparisons.

The primary mission of the BIPM is: — to establish the basic standards and scales of the principal physical quantities, and to maintain international prototypes; — to carry out comparisons of national and international standards; — to assure coordination of the corresponding techniques of measurement; — to carry out and coordinate relative determinations of fundamental physical constants.

Functioning of the BIPM is assured by an annual appropriation voted

by the CGPM. Since 1960, this appropriation has been divided among the

member States of the Metre Convention according to a scale based on the

factors used by the United Nations; the contributions of the States can not,

however, be greater than 10 percent, nor less than 0.5 percent, of the total

appropriation. From an amount of 100 000 gold francs in 1878, the annual

budget of the BIPM is now some 4 180 000 gold francs for 1975.

The BIPM has a staff which can be of all nationalities; its director,

named by the CIPM, must be of a nationality different from those of the

CIPM officers. This staff, scientific, administrative, technical, and service,

did not surpass some 10 persons formerly: it consists of some 50 persons in

1975.

Like any international organization, the BIPM has, at certain times in

its existence, known financial difficulties; these have been overcome,

thanks mainly to subsidies and various gifts, and to generous offers of

materials and scientific instruments. The periods of the two world wars were particularly difficult, but very fortunately the BIPM was able to sur- vive them with neither the international metric prototypes nor the measuring apparatus suffering any damage.

A neutral and autonomous organ, the BIPM is not dependent on any of

the existing intergovernmental organizations'' and is not affiliated with any

international union or association. It has been recognized in France as an

establishment of public usefulness by the decree of October 28, 1876. On

April 25, 1969, an Accord was concluded between the French Government

and the CIPM relative to the grounds of the BIPM and to its privileges and

immunities in French territory (Decree No. 70-820 of September 9, 1970).

'Agreements on information and mutual relations have, however, been concluded with the United Nations Educational. Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (1948), the International Agency for Atomic Energy (1961, 1967), the European Atomic Community

(EURATOM) growing out of the Commission of the European Communities (1965, 1967), and

the International Bureau of Legal Metrology (1970).

26

I
Overall plan of the Pavilion de Bieteuil and the lahoratm ies nf ihe International Bureau of Weights and Measures in 1975. A: Pavilion de Breleuil; B: lahoratories (1878); C: extension of laboratories (1929); D.E; laboratories for ionizing radiations (1964).

These grounds are situated in the Park of Saint-Cloud, near Paris. The

French Government graciously placed at the disposal of the CIPM, April

22, 1876, an estate of 25 153 m- in area,^ where is found the Pavilion de

Breteuil— name under which the BIPM is also known worldwide.

The Pavilion de Breteuil proper is a building with a historic past; built

in 1743 on the site of the former Trianon of Saint-Cloud (17th century) it was greatly damaged in 1870-1871. The CIPM restored it and constructed

a new building (1878) for the laboratories; extension of the activities of the

BIPM required enlarging the first laboratories in 1929 and the construction

of new buildings in 1964.

*

Such are, briefly summarized, the history and essential characteristics

of the different organs born of the Metre Convention. In close collaboration

with the principal national metrology laboratories, these organs have for a century unflinchingly fulfilled the mission assigned to them in 1875; their

permanence reflects that of the Metric System, which will itself soon

celebrate its bicentennial.

^ Two extensions have increased this area to 43 517 m'-.

27
Tlie Pavilion de Breteuil. then called Pavilion d'ltalie. at the beginninj; of the 19th century.

(Lavis de Langlace. 1807. Manufacture Nationale de Porcelaine de Sevres).

The Pavilion de Breteuil, seat of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (geographical coordinates: 48° 50' N, 2° 13' E, altitude 66 metres), on the right: offices, con- ference room: on the left: laboratories built in 1878 and in 1929 (the laboratories built in 1964, located at the rear on both sides of the central lane, are not visible in this photograph).

28
A Century of Metrology^

1875-1925

The initial mission of the BIPM was to participate in the preparation

and determination of the values of the new metric prototypes of platinumiridium destined to be the international and national prototypes. The

results of this important task [3] were presented to the 1st CGPM (September 1889); the CGPM ratified the definitions of the units of length and

mass based on the international Metre and Kilogram*^ as well as the equality of some 30 Metres and 40 Kilograms which were distributed by lot among the States.

At the time of founding the BIPM, it was thought that after these first basic determinations, its activity would be reduced to periodic verification

of the national standards.

It was very quickly seen that this activity implied numerous permanent auxihary studies. It is in fact necessary to be able to determine the

submultiples and multiples of the units with precision, if only to evaluate

accurately the differences among the standards to be verified. It is also

necessary to study the phenomena which affect the measurements, for ex- ample, dilatation in the case of length measurements, or air pressure in the case of mass measurements; this requires the measurement of numerous

physical quantities: temperature, volume, density, pressure, etc., which

moreover have considerable practical importance. It is still necessary to perfect methods capable of improving the comparisons and to research

better secondary standards for routine use; the use of material standards

in fact always carries a risk of deterioration which should be reduced to the

strict minimum for primary standards. Finally, there is the application of

new scientific discoveries leading to better definitions and units, and the

BIPM should be in a position to bring them into play.

The BIPM was thus led, apart from the verification of national standards which today still constitutes its principal activity, to carrying out

work of which certain parts have strongly marked the history of metrology

[1].

The measurements of mass have given rise to various tasks: studies of

the balance, methods of caHbrating sets of weights, determination of the

values of British standards in metric units, effect of the subhniation of

^ See appendix 6, p. 245, for the list of publications in which are listed the activities of the or- gans of the Metre Convention since 1875.

^The international Metre and Kilogram were placed, with their verifications, in the lower

vault of the Pavilion de Breteuil on September 28, 1889. The three keys needed to open the

vault for the metric prototypes were given to the director of the BIPM. the president of the CIPM. and a representative of the National Archives in Paris.

29
Vault for the metric prototypes, above: the International Metre of 1889 in its metal case"; below; the International Kiloii;ram^. under its three glass domes, and its six check stan- dards. On the lower level are seen two thermometers, one of which is a maximumminimum, and on the left a hair hygrometer.

The International Metre and the International Kilogram of 1889 (life-size front view).

30

!
platinum-iridium on the maintenance of mass standards, determination of

the density of air, etc. The density of water, whence derive most volume

measurements, was determined between 1895 and 1905 by three different

methods; the result of this important work led to the acceptance for the

mass of 1 cubic decimetre of pure water, with the air removed, at 4 °C

under standard atmospheric pressure, the value 0.999 972 kg, that is 1.000

028 dm^ for the volume of 1 kg of water, this result is still valid in 1975.

Studies on measurement of length were not less numerous: determination of the coefficient of expansion of the platinum-iridium alloy (comparator method and the Fizeau interferometric method), sharpening up some

methods of cahbrating divided scales, measurement of geodetic base lines

by means of invar wires and tapes, and cahbration of these, studies of standards with flat and spherical ends, comparison of non-metric units (toise,

yard, etc.) with the metre.

We investigated materials less costly than platinum iridium suitable

for making standards; the study of the expansion of nickel steels led to the

discovery of some remarkable properties of several alloys, notably invar oi

very low expansion, elinvar with a zero thermoelastic coefficient, platinite

of expansion in the neighborhood of that of platinum and capable of being

sealed to glass, nonmagnetic baros or nichrome, alloys of 42 or 58 percent

nickel which have an expansion close to that of common glasses or of steel. All these alloys find application not only in metrology, but also in industry.

Begun in 1896 on the initiative of J.-R. Benoit, these researches- are as- sociated with the name of Ch.-Ed. Guillaume, for whom they won the 1920

Nobel Prize in physics.

The interferometric measurements allowed establishing a link between

the unit of length, embodied in the international Metre, and the length of

light waves. Around 1890, A. A. Michelson (University of Chicago)

proposed to substitute a wavelength for the platinum-iridium prototype; invited to come to the BIPM with his interferometer to apply his measure- ment methods, he thus established in 1892-1893, in collaboration with J.-R. Benoit, the ratio of the wavelength of the cadmium red line to the international Metre. In 1906, J.-R. Benoit, Ch. Fabry, and A. Perot made a similar

determination with new procedures (Fabry-Perot etalons) confirming, with

a better accuracy, the result given by Michelson 15 years earlier. The value

of this wavelength, which served until 1961 for defining the Angstrom, was

adopted in 1927 as a standard for spectroscopy and for interferometric

measurements of length.

" This difference of 28 parts per niillidii represents the approximation witii which the Kilogram

of the Archives had been realized in 1799 with respect to its initial definition. This result, part

of which must undoubtedly be attributed to luck, is remarkable if we consider the available means and the state of science at that epoch. The kilogram is found, in fact, to be represented

by the mass of a cube of water which would have a thickness of not exactly 1 dm. but

1.000 009 dm. only 0.9 fj.m greater!

31
Other work used applications of interferometry: study of graduated

scales, measurement of industrial gages with flat and spherical ends, measurement of quartz (rock-crystal) etalons of 10 to 100 mm length for use as metric unit references, study of radiations used in metrology, determination of the index of refraction of air, etc.

In the field of thermometry, the work of J. Pernet and P. Chappuis on

the gas thermometer led the CIPM to adopt the scale of the hydrogen thermometer as the "standard scale" of temperature in 1887, the first step

toward the eventual adoption of the thermodynamic scale. Systematic studies of the mercury thermometer by Ch.-Ed. Guillaume allowed making

this instrument suitable for the measurement of temperature to a few

thousandths of a degree in a well-defined scale. A consequence was that all the national metre prototypes distributed in 1889 were accompanied by two

mercury thermometers of hard glass, with correction tables to convert their

readings to the hydrogen-thermometer scale.

In 1897-1898, J. A. Harker (Kew Observatory) and P. Chappuis carried

out a comparison of the platinum resistance thermometer with the

hydrogen thermometer; this was a prelude to the establishment of a practical temperature scale which was adopted 30 years later.

The acceleration of gravity, an important physical constant which is involved in the realization of several units (units of force, pressure, power;

electric units, etc.), was determined at the Pavilion de Breteuil by

Defforges in 1888, by the method of the reversible pendulum. The result

obtained (referred to sea level at 45° latitude) led the 3d CGPM (1901) to adopt the conventional value 9.806 65 m/s- as the "standard value" of g-for use in the reduction to standard gravity of observations made at an arbitrary location.

*

This brief reminder shows how fertile was the activity of the BIPM

during the first 50 years of its existence; although limited to the quantities

mass and length, and to metrological studies related to the measurement of

these quantities, this activity was essential to the development of scientific

and industrial metrology.

1925-1975

Three salient facts characterize the second half-century of existence

of the organs of the Metre Convention: 1st, the extension of the activities of

the International Bureau of Weights and Measures to units and standards

in the fields of electricity, photometry, and ionizing radiation; 2d, the

greater and greater participation of the International Committee of

32
Weights and Measures in international cooperation in matters of scientific

metrology, extending to standards of time and frequency; 3d, the revitalization of metrological methods, related to developments in several branches

of physics (electronics, atomic physics, physics of solids, etc.) which have

made possible for example, replacing the definition of the length and time

units by definitions based on atomic properties. This evolution of the initial mission and fields of activity of the BIPM and CIPM is the natural con- sequence of the need for more and more precise measurement standards

and of the necessity of assuring coordination of worldwide metrological

work.

Before presenting the activity of the BIPM during the period 1925-1975

in the following chapters, it seems useful to outline the principal stages of

this evolution. These stages have been marked by the creation of various

Consultative Committees of the CIPM.

Electricity and Photometry

The idea of including electricity and photometry in the scope of the

BIPM is very old. In deference to the conclusions voted by the "International Conference on Electric Units" (Paris, 1884), a draft of an international convention was prepared by the French Government with an eye to entrusting the BIPM with the construction, verification, and maintenance

of standards for electricity and light. This proposal, examined by the CIPM

in 1885, was not followed up at the time even though most of the Member

States of the Metre Convention had received it favorably.

Later, the question of extending the activities of the BIPM to the electric units was raised on different occasions.* It was nevertheless not until

1921 that the BIPM received from the 6th CGPM the mission of "the

establishment and maintenance of standards and references for electric

units, and also the comparison of national standards or other precise standards with these." In 1927, the CIPM decided to establish a Consultative

Committee for Electricity (CCE), which held its first session in November

1928. After the French Government had granted a small extension (285 m'-)

of the BIPM grounds, new laboratories were constructed in 1929, adjoining

the laboratories built in 1878, and the first comparisons of national standards of electric resistance and of electromotive force were carried out at the BIPM in 1932.

Unification of the methods of photometry and the question of the units

of light also held the attention of the CIPM which in 1929 requested the

CCE for advice on these subjects. The CCE then took the name

" See a resume of this question in Proces-Verbaux C.I. P.M. 15. p. 169 (1933).

33
Consultative Committee for Electricity and Photometry, until 1933, at which date the CIPM decided to create a Consultative Committee for

Photometry (CCP), distinct from the CCE.

At its first session in June 1937. the CCP requested, in its report to the

CIPM, the creation of a photometric laboratory at the BIPM for comparing

national standards of intensity and of luminous flux. This laboratory was

planned in the basement of the building constructed in 1929, and its essential installations were finished in 1939.

In 1971, the name of the CCP was changed to Consultative Committee

for Photometry and Radiometry (CCPR); there is in fact more and more

tendency to substitute energetic quantities (radiometry) for visual quantities (photometry); this permits quantitative characterization of infrared and

ultraviolet radiation as well as visible radiation.

Thermometry

In 1913, the 5th CGPM was concerned with the adoption of a thermodynamic scale as a replacement for the standard hydrogen thermometer

scale, and with the fixing of a certain number of thermometric reference

points suitably chosen for establishing a practical temperature scale. To

this end, a meeting of directors of national laboratories interested in the

development of thermometric studies had been planned for November

1914; events did not allow this meeting to take place; some 10 years later,

the plan for a "Conference on Thermometry" was revived. In 1927, the

CIPM was informed that the national laboratories of Germany, the United

States of America, and Great Britain had agreed to adopt a common practical temperature scale, as close as possible to the thermodynamic scale,

based on fixed points and interpolation procedures. This scale was adopted

provisionally by the 7th CGPM (1927) under the name "International Temperature Scale," then in a revised form, but still provisionally, by the 8th

CGPM (1933).

The convocation of the International Conference on Thermometry

being repeatedly postponed, the USSR Institute of Metrology (1935) and

the International Institute of Refrigeration (1937) proposed the creation

under the CIPM of a Consultative Committee for Thermometry; the creation of this committee was decided by the CIPM in June 1937.*^ The Consultative Committee for Thermometry (CCT) — for some time

called the "Consultative Committee for Thermometry and Calorimetry" —

met for the first time in July 1939, this meeting taking the place of that of

the International Conference on Thermometry. Since its creation, the

' See the Proces-Verbaux C.I. P.M. 18. p. 96 (1937) for a chronological summary of the events

leading to the creation of this Consultative Committee.

34

I

I
CCT has been concerned mainly with perfecting and extending the

"International Practical Temperature Scale"; its work has also led to the adoption of the thermodynamic scale having a single fixed point, with

the triple point of water as the fundamental fixed point and with the joule

as the unit of heat replacing the calorie.

Definition ofthe Metre

The possibility of having a natural standard of length in place of a national standard such as the International Metre has been a constant objective of metrologists. The red line of natural cadmium, which had been

proposed, could not, however, fill this role because it is not sufficiently

monochromatic and would not permit defining the metre with a higher

precision than that provided by the International Metre.

Also, as soon as it was known how to separate the isotopes of certain

elements and thus obtain practically monochromatic visible radiations, the

possibility of using these radiations to define the unit of length came into

view. The 9th CGPM (1948) consequently invited the large national laboratories and the BIPM to pursue study of these radiations with the goal of

possible establishment of a new definition of the metre based on the

wavelength of a visible radiation.

To study the advisability of such a change, the CIPM decided in October 1952 on the creation of a Consultative Committee for the Definition of

the Metre (CCDM). which held its first meeting in September 1953. Work

carried out later in the national laboratories and at the BIPM on the

metrological qualities of three proposed radiations led the CIPM to recom- mend, in 1958, the adoption of the wavelength of the orange line of krypton86 as a new standard for the unit of length. On the 14th of October, 1960,

the 11th CGPM unanimously adopted the change of the definition of the

metre.

Even though, after a reign of 70 years, the 1889 platinum-iridium International Metre preserved at the Pavilion de Breteuil has lost its position as the primary standard, the role of the BIPM has not diminished much; this

role remains, to the contrary, essential for assuring uniformity of length

measurements throughout the world.

Its initial mission accomplished, the CCDM carried on its activities

with three principal objectives: to perfect the 1960 definition of the metre,

to recommend better secondary wavelength standards, and to improve the

methods and apparatus for measurement of end-standards and line-standards of length.

35
Time

The units and standards of time and frequency were outside the

responsibihty of the organs of the Metre Convention until 1954, the date at which the CIPM was led to consider these questions. At this time, the In- ternational Astronomical Union had just proposed a change in the definition of the second and hoped that this definition would receive the international ratification of the CGPM. Under authorization from the CGPM, the

CIPM in October 1956 approved the new astronomical definition of the

second (the second of ephemeris time) based on the tropical year, a definition which was ratified in October 1960 by the 11th CGPM.

The appearance of "atomic" standards led the CIPM to create a Consultative Committee for the Definition ofthe Second (CCDS) in October

1956 to study and propose a physical definition of the unit of time. Studies on the unit and scales of time had been, up to then, the province of as- tronomers; with the new techniques in the field of ultrahigh frequencies

put into practice, these studies began to depend also on the competence of

physicists.

The CCDS held its first meeting in June 1957. Its work on atomic standards of frequency and of time interval led to the 1964 provisional adoption

of the frequency associated with a transition of the cesium-133 atom as the

standard of time interval. In 1967, the 13th CGPM definitively adopted a new definition of the second, based on this same frequency, as a replacement for the astronomical definition.

The CIPM and CGPM were subsequently requested to consider a time

scale based on the second defined in 1967; an internationally adopted time

scale is, in fact, indispensable for temporal synchronization of events in different places. On the advice of the CCDS, the CIPM in October 1970

adopted a definition of "International Atomic Time" (TAI) and, in October

1971, the 14th CGPM authorized the CIPM to conclude necessary arrangements with the International Bureau of Time, the competent agency in the

matter, for the realization of the TAI scale. Dissemination of the TAI with

the aid of time signals thus permits putting at the disposal of users, not only

the time scale, but also the SI unit, the second.

Ionizing Radiation

The metrology of ionizing radiation comprises measurements of x rays

and y rays, radiations from radionuclides, and neutron measurements. Its importance has increased strongly since 1950. Nevertheless, the idea that

the BIPM would play a role in this field is almost as old as the first steps

toward a unification of radioactivity measurements, taken in the beginning

of the century. It is interesting to trace the principal events which preceded

the creation of the BIPM Section on ionizing radiation.

36
When Marie Curie constructed the first radium standard in 1911, she

undoubtedly envisaged depositing it at the Pavilion de Breteuil. In fact,

J. R. Benoit, then director of the BIPM, officially accepted this thin glass

tube containing 21.99 mg of anhydrous radium chloride for safekeeping in

1913; this constituted the international radium standard. This standard

was replaced in 1939 by 1 of 20 standards fabricated by O. Hiinigschmid in

1934; this new standard was removed from the BIPM in May 1940 for

transfer into the country; it returned to the BIPM in 1959 and became its permanent property in 1961.

In 1948, the USSR delegation to the 9th CGPM had already proposed

that the BIPM organize comparisons of national radium standards with the

international standards^" and that these latter be conserved at the BIPM.

This proposal was again raised at the CIPM in 1952, and in 1956 the CIPM

charged a commission with studying a possible extension of the activities

of the BIPM to standards of radioactivity. After the report of this commission, the CIPM created the Consultative Committee for Standards of Measurement ofIonizing Radiations (CCEMRI) in October 1958.

At its first meeting in April 1959, the CCEMRI proposed:

"that the scope of the BIPM be extended to the fields of radioactivity

and ionizing radiations, and that it be the central agency:

1st, for the definition of the quantities and units,

2nd, for the establishment of international standards for measure- ment of activity and of ionizing radiations, neutrons included, taking

into account the results of national, international, and other laboratories and institutions."

In October 1960, the 11th CGPM approved the action taken by the CIPM,

and invited it to organize in the BIPM a Section on measurement standards

for ionizing radiations, equipped with a laboratory and necessary scientific

personnel.

In its first three meetings (1959, 1960, and 1961), the CCEMRI defined

for the BIPM a work program including in particular the organization of international comparisons. The new Section of the BIPM started operating

in March 1961.

After a new expansion (18 079 m-) of the grounds of the Pavilion de

Breteuil, granted by the French Government, and after the 11th and 12th

CGPM had voted three special contributions, two new buildings were constructed for permanent laboratories of the Section for ionizing radiations;

these laboratories were dedicated on September 29, 1964. Since 1969, the

CCEMRI has comprised four sections (x and y rays, electrons; measure- ment of radionuclides; neutron measurements; standards of a-particle

energy) which correspond to current activities of the BIPM Section for

ionizing radiations.

'"There still exists, in addition to the international standards preserved at the BIPM in Sevres, a replacement standard kept in Vienna (Austria).

37
m

<!

PL,

pqQWa 5 o I M ~

Uin

Ela i

Si

'J 1 5 j

I- 4 1 J

4 i i

"5 ^ O CJ

a.

s3<

aiuQ2OM

1/5 UQ

tij lb -J s <r2O§2

a:

J

2- ISC3OCC 3

60

s I zo2SOu

(/3 <:

38
Laboratories of the ionizing radiation section built in 1964 (l)uil(bnj; D of fig. 5). In tbe left rear, tbe 1929 laboratories.

Other international organizations had already been concerned with the

metrology of ionizing radiations ahead of the BIPM. In the first place must

be mentioned the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU), founded in 1925, which took a very active part in the

creation of the new Section of the BIPM and in the preparation of its work

program. It is necessary to also mention the laboratories of the Euratom

Central Bureau of Nuclear Measurements and of the International Atomic

Energy Agency, with which the BIPM maintains close relations.

Units and the International System of Units

The authority of the CGPM is recognized worldwide with respect to all matters concerning units and unit systems. Its decisions are taken over

into the legislation of numerous countries, even if they do not yet adhere to the Metre Convention.

In 1913, France had presented its draft of metric legislation to the 5th

CGPM. The question of an international system of measurement units was

not, however, truly submitted to the CGPM until 1948: the International

Union of Physics requested the establishment of an international practical

system of units; for its part, the French delegation proposed a draft of a universal system of measures as a basis for discussion. The 9th CGPM

charged the CIPM "to open an official inquiry on the opinion in scientific,

technical, and pedagogical circles of all countries, to centralize the responses, and to issue recommendations respecting the establishment of a single

system of practical measurement units, suitable for adoption in all the

signatory countries of the Metre Convention."

573-106 O - 75 - 4 39
The results of this inquiry led finally to the adoption by the 10th and

11th CGPM (1954 and 1960) of the International System of Units,

designated by the symbol SI in all languages. This coherent system, currently based on seven base units (app. 4, p. 238) and two supplementary

units, has been adopted by the principal international organizations; it is progressively replacing, in national legislation, the various systems (CGS,

MTS, MKS, etc.) growing out of the metric system and the Anglo-Saxon

measures in the countries where metric conversion is under way.

For the study of questions about units, the CIPM had instituted a "Commission on a System of Units" in 1954; in October 1964, this became

the Consultative Committee for Units (CCU). This Consultative Committee

collaborates closely with the other international organizations'' which, in

their respective fields, are led to concern themselves with units of physical

quantities, and with their nomenclature and symbols.

The CCU held its first meeting in April 1967. During its later meetings

it prepared a document on the SI, supplemented with information on the

practical realization of the definitions of the principal units [4].

At the moment, there exists no Consultative Committee for mass measurements, one of the basic activities of the BIPM, nor for gravimetry

(absolute determination of the acceleration of gravity), another important

activity of the BIPM. For the unit of mass, no natural standard has yet been

proposed which can advantageously replace the International Kilogram,

which has always accurately rendered the service expected of it; the CIPM

has thus never had a motive for setting up a committee of experts on this

subject. As to gravimetric measurements, discussions on this subject have

taken place in the specialized committees of the International Union of

Geodesy and Geophysics.

*

The creation of various Consultative Committees marks the evolution

of the activities of the BIPM. It should not hide the permanent tasks which

fall on the BIPM and which constitute the major part of its work: — international comparisons, most often organized by the competent Consultative Committees, which permit verification of the

consistency of the basic determinations carried out in different

laboratories; — verification of standards of numerous countries, verifications

which since 1883 have given rise to the issuance of about 4000 certificates, study notes, and reports;

" International Electrotechnical Commission (lEC), International Commission on lllunimation (CIE). International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU). International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Union of Pure and Applied

Physics (lUPAP), International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (lUPAC).

40
— the assistance that the BIPM supplies, within its means, to national or international institutions in the field of source standards for

metrology.

Thus the BIPM has never ceased working effectively to assure the

uniformity of measurements in the entire world, thanks to the propagation

of the Metric System and then of its direct descendant, the International

System of Units (app. 5, p. 243 ).

'^In the past, the BIPM had also been induced to lend its assistance in the preparation of national laws on weights and measures; in 1933, it was proposed to the 8th CGPM to extend the scope of the organs of the Metre Convention to legal and commercial metrology, and to create

a "Consultative Committee for Applied Metrology" under the CIPM. The independence of such an organism with regard to the CIPM and the BIPM having been judged preferable, this proposal finally resulted in the 1955 creation of the International Organization for Legal

Metrology and of the International Bureau of Legal Metrology located in Paris.

Bibliography

[1] Documents diplomatiques de la Conference du Metre, Paris, Imprimerie Nationale. 151 pages (1875).

[2] La creation du Bureau International des Poids et Mesures et son oeuvre. Gauthier-Villars, Paris, 321 pages (1927). See also, for example:

Bigourdan, G., Le Systeme metrique des poids et mesures: son etablissement et sa propagation graduelle, avec I'histoire des operations qui ont servi a determiner

le metre et le kilogramme. Gauthier-Villars, Paris, 458 pages (1901). Favre, A., Les origines du Systeme metrique. Presses Universitaires de France, Paris,

242 pages (1931). Moreau, H., Le Systeme metrique: des anciennes mesures au Systeme International

d'Unites. Chiron, Paris, in press.

[3] Benoit, J.-R., Rapport sur la construction, les comparaisons et les autres operations

ayant servi a determiner les equations des nouveaux prototypes metriques, Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 7. 132 pages (1890).

[4] Le Systeme International d'Unites (SI), 2d edition B.I.P.M., 40 pages (1973). The International System of Units (SI), 1974 edition, NBS Special PubUcation 330, 43 pages, and The International System of Units (SI), HMSO, London (1973).

41

CHAPTER II

MASS

In its Article 6, the Metre Convention charged the International Bureau of Weights and Measures with conserving the international prototypes

of the metre and kilogram, and with comparing them with national standards.

The BIPM was thus the unique possessor of the starting-point standards for all measurements of length and mass; it devoted itself entirely to these fields of activity and, naturally, to indispensable measurements of

certain auxiliary quantities: temperature, pressure, density ... Later, the activities of the BIPM were extended to several other fields,

for example to measurements of electric quantities, measurements in

photometry and in the field of ionizing radiations, but none of these measurements was based on a new material primary standard; moreover, in

1960, the change of the definition of the metre took away from the international prototype metre its role as primary standard for length measurements, so that the international prototype kilogram remains the only primary standard conserved by the BIPM.

Today, all sufficiently well equipped laboratories can, in principle,

realize the units of length, time, temperature, and luminous intensity,

which are defined in terms of natural properties of certain atoms or certain

substances; on the other hand, these laboratories need the BIPM for the

availability of the unit of mass and for realization of the units of electric

current and amount of substance, whose definitions bear directly or indirectly on a rnass. It is the same for such derived units as those of force,

pressure, and energy, which depend on the base units and particularly on

the unit of mass. Conservation of the international prototype kilogram and verification

of national mass standards thus continue to be a fundamental part of the

mission assigned to the BIPM by the Metre Convention.

The Prototype Kilograms and Periodic Verifications

The International Kilogram

In 1878, three platinum-iridium cyhnders (later identified by the symbols KI, KII, and Kill) were ordered from Johnson, Matthey and Co. of

43
London. They were polished and adjusted by A. Collot, in Paris, and compared with the Kilogram of the Archives by four observers in 1880 at the

Observatory of Paris (the BIPM did not yet have available the scientific

equipment needed for this work).

Cylinder Kill, whose mass was found to be the closest to that of the

Kilogram of the Archives, was sent to the BIPM, chosen as the international prototype kilogram in 1883, and ratified as such by the 1st CGPM

(1889). The definition of the unit of mass resulting from this was explicitly

stated by the 3d CGPM (1901) in the following terms: "The kilogram is the

unit of mass; it is equal to the mass of the international prototype of the

kilogram." This prototype, called "International Kilogram," is frequently

designated by the symbol ^.

The alloy of platinum (90%) and iridium (10%) had been chosen to make P as invariable as possible. On the one hand, this alloy is not subject

to deterioration; on the other hand, the iridium gives it a hardness which

reduces the wear on the prototype during the various manipulations to which it is subjected. The good quality of the polish which can be obtained

also contributes to this invariability: it reduces the effect of high spots ex- posed to wear, and that of low spots which could retain dust. The density of

the alloy (around 21.55 kg/dm'') is close to that of the platinum in the Kilogram of the Archives. Thus the volumes of these two standards being closely the same, the difference of the buoyancies produced by the air during

their comparison was small, and the corresponding correction could be

determined without too much difficulty. The surface of a mass standard

should be as small as possible to further reduce the causes of variation

either by wear or by adsorption of various substances. From this point of

view, the most advantageous form is the sphere, but taking account of the

difficulties of manufacture, adjustment, and especially handling, the

minimum-area cyhndrical form is preferred, that is to say, a cylinder whose

height is equal to its diameter' with, however, its edges rounded.

Such a standard must naturally be handled with extreme care; we use

specially adapted tweezers furnished with velvet or chamois skin, and kept

sheltered from dust. This does not, however, dispense with using a small

brush to wipe those regions which will come into contact with the standard,

before using the tweezers. It is absolutely necessary to avoid dragging the

standard on its support; this would inevitably cause a loss of mass. To

make ^ lose a mass of 0.01 mg by uniformly wearing one of its bases, it would suffice to remove a thickness of metal of only 0.000 4 /xm, that is to say, to remove a little more than a layer of atoms. The surest means of as- suring the invariability of the unit of mass is therefore to make the least

possible use of p. This is why it is removed only very rarely from the vault

' The corresponding surface area is only 1.310 times that of a sphere of the same volume. The

height of the International Kilogram, equal to its diameter, is about 39 mm; the area of each of

its bases is about 12 cm- and its total surface area is 72 cm''^; its volume is 46.4018 cm^.

44
for the metric prototypes where it is kept, under three glass domes, well

sheltered from pollution (p. 30).

Other Prototype Kilograms

In 1882, 40 platinum-iridium cylinders were ordered from Johnson,

Matthey and Co. They were delivered in 1884 and their density was determined; they were then polished and adjusted (to about ± 1 mg) by A. Collot

at the BIPM. The numbers 1 to 40 were assigned to them.- Counting the

standards KI and KII which remained available after the choice of the In- ternational Kilogram, 42 Prototype Kilograms^ were thus available, in all respects similar to p. These standards, after cleaning with steam and al- cohol vapor, were compared among themselves in a very large number of

combinations of pairs, and each was compared directly with ^.

During the 1st CGPM, 34 standards were assigned by lot to those

Member States of the Metre Convention which had requested them. Prototype Nos. 9 and 31 were assigned to the BIPM as working prototypes; KI

and No. 1 became the two check standards for p and were deposited in the

same vault; Nos. 7, 8, 29, and 32 remained available.

Subsequently, to be able to respond to requests, 23 other prototype

kilograms were constructed from 1929 to 1974, starting with cylinders

prepared either by Johnson, Matthey and Co. or by Comptoir Lyon-Alemand at Paris, some of them recast from old prototypes. Nine of them were

adjusted at the BIPM. These 23 prototypes carry the numbers 41 to 63.

Only the last remains available, the 22 others having been assigned, along

with No. 29.

In 1905, prototypes No. 8 and No. 32 became two new check standards

for p. In 1925, No. 7 replaced check standard No. 1 which had been subject to an accident during a weighing.^ In 1938, prototypes 43 and 47 were

used to increase the number of check standards for p, which brought this

number to six. Finally, No. 25, assigned to France and which had been given to the

Paris Observatory, was ceded to the BIPM in 1958 and has become a prototype for infrequent use.

These numbers are marked on the sides of the cylinders by a slight depolishing through a

stencil.

"Mass standards of 1-kg nominal value are called "Kilograms." The designation "Prototype

Kilogram" (or simply "prototype") is generally reserved for platinum-iridium Kilograms.

It was then noticed that prototype No. 1 had a slightly convex base; this construction defect was the cause of its fall.

45
Figure 1. Housing used for the protection of prototype Kilograms and for transporting them

inside the laboratory. The prototype Kilogram K rests on a quartz plate Q. which in turn

rests on a brass cylinder P' attached to the plate P. Its possible lateral displacements are limited by a brass crown L provided with a silver ring A whose inside diameter is 3 mm

greater than the diameter (39 mm) of the Kilogram. The latter is covered by two glass domes

C and C, one of which is held in place by blocks resting on the rim at the base of the dome.

The two blocks E are fixed: block F. detachable, can be immobilized by the key S to assure

closure of the housing.

The housing for the International Kilogram is itself protected by a third dome resting on a ground-glass plate.

46
Periodic Verifications

Article 6 of the Metre Convention provided for periodic comparisons

of national prototypes with the international prototype or its check standards; it is the duty of the BIPM to organize these.

The first periodic verification of the Prototype Kilograms was carried

out between 1899 and 1911. It involved 18 national prototypes, 4 prototypes

not yet assigned, the 2 working prototypes of the BIPM, 2 other BIPM

prototypes designated C and S whose forms were respectively a cylinder

and a truncated sphere, and finally prototype No. 1, check standard for p.

This important comparison was carried out without preHminary cleaning of the prototypes. The results, communicated to the 5th CGPM in 1913

[1], made it evident that the masses of most of the prototypes had practically not changed relative to their values in 1889. In particular, the masses

of those which had not been used were often found constant to a few micrograms. This was the case for No. 1, check standard for ^, for Nos. 8 and

32, new check standards since 1905, and also for No. 21, assigned to Mexico and which had made the round trip without being unpacked. On the

other hand, the masses of certain prototypes which carried visible signs of

wear or accident had diminished appreciably. One of the BIPM working

prototypes (No. 31). which had been handled with great care but had been

subjected to particularly intensive use, had itself lost 21 /xg. The possibility

of regularly comparing the working prototypes to one or two check standards and the recent increase in the number of check standards indicated

that conservation of the unit of mass was assured to better than 0.01 mg for

many years, even having recourse to p only very rarely.

In light of this reassuring conclusion, the CIPM waited nearly 30 years

before requesting the BIPM to organize the second periodic verification of

National Prototype Kilograms, preceded this time by a comparison of p

with its check standards. This comparison was carried out in June 1939

[2]; it involved the four old check standards (KI, Nos. 7,8, and 32) and the

two new ones, Nos. 43 and 47, to which it was necessary to assign values.

This comparison was itself preceded by comparisons among check standard No. 8, several prototypes not yet assigned, and the BIPM prototypes

C, S, No. 9, and No. 31. All these kilograms were cleaned before weighing

with a chamois skin impregnated with alcohol and then with redistilled

benzene. The results obtained were not very satisfying: they seemed to show for the four old check standards and the working prototype No. 9 an

increase in mass (of 0.03 to 0.08 mg) relative to their values in 1889; working prototype No. 31. whose bases carried numerous lines and traces of

rubbing seemed to have conserved its original value. The following ex- planation was put forth: although ^ is kept under three glass domes, of

which the largest, furnished with a stopcock by which a partial vacuum was

made, rested on a ground-glass plate, the other prototypes are only placed on their support under two domes which rest on a metal plate (fig. 1).

47
Changes of the air around them have probably been more important than

around ^ and it has been possible for the formation on these check standards of adherent deposits which a washing in steam or alcohol vapor, not

done in 1939, would doubtless remove. The following years were put to profit in studying the cleaning of

prototypes. The efficacy of washing with steam was recognized and it was

decided to apply this treatment, before each important group of comparisons, to prototypes previously cleaned with pure benzene and pure

alcohol. Before each weighing, a fine hair brush was also used on the entire surface of the prototype to remove most of the dust.

In 1946, a new comparison was made among its six check standards (KI, Nos. 7, 8, 32, 43. 47), and the working prototypes Nos. 9 and 31.

For the four old check standards, the small changes (— 0.03 to + 0.04 mg)

found relative to the 1889 values showed the importance of cleaning and

washing the prototypes as regards the confidence which can be placed in

the weighing results [3]. This comparison was followed, between 1948 and

1953, by the second periodic verification of the national prototype kilograms. Thirty-three prototypes participated therein. The results, presented

to the 10th CGPM in 1954 [4], demonstrated the perfect stabiHty of certain

prototypes; in many cases, the verified variation of others could be ex- plained.

No other verification of national prototype kilograms has been or- ganized since.

Thus, as is desirable, ^ has been used only in rare circumstances:

comparisons before 1889 (when it was involved in some 40 weighings), comparisons of 1939 (7 weighings), and of 1946 (14 weighings).

Determination of the Mass of Kilograms

Outside the Periodic Verifications

The BIPM can naturally study each kilogram for which a request is made. Thus since 1953, date of the end of the second periodic verification,

it has determined the density and the mass of 7 newly constructed prototypes and it has verified 16 other prototypes which are, for the most part,

national prototype kilograms.

For these comparisons, the BIPM has available its two working prototypes, Nos. 9 and 31. Since these are subject to intensive use (each is manipulated from 300 to 500 times per year) and their surface is con- sequently exposed to certain pollution and to possible wear, it is necessary

to redetermine their mass from time to time. To avoid the need of removing

one or two check standards for P from the vault, an operation which

requires CIPM authorization, the CIPM decided in 1956 to place at the

disposal of the BIPM a prototype for infrequent use. No. 25, which should

48
be used only rarely. It is kept in a vault to which the Director of the BIPM

has easy access. The masses of prototypes Nos. 9, 31, and 25 had been determined at the time of the second periodic verification, then in 1957 by comparison

with the six check standards for ^, and in 1965 by comparison with two

check standards Nos. 8 and 43. Since that date, the masses of Nos. 9 and 31

have been redetermined by comparison with No. 25, on two occasions, in

1968 and in 1973. A redetermination is anticipated about every 5 years.

The study of the history of the mass of these two prototypes is very in- structive (fig. 2). It shows that the loss of mass by wear can be extremely

small for prototypes that are manipulated with great care, but that on the

other hand their exposure to the laboratory air produces a pollution of their

surface which betrays itself by a gain in mass of the order of 3 fig per year.

Cleaning with a solvent followed by washing in steam from twice distilled

water makes them recover their initial mass very closely.

1 kg+300jjg--

+ 200 --

+100 --

+ 0

oo

N°9

N°31

4-

1875 1900

4- 4-

1925 1950

0,1 mg

1975

Figure 2. History of the mass of the BIPM working prototypes Nos. 9 and 31. For the two

prototypes, we clearly see the effect of steam washing L practiced in 1946 and 1965. as well

as the increase of their mass between washings and since 1965. This increase is less for No.

9 than for No. 31 whose surface is rather strongly grooved. The values obtained from 1903

to 1933 result from a smaller number of weighings and are traceable to ^only in a very indirect way; they are less reliable than those of 1889 and 1939. Between these two dates, the wear on No. 31, used very intensively, was compensated by the mass gain due to pollution

of its surface. The discontinuities A correspond to accidents undergone by the two prototypes in September 1949 and February 1951, respectively.

49
Thanks to research pursued since the beginning of the century on the

fabrication of mass standards in a material less costly than platinum-iridium, there are now available alloys whose stability is quite satisfactory. In

particular, stainless steel containing about 20 percent nickel and 20 percent chromium has been used for the construction of some 15 national kilograms which have been studied by the BIPM. The density of this alloy

being around 7.8 kg/dm^, the volume^ of these kilograms is about 82 cm^

greater than that of the platinum-iridium prototypes. As a result, when the

mass of a stainless steel kilogram is determined by comparison with a platinum-iridium prototype, the different values of air buoyancy on the two

standards requires the application of a correction whose value reaches

nearly 100 mg at the BIPM. This correction can not, at this time, be calculated to better than 0.05 mg, by reason of the limited precision with which

the density of air is known as a function of ambient conditions (pressure,

temperature, humidity).

But it must be noted that if a laboratory, starting with a stainless steel

standard kilogram, calibrates secondary standards of the same material, no

uncertainty due to air buoyancy affects this measurement; on the other

hand, if a platinum-iridium prototype kilogram is used, the uncertainty in

the correction for air buoyancy at that moment enters into the determination.

Balances and Methods Used for Comparisons

of Kilograms; Auxiliary Measurements

Balances and Weights

The only method allowing comparison of two masses with a precision

better than 1 X 10 that is, with an uncertainty less than 0.01 mg for 1-kg

masses, consists of comparing their iveights by means of a balance. Since

its beginning, the BIPM has been equipped with several "equal-arm"

balances. It is easily realized that it is not possible to adjust the lengths of

the arms of a balance beam with the desired precision, that is, to better

than 2 nm for arms of 0.2 m. One is thus led to use the balances in a doubleweighing operalion, either by Borda's method which consists of substituting one mass for the other on the same platform, or by Gauss's method in

which the masses on the two platforms are interchanged. The Bunge

balance and the Rueprecht balance, which until recently were the two principal balances used at the BIPM for Kilogram comparisons [5], were

designed for operation with Gauss's double weighing. The observer

manipulates the balance from a distance of 4 m, the balance case remain-

''The stainless steel Kilograms have a volume of about 128 cm^. They have the form of a cylinder with rounded edges, whose height, equal to the diameter, is about 55 mm.

50
ing closed; in particular, he controls the movement of the transposition

mechanism which accompHshes the permutation of the masses. Temperature variations which would be caused by the approach of the observer are thus avoided.

The masses of the Kilograms to be compared are generally very close;

if such is not the case, additional loads of known value are added to the

standard of lesser mass, in preparing for the weighing. For each of the two

placements of the masses mi and m-z on the platforms, the beam inclination

corresponding to its equilibrium position is determined. If the lengths of

the two arms of the beam are designated by /i and I2, these very small

inclinations are proportional to m,/, — m-zk for the first arrangement and

m A\ — m^l-z for the second. Their difference a is proportional to — m-2li) — (m-j/, — mil>) = (m, — m>) Hi + I-,) The coefficient of proportionality is related to the sensitivity of the balance

which is sHghtly variable in high-precision balances by virtue of the close

proximity of the beam axis (edge of the central knife) and its center of

gravity. This coefficient is determined for each weighing by means of small

masses m'l and m'> (for example, 100.5 mg and 100.0 mg) whose difference

is well known and which are placed, by means of a remote control

mechanism, on parts called stirrups which form part of the platform

suspension; the platforms remain loaded by the Kilograms under comparison. The additional inclination (3 which results is proportional to

from this is easily derived

mi-m2 = ~(m i — m ,)

The availability, in the balance case, of two identical sets of additional

loads allows loading the beam on either the left or the right.

In practice, a graduated scale is observed through a telescope by

reflection in a plane mirror attached to the balance beam. When the latter

oscillates, the graduated scale appears to march past a fixed reference

point. The maximum excursions successively attained to the right and left are noted. Starting with three successive excursions Xi, xo, X3, the calculation of the excursion x corresponding to the equilibrium position of the

beam can be made: x — {xx + 2x-i + x-a) 1^. Five successive excursions are generally noted, allowing judgment of the regularity of the oscillation.

Similarly, one is not content with a single transposition of the masses but

usually uses 10 of them; this allows determining 6 equilibrium inclinations

for one disposition of the masses and 5 for the other. The agreement of suc- cessive equilibrium positions indicates the quality of the weighing and the

good condition of the balance.

To avoid having the transposition mechanism come into direct contact

with the Kilogram base during a weighing, the kilograms in fact sit on

51
platinum auxiliary platforms. The masses of the auxiHary platforms are adjusted as well as possible; their difference, which can reach 0.02 mg, is eliminated from the results of the comparison by a complete weighing comprising two parts between which the Kilograms are interchanged without

interchange of the auxiliary platforms.

The Bunge balance, in service since 1879, has shown itself difficult to regulate in a lasting way. After the fall of the two BIPM working prototypes

(No. 9, in 1949, during the preparation for a weighing, and No. 31, in 1951,

in the course of a weighing) in this balance, we have stopped using it. The Rueprecht balance, delivered to the BIPM in 1878, was completely overhauled and modified by its maker in Vienna in 1900-1902 [71. In

1937, after prolonged and intensive use, it was sent to C. Longue, in Paris,

who succeeded in restoring it to practically its original quality. Since then,

we have applied ourselves mostly to improving its installation, notably its thermal protection and the precision of measurement of temperature inside

the balance case. Despite the care with which this balance has been used,

it has probably lost part of the exceptional quality that it previously had. In

fact, from its last reconditioning until the end of 1974, it has been used for

about 1000 complete weighings, representing about 250 000 oscillations of

the beam. The releasing oi the balance, which places the knives in contact

with their flats, has thus been repeated about 30 000 times. The frequency

of use now tends to diminish since the BIPM has had available since 1970,

a new balance placed into service in 1973, based on an entirely different

concept and having higher precision (see p. 56).

Calibration ofMultiples and Sub-Multiples ofthe Kilogram

The accuracy of a weighing depends primarily on the accuracy with

which are known the smallest masses, notably those which are used as additional loads in Kilogram comparisons. Calibration of a series of masses

allowing passage from the Kilogram to the milligram is thus a fundamental

operation.

Consider a series comprising the masses m^oo, "1200, ^'200, and mioo of

nominal values 500 g, 200 g, 200 g, and 100 g, and also masses mso, m-^o,

m'20, and mu) whose sum of values, designated by Xioo, is nominally equal

to 100 g. The methods used for calibrating such a series always come back

to a determination of the small difference e which exists between combinations of different masses giving the same nominal value. Thus, commencing by comparing a Kilogram with the set of masses of nominal values 100

g to 500 g, we obtain:

mm)+ m2W)+ m'2m)+ mnM= 1 kg+ Ci

52
and then, for example, the following comparisons are made:

m ' ^ ,1 —t— TYi . . \ — 200 1 ffl\{)0} — 62

'''dOO \''t200 r "i 20(1 I iloo; — 63

'"'20() ' ^ 1 00 ~\~ 2011 1 ZiKIII ) —

(m'2oo+ mim,) =

^200 Ttl 200 —

^200 ('Wioo + Sioo) = €7 ^200 (^100 + 2ioo) = 68 ^100 — 2 100 — €1 This linear system of nine equations in five unknowns [m-Mn, ^200, m'ooo,

^100, Xioo) is reduced by the method of least squares to a linear system of

five equations in five unknowns which can be solved by hand, but for which

a computer is now preferred.

The next step follows analogously since 2ioo= ^50+ ^20+ ^'20+

is now known. For the final step, the series must be complemented by a supplementary 1-mg mass. The final result is the calibration of masses of

the order of a milligram with an uncertainty of about 0.5 ^lg.

Naturally, the same method is appHcable in going from 1 kg to 10 kg.

The BIPM has available balances adapted to various loads which occur in

these different weighings.

Hydrostatic Weighings and Correction for Air Buoyancy

Accurate weighings require the application of a correction for "air

buoyancy." Its calculation involves the volumes of the standards being

compared, volumes which are generally determined by hydrostatic

weighings.

A hydrostatic weighing consists essentially in determining the mass of

liquid displaced by a submerged body. If the volume of the body is known,

the density of the liquid can be deduced; conversely, if the liquid density is known, the volume of the body is obtained. The volume of a Kilogram is thus determined by using water as the immersion liquid.

A hydrostatic weighing is carried out by the Borda double weighing

procedure. In a first operation, the submerged body is suspended from the

balance and equilibrium estabHshed: in the second operation, the body is freed from the suspension system by means of a mechanism inside the immersion vessel, and equilibrium is reestablished by substituting masses on

the platform of the same side. This yields equality between the apparent

mass m — of the submerged body (its real mass reduced by the mass of

the displaced liquid) and that of the mass added to the platform (real mass

reduced by the mass of the displaced air).

By weighing the same body in air, its apparent mass m — (real

mass reduced by the mass of displaced air) is, in fact, determined.

Introducing the volume V of the body under study, and the densities

53
Pw and Pa of the liquid and of air, it is seen that one has determined the two

quantities m — Vp.^ and m — Vp^^. whose difference is V{pw — Pa)-

For water, we calculate p^ for the conditions of measurement starting

with the value 999.972 kg/m'' [6,7,8] assumed for standard reference conditions (4 °C (maximum density), standard atmospheric pressure, absence

of dissolved gas), and using the expansion table of Chappuis [9]. For air,

we calculate Pa starting from ambient conditions: temperature and relative

humidity in the balance case, and atmospheric pressure, by means of formulas due to Broch [10].

One must allow for the fact that the acceleration of gravity does not

have exactly the same value at the level of the submerged body and at the

level of the masses on the platform.

The volumes of Kilograms are thus determined to about 1 X 10"\ They

enter into the comparisons through calculation of the correction due to air

buoyancy.

The hydrostatic balance which was dehvered to the BIPM in 1891 to replace the balance then in service has itself been replaced in 1963 by a new balance of more recent concept.

Recent Balances and Current Studies

New Hydrostatic Balance; Density of Water

This balance (fig. 3), whose assembly was accomplished in 1964, is furnished with a remotely operable mechanical device for substitution of a mass on one level of the platform, for a mass on the other level of the same

platform.

The small additional loads used in determining the balance sensitivity,

that is, actually, for calibrating the divisions of the reading scale "in mass," can be placed on the stirrups or removed without the observer coming near

the balance. We have concentrated on checking and improving the

uniformity of the water temperature in the immersion vessel. With this new

instrument, the density of Kilograms can be determined with a reproducibility better than 1 X 10^^. Figure 4 gives the principle of such a measurement.

This balance was reconditioned in 1973-1974. On that occasion, it was

equipped with a brake which permitted limiting the amplitude of oscillation

to a determined value, and with a mechanism for changing masses on the

two levels of the right-hand platform, identical to that which already existed for the left platform. It will be possible to carry out differential hydrostatic weighings between two baths (for example, water at different temperatures or of different isotopic constitution) with the help of two submerged bodies of approximately the same mass and volume.

54
Figure 3. The hydrostatic balance installed in 1963. C. upper case containing the balance: C ', lower case containing the immersion vessel V; F, beam; P, two-level platform; E, observation scale: L, projector: O, position of the observer operating the balance controls, from a distance of 2 rn. The thermal shields have been removed.

The precision of this balance has allowed us to undertake, starting in

1967, the study of the variation of density of water as a function of its isotopic constitution [11 1, that is to say, of its content of heavy isotopes

'^O, '^O, and -H. The body used for the hydrostatic weighings is a stainless

steel cylinder of approximately 1 kg mass, whose volume and expansion

coefficient have previously been determined. Observations have been

made on seven samples of water which have been distilled twice before the

weighings: two samples from Greenland (one in the solid state at an al- titude of 2900 m, the other from a small lake near Thule), three samples of sea water (two from the Atlantic and one from the Mediterranean), and two

samples of water artificially enriched in ^^O. At the end of each weighing,

a sample was taken for analysis at the Saclay Center for Nuclear Studies.

The values obtained cover a range of 0.02 kg/m^, which represents the

maximum spread due to only the difference of isotopic composition which

can be encountered in practice between the densities of any two samples

of natural water. A formula established from these results allows calculation of the difference of densities between any two natural waters of known

isotopic constitution to about 0.001 kg/m'l

This study poses anew the problem of the density of water: it demonstrates the need for determining in an absolute way, at a reference tem573-106 O - 75 - 5 55
perature, the density of water of known isotopic constitution and for malcing new measurements of the variation of water density as a function of

temperature. Several laboratories have already started these studies at the

request of international organizations cooperating with the BIPM.

Single-Platform Balancefor Comparing Kilograms

For some decades, several national laboratories have studied balances

having an essential improvement which consists in realizing the interchange or substitution of the masses being compared while maintaining

contact between the knives and the flats. This largely avoids disturbing the

molecular relations which become established when the knives are in contact with the flats; there results a better constancy of the length of the

beam arms and consequently a better accuracy of the balance.

t

Figure 4. Scheme of utilization of the hydrostatic balance, a) First operation. The submerged

body K (Kilogram) of mass m is suspended from one of the platforms. The balance is equilibrated with the mass on the same side and t (tare) on the other platform, b) Second

operation. The body K is separated from the suspension device. The balance is again

equilibrated, this time with the mass m2, the tare t being unchanged.

The mass m2 — nii has thus been substituted for the apparent mass m — m^. where m„ is

the mass of the displaced liquid. A correction must be applied to take account of the air buoyancy on the masses on the left platform, on the (jne hand, and on the other hand, of the

variation in the acceleration of gravity corresponding to the vertical distance between K and

this platform. The masses of the auxiliary platforms Pi and P2 are eliminated from the

results thanks to a second weighing in which the masses mi and m-z are associated with P2 and Pi respectively.

56
The balance developed by the NPL is a classical two-platform balance

with three knives; the knives remain in contact with the flats, but under

reduced load, during interchange of the masses. The one studied at the NRLM also has three knives and two platforms,

but the latter have two levels. Substitution of the masses is effected on the

two levels of the same platform while the knives remain in contact with

their flats and under constant load, even without the balance oscillations

being interrupted.

The balance studied at the NBS is, on the contrary, a balance having

a single platform and two knives (the second platform is replaced by a counterweight); the knives and flats remain in contact and under constant

load during substitution of the masses. The second prototype brought out

by the NBS, called balance NBS-2 [12], was put at the disposition of the

BIPM in 1970 (fig. 5); its permanent installation in an isolating booth was

finished in 1972 and verification weighings were soon started. The balance

is necessarily operated from a distance. Determinations of prototype Kilograms with this balance began in 1973 after a first improvement of its thermal stability.

The constant load on the knives during the substitution of masses is such as to strictly maintain the contact conditions and to give the balance

a remarkable accuracy. Replacing the second platform by a counterweight

reduces the number of knives to two, which simplifies adjusting their parallelism; on the other hand, this practically limits the use of the balance to the comparison of kilograms; furthermore, two interchangeable counterweights must be available, one of platinum-iridium and the other of stainless steel, used accordingly in the comparison of prototype Kilograms or of

stainless steel Kilograms. To compare a stainless steel Kilogram with a prototype Kilogram, the platinum-iridium counterweight is used.

Figure 6 shows the releasing of the balance, that is, the passage from

the rest position (knives and flats separated) to the weighing position;

figure 7 indicates schematically the functioning of the mechanism which

permits mass substitution with constant loading.

The balance is equipped with a carrier capable of holding six Kilograms and allowing the placement of the selected mass on the platform. It

is then possible to compare six standards (or fewer) in all their combinations, two-by-two. As an example, such a comparison of four Kilograms

lasts about two and one-half hours. Each comparison of two Kilograms is carried out in terms of the counterweight. One determines, according to the maximum excursions read on a scale, the equilibrium positions of the

beam under the following different loads: a) Kilogram A, b) Kilogram B, c)

Kilogram B + added weight, d) Kilogram A + added weight, e) Kilogram A.

The added weight is a small rider of known mass which serves to calibrate,

in terms of mass, the value of one division on the scale. These observations

being more numerous than needed for determining the difference between

the masses of Kilograms A and B, the statistical uncertainty of this dif57
Fipui e 5. The NBS-2 siiifjle-platforni Ijalance of the BIPM. C. Cdunterweight attached to the beam F: X. assembly of crossed plane knives: A. stops for arrestment and alinement: S, Cardan suspension for platform P: T. circular carrier capable of holding six Kilograms K

(here, of platinuin-iridium) and of placing one of them on P: Q. air-tight passages for the nifchanical ccmtrols and measuring circuits (temperature, pressure, humidity). The upper

part E (it the air-tight encl(jsure has been raised and part of the thermal protection removed.

58
®

Figure 6. Releasing in balance NBS-2. (a) Rest position. The beam F. to which is fixed the counterweight C, rests on the movable stop M in its high position, and on the two alinement

stops located on both sides of the beam. The platform rests on alinement stops A' through

its stirrup E. (b) Intermediate position. During the first phase of lowering stop M. the principal knife conies into ccmtaci with its plane, the beam pivots slightly and no longer rests on

stops A. (c) Weighing position. During the second phase of lowering stop M. the end knife comes into contact with its plane fixed on the stirrup E of the platform and raises the stirrup

which no longer rests on slops A'. The balance can oscillate freely. Reverse operation of the movable stop M allows passing from the weighing position to the intermediate position and then to the rest position.

59
@ ® ©

Figure 7. Balance NBS-2; scheme for suhstitutin<i masses witli constant loading, la) Weighing position. The mass K (Kilogram) rests on the platform P. (h) The carrier T is raised and comes into contact with K. (c) The carrier achieves its lifting motion; the beam

tilts slightly until the small sphere S comes into contact with the stop B attached to the balance frame. Carrier T then raises K which is no longer in contact with platform P. The

loads on the knives thus remain practically constant. The carrier can then displace K perpendicularly to the plane of the figure and bring

another mass in above the platform. In lowering, it places this mass on the platform (position shown in (b)). then returns to the weighing position (a).

ference can be deduced. Various improvements which have been made,

especially that giving operation of the balance under an air-tight dome,

have allowed reducing the standard deviation^ of such a comparison to 2Atg.

It is thus possible to determine the mass of a prototype Kilogram with

a standard deviation of the order of 1 /xg, making only a small number of

measurements, under the condition, however, that the masses of the BIPM

working prototypes are known with sufficient accuracy. Since this is not so, we foresee a new determination in the near future, relative to p, of its six

check standards and the working prototypes, followed by the third periodic

verification of the prototype Kilograms.

Problems Posed by Improvement of Weighing Precision

We have already seen that the correction for air buoyancy limits the

comparison of a stainless steel Kilogram with a prototype Kilogram.

ForiTiulas used in various laboratories can give corrections for this

which differ by 20 /xg. That becomes entirely disproportionate relative to

•'There are 68 chances in 100 that the random error, in absolute value, is less than 1 standard

deviation, and 99.7 chances in 100 that it is less than 3 standard deviations.

60
the reproducibility which can currently be achieved in weighing. It is therefore appropriate to restudy the estabHshment of formulas giving the density

of air as a function not only of pressure, temperature, and relative humidity, but also as a function of its composition, and to study simple and rapid

methods for determining this composition. Another method would consist

in experimentally determining the air density in the balance case itself or

in an enclosure communicating with it. The air-tight case of balance NBS-2

would be well adapted to the latter solution.

We have seen also that, even with the earlier balances, one could measure the increase of mass of a prototype, due to pollution of its surface, over

a period of 5 years. We can now measure it over a period of 1 year. In the

past, it was shown that it is necessary, before each important series of comparisons, to submit the prototypes to a cleaning followed by washing in

steam, but one was not certain of the stability of prototypes after this treat- ment. Whereas the systematic measurements made towards 1965 permitted no conclusion, those which were carried out in 1974 have clearly

shown that the masses are stable and that the weighings can be carried out

without delay (fig. 8).

It is equally known that the importance of wear and pollution of the

prototypes is related to their surface condition. It is therefore fitting to improve the polish. The BIPM has used a paste with a diamond-powder base

to achieve poHshes of excellent quality which could lead to an appreciable

improvement in the stability of prototypes.

Thus, despite the imperfections inherent in a material standard, but

thanks to precautions taken for its conservation, the International Kilogram has without fail played its role as a basic standard for nearly a century, through the intermediary of its check standards and some of their prototypes.

It would be very satisfying to define the unit of mass as a multiple of

the mass of an elementary particle or of an atom, which would constitute an

absolute guarantee of stability. Now, although the ratios of various atomic

masses can sometimes be determined with an uncertainty less than 1 X

10"'', the unit of atomic mass (1/12 the mass of the atom of carbon 12) is currently known to only about 3 X 10"". Despite the constant progress realized in this field, there is httle hkelihood that in the near future one can

gain the factor 1000 which would allow considering the adoption of an "atomic" definition of the Kilogram.

61
o

standard deviation

o

O O o

10 February 20 February 1 March 1974 8 March

Fij:ure 8. Hislory of the mass of three prototype Kilograms after a cleaninji-washiiig, and stan- dard deviation of each comparison. With tlie scheme used for the determination of the mass

of each prototype, the standard deviation crof the value (jf this mass is equal to 0.7 times the mean standard deviation of comparison (2 jUg). say 1.4 /Ag. The error bars correspond to ±

3(T. say about ±4/jg.

The figure shows that after a cleaning (benzene and pure alcohol) followed by washing

(jet of steam from twice-distilled water), prototypes N<is. 46 and 52 have not changed significantly during the duration of this study. On the other hand. No. 39 shows an instability

proliably due to its bad surface condition.

62
Bibliography

[1] Comptes Rendus 5" C.G.P.M.. pp. 27-33 (1913); Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 16 (1917).

[2] Bonhoure. A.. Kilogrammes prototypes, Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 22 (3). 82 pages

(1966).

[3] Bonhoure, A.. Note sur refficacite de quelques precedes de nettoyage des poids en

platine iridic, Proces-Verbaux C.I.P.M. 20, pp. 171-178 (1946).

[4] Comptes Rendus WC.G.P.M.. pp. 51-53 (1954).

[5] Marek. W.-J., Pesees, Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 1. pp. D53-D58 (1881) (Description

of the Rueprecht balance No. 1). Thiesen, M., Comparaison des prototypes nationaux avec le prototype international ^, Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 9, pp. 7-12 (1898) (Description of the Bunge

balance).

[6] Guillaume, Ch.-Ed.. Determination du volume du Kilogramme d"eau (Methode des contacts, Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 14, 276 pages (1910). Chappuis, P., Determination du volume du Kilogramme d'eau (Premiere methode

interferentieUe), Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 14,164 pages (1910).

[7] Mace de Lepinay, J., Buisson, H.. and Benoit, J.-R., Determination du volume du Kilo- gramme d'eau (Seconde methode interferentieUe), Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 14,

128 pages (1910) (Modifications of the Rueprecht balance No. 1, pp. 33-35).

[8] Guillaume, Ch.-Ed., La creation du B.I.P.M. et son oeuvre, Gauthier-Villars, Paris, pp. 240-258(1927).

[9] Chappuis, P., Dilatation de I'eau. Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 13, 40 pages (1907).

[10] Broch, O. J.. Poids du htre d'air atmospherique, Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 1, pp. A.49-A.58(1881).

[11] Girard, G. and Menache, M., Variation de la masse volumique de I'eau en fonction de sa composition isotopique, Metrologia 7, No. 3, pp. 83-87 (1971) and Recueii de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 3, article 13(1971-1972).

[12] Aimer, H. E., National Bureau of Standards one kilogram balance NBS No. 2. J. Res. Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.) 76C, No. 1, pp. 1-10 (1972).

63
I -1^
CHAPTER III

LENGTH

One of the principal reasons for creating the BIPM was the unification

of length measurements. Considerable work was therefore devoted to the

study of the prototype metres and means for comparing them among themselves with the best possible precision. This work resulted in the 1889

definition of the metre, based on the international metre identified by the

symbol^. For almost three quarters of a century, all length measurements

made at the BIPM and in many parts of the world used ^ as the starting

point. At the BIPM during this time, the methods of comparison of prototype metres^ were continually improved, less costly alloys were studied for

the construction of divided scales, the expansion properties of prototype

metres and of scales were determined, and methods were developed for the

measurement of geodetic wires, end standards, and industrial gages.

In 1895, measurement of the wavelengths of several cadmium radiation lines ushered in a new era. Monochromatic^ optical radiations were in

fact often used for measuring end-standards by interferometry, and one of

them was considered as a transfer device for^. Studies of these radiations were uninterruptedly pursued at the BIPM as well as at other laboratories

and resulted in the 1960 definition of the metre based on the orange

line of krypton 86. Since then, all length measurements must be based

on this new standard. This involves major modification of apparatus

for measuring material standards, notably scales and geodetic wires. The

adoption of the new length standard has not slowed the research on monochromatic radiations, indeed, to the contrary. It is necessary to study

carefully not only the standard radiation itself, its properties and conditions

of production, but also other radiations capable of being used jointly with

it, in particular laser radiations which will undoubtedly furnish the basis of a new definition of the metre in the near future.

' In this chapter, a platinum-iridium standard of 1 m nominal length is called prototype metre

or metre; a length standard with graduation lines is called a divided scale or scale, and such a standard of nominal 1 m length is called a metre scale.

^ These luminous radiations of simple color appear in a spectroscope as narrow lines. In the

limit, these are pure sinusoidal waves characterized by their wavelengths in vacuo, or by their frequencies.

65
Measurements of Length Based on the International Metre

Prototype Metres [7]

In 1889, the 1st CGPM ratified "the prototype of the metre chosen by

the International Committee" and declared: "This prototype will henceforth represent, at the temperature of mehing ice, the metric unit of

length." The CGPM thus implicitly defined the metre. ^ This prototype, the

International Metre ((iJS), has been preserved at the BIPM since that time.

Thirty metres have been constructed. Like they have the X cross

section calculated by Tresca (fig. 1) and are constituted of an alloy of

platinum (90%) and iridium (10%). They have been carefully compared

among themselves and with iH, and their expansibility has been determined. Thus these metres, distributed at the time of the 1st CGPM to the

countries requesting them, comprised a consistent set of national standards and defined in each country the same length unit with a precision very

largely sufficient. The BIPM itself acquired several of them as working

prototypes.

To assure the permanence of the uniformity thus realized, the Metre

Convention prescribed periodic verifications of the set of national metres.

The first verification, starting in 1921, lasted some 15 years. Indeed, it greatly surpassed the goal of a simple verification and provoked a set of

studies whose results considerably advanced the metrology of length. Of

special note, it instigated a new determination of the expansion coefficients

of the prototype metres. This determination required extremely lengthy

studies: the definitive results were finally published only in 1940.

No other systematic verification of the set of metres has been or- ganized since, but numerous national metres have been individually

verified by comparison with the working prototypes of the BIPM, themselves verified relative to JR.

The platinum-iridium alloy has fully justified the hopes put in it, from

the point of view of its stability and inalterability, and the X section was

certainly the best for excellent rigidity and economy of material; the efforts

of the BIPM have therefore been directed especially toward improving the

engraved lines as well as the flatness and polish of the surfaces carrying

these lines. Progress has been constant. Although in the last century one had to reduce the polished surfaces to two small patches of 8 mm length at

^This definition was made precise by the 7th CGPM, in 1927, in the following terms: "The

unit of length is the metre, defined by the distance at 0°. of the centers of two lateral lines en- graved on the bar of platinum iridium deposited at the International Bureau of Weights and

Measures, and declared the prototype of the metre by the First General Conference for Weights and Measures, this scale subject to standard atmospheric pressure and supported by

two rollers of at least a centimetre in diameter placed symmetrically in the same horizontal plane at a distance of 571 mm from one another."

66
Fifiure 1. One end of llic Intri iiat ional Metre. We see the shape nl the eniss section, inseital)le in a s([uare haviiifi 200 iiiin sides, and tlie 3 lines en<rra\cd (in a polished ""pateh" in llie

|ilane ol the neulral lihers. The dislanee hetween the middle line and the analogous line on

I he pa I ell at the i il liei end del ined I h<' riiel i e when this pr nl ol \ pc u as a I I he lemperatnre of

niell in;i ice. I he usef II I poi I ion ol I hese lines is delimited liy I u o loiigil iidiiial lid lie ia I lines.

each end of the prototype metres, it is now possible, thanks to the joint ex- periments of the BIPM and the Geneva Society of Physical Instruments, to put a specular poHsh on the entire lenjith of the prototypes.

The development of a refined technique for dressing the lines after

grooving has also allowed obtaining lines with sharp straight parallel edges

(fig. 2) easy to aline with the microscope cross-hairs. Starting in 1937, all the working prototypes of the BIPM and many national metres were

furnished with new lines.

The distance specified between the support rollers is chosen to minimize the shortening of the standard by flexure under its own weight.

67
Figure 2. Appearance of lines engraved on a platinuni-iridium prototype: (a) before trimming: (b) during trimming: (c) after trimming. The narrow lines are tiie wires of the

reticle of the micrometer ocular.

1

Figure 3. Principle <>{ the comparison of two metre scales, (a) The two microscopes M and M'

point the two lines of the same scale before (scale R, position 1 ) and after (scale R'. position

2) the displacement which can be longitudinal (b) or transverse (c). In cases (a) and (b). the space required for the instrument is greater than 3 m and the displacement is of the order

of 1 m; in case (c), the displacement is only some 10 centimetres.

68
Scales

The BIPM has also contributed to studies relating to the construction

of length standards in metals or alloys less costly than platinum iridium, of

lower expansion, or capable of being pohshed more easily.

The systematic study by Ch.-Ed. Guillaume on nickel steels and the

important discoveries of invar and elinvar to which this study led, made his

reputation and have largely contributed to the reknown of the BIPM.

The best standards, as regards the quality of their lines, are steel

scales covered by a thick electrolytic deposit of nickel. The specular polish

which is realized on this metal is excellent, and the lines which can be en- graved are remarkable. One thus obtains standards of good stabihty, very

corrosion resistant, and whose lines are very well defined; they are generally divided along their entire length. The cross section of these

scales generally has the form of an H inscribed in a square 24 mm on a side.

This is less economical of metal than the X section of the platinum-iridium

prototype metres, but much easier to construct.

Measuring Instruments

Two methods can be envisaged for the comparison of two line standards (fig. 3). In the first, the two standards are placed in a single line with a fixed

separation.Two fixed microscopes point simultaneously at the corresponding extremities of the two standards, then, after longitudinal displacement

of the set of the two standards, they point at their other extremities. This

method achieves the same observation conditions for the lines of each standard but it is seldom employed because of the risk of relative displacement

of the two standards and the difficulties of controlling their position.

Furthermore, for metre scales, it requires very bulky longitudinal

comparators.

The second method consists in pointing at the two extremities of one

standard simultaneously with the two microscopes; the two extremities of

the second standard are then introduced under the microscopes by means

of either a longitudinal or transverse displacement. This last solution leads

to transverse comparators of much smaller dimensions.

Standard Comparators

The comparators [2] used for measuring metres and metre scales were transverse comparators.

The first one used, the Brunner comparator, was installed in 1879; in

its primitive form it conforms to what has just been described and did not

69
permit observation of the two lines of the same standard under rigorously

identical conditions. A basic impnjvement which was made in 1938 consisted of furnishing it with reversible microscopes, that is to say,

microscopes which can be rotated a half-turn around their optical axis.

The combination of observations of the standard in the position called

AB, and in [josition BA after rotating the microscopes, is equivalent in effect to an interchange of the microscopes.

To point a line is to frame its image between the two lines of the reticle

in the micrometer ocular of the microscope. Each observer, however, performs this operation in a different way: in not framing the line in a completely symmetric way, he commits an error called the error of

bisection. This error is eliminated if the observer points the line by approaching it successively from one side and from the other.

These two examples, one of which relates to the improvement of the

apparatus and the other to improvement of the operating procedure, illus- trate the perpetual concern of the metrologist: seeking and eliminating

errors.The Brunner comparator was replaced in 1954 by a new standard comparator, directly inspired by the former one. This comparator (fig. 4a)

rested on its own new foundations to assure perfect stabihty. Standards

being compared were still immersed in a water bath; constant circulation

assured good stability and uniformity of temperature. The tube of each

reversible microscope (fig. 4b) was provided with a sliding sleeve whose

lower portion, closed by a flat window, was partially immersed during measurement: the lines of the scales could therefore be pointed despite the motion of the water.

With this comparator, it was possible to measure the difference

between two metre standards with good lines, with a precision of 0.1 fim.

Figure 4a. The standard comparator. Diagram of the installation. P. reinforced concrete pillars supportin<; the microscopes M and M': C. masonry foundation: S. sand layer: B. floor

isolated from the comparator.

70

Expansion Comparator

This transverse comparator, installed in 1925 and improved since, permits comparing the lengths of two scales, one held at a fixed temperature

and the other taken to various temperatures spaced between 0 and 40 °C.

Under these conditions, the uncertainty of the determination of a coefficient of mean expansion is about 10"*^ K"'.

Geodetic Baseline [3]

The discovery of invar by Ch.-Ed. Guillaume made an important contribution to the success of the method conceived by the Swede Ed. Jaderin

for measuring, with the use of a metallic wire under constant tension, the

geodetic baselines needed for triangulation of land. For the standardization

of these wires, a first "geodetic baseline" was installed at the BIPM in

1900. It was replaced in 1925 by a second baseline which underwent an important transformation in 1949.

The 1925 baseline comprised in fact two distinct parts: a baseline with

microscopes or "primary baseHne," and a reference baseline or "secondary baseline." The primary baseline consisted of seven microscopes with

4 m separations between adjacent ones. The six intervals so defined were

measured by means of a 4 m invar scale carried by a moving carriage

rolling along a track. The length of the primary baseline was transferred to the reference baseline by means of two 24-metre primary wires.

In 1949, the primary baseline was equipped with removable

references. With the references removed, one determines as previously, by

means of the 4 m scale, the intervals between microscopes and con- sequently the distance between the end microscopes. The end references

are then put in place and pointed with the microscopes: the distance

between these references is obtained. Comparison of wires with the

baseline formed by the references gives their lengths.

The uncertainty in the most common geodetic wires, those of 24 m,

was about 10 fxm toward 1960.

Toward the Chang;e of the Definition of the Metre

As early as 1827. the French physicist J. Babinet asserted that it was

necessary to look for a length standard in a visible wavelength and not in

the dimensions of a material object. Optical radiations, however, are far

from having the simplicity that was then attributed to them: their study

gave birth to a new science: spectroscopy.

In 1859. J. C. Maxwell had suggested choosing as a natural length

standard, the wavelength of the yellow line of sodium which is easily

72
produced by introducing a little salt of this metal into a flame which is ini- tially almost colorless. It was observed, however, that this Hght comprises

two radiations whose separation is about a thousandth of the mean

wavelength.

Later, the green hne of natural mercury was considered. Spectroscopes having become more powerful, it was recognized that this was

really a complex group of neighborhood radiations covering a range of

about a ten-thousandth of their mean wavelength.

Toward 1890, an American physicist, A. A. Michelson, discovered a

radiation, the red hne of natural cadmium, whose sharpness and reproducibility were unequalled at the time. In 1892-1893, by means of an interferometer which was specially built and shipped to the BIPM, he measured, in collaboration with J. R. Benoit, the wavelength of this line relative

to ^

[4]. Confirmation of his results was obtained in 1906 by means of interferometric etalons called "Fabry-Perot."'* In dry air at 15 °C, this

wavelength is

Xcd = 6 438.469 6 x 10-i"m,

a value which was confirmed later in various repetitions.

By international accord in 1927, it was agreed that the red hne of natural cadmium would become the length standard for spectroscopy, the unit

of length being the angstrom (A) defined by

\cd = 6 438.469 6 A

Thus wavelengths expressed in angstriims would not be affected in case a new determination of A.cd relative to the metre should give a slightly different result.

At the BIPM, we did not wait for the definition of the angstriim before

using wavelengths for length measurement. Even before J. R. Benoit and

Ch.-Ed. Guillaume had made the first attempts to measure the wavelength

of the "soda light" in 1884, H. Fizeau had constructed in 1880 an apparatus

using the interference of light for measurements of expansion. An improvement on this dilatometer in 1882 allowed making these measurements in vacuo. This apparatus was used on some samples to determine the expansion coefficient of the prototype metres [5].

Interferometric methods are particularly well adapted to the measure- ment of small length variations and to the measurement of small flat-end

standards because the comparison of these standards to line standards is much more difficult. These methods permit direct measurement of the

* The term '"Fabry-Perot etalon" applies to a set of two parallel semi-transparent mirrors fixed

to the extremities of a very stable structure (a tube or U-shaped channel of invar). Lif;ht which

enters the etalon along its axis is subjected to multiple reflections which give rise to particular

interference phenomena.

73
distance between the free face of such a standard and the plane which is in

contact with the other face of the standard, whether the standard adheres

to the plane or is simply placed thereon.

With the use of gages with parallel flat ends beginning to expand in industry, A. Perard constructed for their measurement, in 1920, a first special interferometer using Fizeau fringes (see fig. 11 (a)) and, 3 years later, a second interferometer, similar in principle but allowing the measurement

of gages of very great length [6]. This apparatus remained in service until

1971.

As early as 1925, the Michelson interferometer was used at the BIPM

for measuring the length and refractive index of six quartz etalons of 10, 20,

30, 40, 50, and 100 mm, which were transfer devices for^.

The utilization of interferometric methods involved the detailed study

of corrections appropriate to these methods, notably the correction for the

refractive index of air, permitting the calculation of the true wavelength of

a radiation under the conditions of measurement as a function of those conditions (temperature, pressure, humidity) and of the accepted wavelength

under reference conditions (for example 15 °C, standard atmospheric pressure, dry air).

This utilization also involved thorough study of the metrological qualities of the radiations themselves. A. Perard began a systematic study of the

radiations of cadmium, mercury, helium, neon, krypton, zinc, and thallium

in 1921 [7]. He showed that the wavelength of each radiation studied

seemed to vary slightly when different distances were used for the measurement. This effect, which was quite predictable for the blue and green

lines of cadmium and for the mercury radiations, which were known to be

complex, appeared also for the red line of cadmium, although in a lesser

degree. It was natural for A. Perard to oppose the adoption of this line as the basis for a new definition of the metre after he had thus proved its complexity.

The physical causes of the complexity of optical radiations have since

been discovered. On the one hand, a natural element is generally a mixture

of several isotopes whose lines do not coincide exactly. The red line of cadmium appeared simple by a fortuitous coincidence. On the other hand, the

magnetic properties of the atomic nuclei of certain isotopes confer on their

emitted radiations a structure called hyperfine. The ideal standard could

thus be found only among the radiations of a pure (or mononuclidic) isotope

whose nucleus is free of magnetism. Theory predicts that such a mononuclide must have an even atomic number Z and an even mass

number.

Radiations actually produced always have a spectral width much

greater than their natural width. The principal reason is the Doppler effect: when an atom is approaching the apparatus used for measuring, the observed wavelength is diminished; when the atom is receding, the

wavelength is increased. In a gas. atoms are subject to a thermal agitation

74
motion; they emit slightly different radiations according to the component

of their velocity in the direction of the observer, and the spectral line is broadened. This broadening is smaller for heavy atoms whose thermal

speeds are lower at a given temperature. That ehminates hehum 4 for ex- ample, by reason of its small atomic mass, although its atomic number and

its mass number are both even. One is also interested in choosing an element which can emit a spectrum even at low temperature.

Toward 1950, a short time after one knew how to separate isotopes,

three nuclides were proposed by several laboratories (IMM, NBS, PTB) for

the production of a standard radiation without hyperfine structure: cadmium 114 (Z = 48), mercury 198 (Z = 80), and krypton 84 or 86 (Z = 36).

Some studies were necessary for making the choice among these three

nuclides.

The BIPM, which had already measured the wavelengths of the yellow

and green lines of mercury 198 and certain lines of the krypton 84 and 86

isotopes, then pursued its studies with the use of the Michelson interferometer, an apparatus continuously in service and to which several improvements had been made successively, notably the replacement of visual

observations by photoelectric sensing [8].

Thus not only the wavelengths but also the spectral profiles (see p. 89)

of various radiations were determined. At the time of the second meeting

of the CCDM (1957), the BIPM could indicate the resuhs of its measure- ments of the "half-width" of the red line of cadmium 114, of the green line

of mercury 198, and of the orange line of krypton 86.

The conclusion of this work and similar studies made in other laboratories was that the choice should fall on the sharpest of the three lines: the

orange line of krypton 86. This could be produced with a minimum perturbation, measurable by other means, in a cold-cathode discharge lamp (fig.

5) whose capillary is chilled to the temperature of the triple point of

nitrogen (63.15 K or — 210 °C); furthermore, it suffers little from self-absorption which would distort its profile, and its luminance is sufficient.

The CCDM had recommended that the wavelength of the radiation

chosen be measured by comparison with that of the red line of natural cadmium produced in a Michelson lamp conforming to international specifications, and that a formula established by Edlen [9] be used to go from the

wavelength in air to the wavelength in vacuo. Such are the elements that served to fix the numerical value of the

new definition of the metre ratified by the 11th CGPM on October 14, 1960,

in the following terms:

"The metre is the length equal to 1 650 763.73 wavelengths in vacuum

of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the levels 2pio and

5d5 of the krypton-86 atom."^

^ The energy levels of the krypton-86 atom which occur in this definition are specified according to the semi-empirical designations used by Paschen as early as 1917.

75
Figure 5. Krypt()n-86 lamp in its cryostat. A. anode; C. catlmde heated by an electric current. The lamp Kr is immersed in liquid nitrogen contained in the Dewar flask D. The whole is in an airtight chamber in which there is a partial vacuum for obtaining the triple point of nitrogen ( — 210 °C). The krypton pressure is the vapor pressure of solid krypton at this temperature. The capillary tube T has a length of about 7 cm and an inside diameter of about 2 mm: the electric current density is adjusted to 0.3 A/cm-. Under these conditions, the orange radiation emitted in the direction of the arrow has a wavelength equal to that which

corresponds to the definition of the metre within 1 in lO**.

76
This definition has been completed by a Recommendation of the

CIPM which specifies the characteristics of the discharge lamp producing

the standard radiation [10]. The (rounded) value of the wavelength of this

radiation is: \=1 m/1 650 763.73 = 0.605 780 211 ^tm.

Putting the 1960 Definition of the Metre Into Practice

The adoption of a new primary standard of length did not diminish the

interest in material standards of length, scales, gage blocks, and geodetic

wires; but since then it has been necessary to measure these as directly as possible by comparison with the wavelength of the standard radiation of

krypton 86. There were progressively put into service a photoelectric interferometric comparator for measuring divided scales and long gage blocks, an interferometer for measuring gage blocks up to 250 mm in length, and

an interferometric method for measuring the geodetic baseline.

Photoelectric Interferometric Comparator

Starting in 1952, the BIPM studied, in collaboration with the constructor, a design for a comparator using photoelectric microscopes. These

microscopes of a new type had already been proven as essential components of a dividing engine and also in a comparator for calibrating divided scales. The design was improved over several years; the new comparator should permit not only comparisons of scales and calibration of

their subdivisions, but also the measurement of ruled scales and end standards up to 1 m long by comparison with wavelengths of optical radiations.

The comparator was installed in 1961 in a specially fitted-out room; it was

put in service in 1964 [11] after installation of devices for ancillary measurements (measurements of refractive index and temperature of the air),

and putting the photoelectric microscopes into working order. A device

called a fringe-counter was adapted to the comparator in 1969 [12]

.

The comparator must be shielded from temperature variations which

would change its own dimensions and those of the standards being measured, and from variations of atmospheric pressure, which would change

the refractive index of the air and consequently the wavelengths of the optical radiations used as references; it must also be protected from ground

vibrations, which would disturb its operation and the observation of interference fringes. For this, it is enclosed in an air-tight isolating tank of 25 m^

volume mounted on a reinforced 40 Mg platform resting on a dozen

concrete pillars. We have achieved an anti-vibration suspension by interspersing between the platform and each pillar a set of heUcal springs and

77
I I I 0 1 2m

Figure 6. Overall plan of the nidiii tor the photoelectric interferometric comparator. S,. air- conditioned part; Sa. control room; C. tank bedded on its anti-vibration platform, and containing; the c(jmparator C" and the refractometer R; P, control and measurement console;

Pi. P2. pillars mounted on the platform, particularly used for supporting light sources; M,

const)le of comparator motors, mounted on the platform, and used to support the exit telescope of the interferometer; H, H". ports for the entry and exit of light beams. For more

details on the optical lay-out, see figure 9.

78
a damping device filled with silicone oil. The room (fig. 6) is divided into

two parts by an isolating partition. Access to the part containing the comparator can be had only outside the time of measurement and, of course,

the tank is entered only for placement of the standards under study. This

part of the room is held at a constant temperature, generally 20 °C, to within about 0.1 °C. The light source, comparator motors, control console

for the various moving parts of the comparator, and the display of data from

the photoelectric microscopes are grouped in the second part of the room,

occupied by the operators during measurement.

The photoelectric microscopes operate on the following principle. A

rectangular spot (8 /xm wide, approximately the groove width, and of adjustable length, for example 160 /u,m) is projected onto the ruled surface of

the scale to be measured. The spot explores a small region by an oscillatory

motion along the direction of the scale. The reflected light is received by a photoelectric sensor. If the explored zone carries a groove, the sensor gives

a signal at each passage of the spot over the groove. When the groove is centered on the average position of the spot, these signals are separated by

equal time intervals, but this is not so if the groove is off center (fig. 7). These signals are electronically processed and the position of the groove

relative to the average spot position as reference is exhibited directly on a display device. The resolution of the system is 1 nm for the measuring

range most commonly used (10 /xm).

Figure 7. Principle of spotting the position of a line with a photoelectric microscope. Signals

delivered by the photoelectric sensor in the three following cases: (a) line centered, tt = h:

(b) line decentered to the right, ('i < t'-,: (c) Hne decentered to the left, > l"-,. The signals

are produced by the passage of the spot across the line during its movement towards the

right (signals d) or towards the left (signals g).

79
The comparator (fig. 8) comprises two photoelectric microscopes

whose positions are adjustable along a common longitudinal beam. Two

1 m standards can be placed end-to-end on the bench which holds the scales.

They are compared by the scheme indicated in figure 3 (b), that is to say, by

alternatively pointing the two lines of one, then of the other, by a longitudinal displacement of the scale bench which is supported on a carriage.

Naturally, several pointings are made on each standard and its temperature is measured. A complete comparison is very time consuming: it requires the interchange of standards, turning them end for end. and a halfturn rotation of the microscopes about their axes. This method of comparing metre standards or intervals on a single scale has been abandoned, little by Httle, in favor of interferometric methods; the latter are more rapid

and especially more precise because they allow direct comparison of the

length of the standard with the primary standard wavelength of krypton 86.

The comparison of line-standards of length with wavelengths of optical

radiations requires the comparator to be equipped with an interferometer

(fig. 9 (a)). A Michelson interferometer is used here. The parallel beam from

a monochromatic source is split into two beams, one of which reflects from

a fixed mirror, the other from a mirror moving with the scale. The beams

recombine and produce an interference pattern in the focal plane of the

Figure 8. Photoelectric interferometric comparator of tiie BIPM. B. scale bciicli: Ch, carriage; C. C. sliders carrying the photoelectric microcopes MP. MP', and whose positions

are adjustable along the beam P; Mm. mo\ablc mirror linked to the scale: Me. eclipsing

mirror: IM. splitting and compensating plates of the Michelson interierometer.

80

T • ^
telescope objective. The illuminance at the center of this pattern varies

sinusoidally during displacement of the moving mirror; a period of its variation (also called a unit variation of the interference order) corresponds to an

increase in the length of the variable beam equal to the wavelength of the

radiation used, that is, it corresponds to a mirror displacement of a half

wavelength. The principle of the measurement is thus very simple. The initial position of the scale is chosen such that its origin line is centered exactly under one of the microscopes; the scale is displaced so that its end

line is centered under the same microscope. To obtain the length / of the

scale, equal to the displacement thus made, which is also that of the movable mirror, it suffices to know the wavelength of the radiation used and to determine the variation p of the interference order; we have, in fact, / =

pA./2. It is easy to obtain the fractional part of the interference order for the

initial and final positions of the scale by measuring the illuminance obtained at the center of the pattern when the length of the variable beam is

artificially changed by small known amounts. One thus obtains the fractional part /of the variation of interference order p. Two methods are used

for determining its integral part e. To apply the first, called the method of excess fractions, one uses

several radiations of well known wavelengths, Ai, As ... and one measures the corresponding fractional parts f\,fz,fi The integral parts ei,

e-i, es .... are not known exactly, but from the fact that one must have l — {ei

+f) XJ2 = (62 +fi) W2 = (ei! +f,) \3/2 = and that / is known in

advance to a few micrometres, or even closer, one of the integral parts, say

ei, can be predicted to within 10 units. Then / has 20 possible values, regularly spaced. To each of these corresponds a ca/c«/a?ea? value^',^', . . . . which is compared with the observed value /j, /s If the wavelengths

used have been well chosen, a single set of calculated values coincides with

the set of observed values within the Umit of measurement error. The cor- responding value of / is the value sought. This method is very reliable with

four radiations for the measurement of intervals up to 600 mm. Above that,

the determination of fractional parts becomes too uncertain, even impossible with ordinary optical radiations, by reason of the rapid diminution of

the visibility of the interference due to the necessary increase of path difference (see p. 91). For a 1-m scale to be measured in this way, it must have

a Hne near the middle: its two halves are then measured successively.

The second method consists in counting the cycles of variation of illu- minance at the center of the interference pattern, that is to say, the interference fringes which march through this point. This method had already

been used at the BIPM very long ago in 1892 to measure the wavelength of

the cadmium red line. At that time, interference patterns were observed

visually; counting some thousands of fringes, corresponding to a length

measurement of the order of a millimetre, constituted a formidable task.

This method has been restored to respectabihty thanks to the exceptional

properties of lasers (see p. 92 ). The extreme sharpness of laser hues allows

81
Figure 9. Optical system of the three interferometric arrangements used on the comparator,

(a) Michelson interferometer illumiriated by the krypton lamp or by the laser; (b) fringe counter for use with the laser; (c) refractometer (krypton lamp or laser); the vacuum

chamber, which can be placed in beam 1 or in beam 2; is not indicated. C, entrance collimator; D. rotary diffuser; F, interference filters allowing separation of

certain lines emitted by the lamp Kr (krypton 86); L, laser; Me, eclipsing mirror; Mf, fixed mirror; Mn, movable mirror; P, refractometer photomultiplier, Qk, section of the beam

falling on the four sensors; Qs, section of the beam observed at the interferometer exit; R,

array of four sensors; S, exit telescope; Tf, fixed corner reflector: Tm. movable corner

reflector.

82
obtaining interference without appreciable loss of visibility for all path differences usable in the laboratory. The intensity of laser rays and the use of

photoelectric sensors make rapid electronic counting feasible. The device

installed on our comparator allows counting at about 6 mm/s maximum

speed of translation of the carriage. The counting of about 3 160 000

fringes, corresponding to a length of 1 m, is thus carried out at a rate of

19 000 fringes per second. To achieve this performance, we had to add a

corner-reflector interferometer to the plane-mirror interferometer (fig. 9

(b)) to maintain proper behavior despite the small defects in the movement

of translation. The beam is split among four quadrants by means of retardation plates on one of the surfaces of the stationary corner reflector; these

plates are arranged so that the path differences in successive quadrants

are D, D + A./4, D + A/2, D + 3X/4. A sensor is associated with each

quadrant. Then the signals from two adjacent sensors are in phase quadrature; those from opposite sensors are in phase opposition. By associating

these latter signals with two differential ampUfiers, the two quadrature

signals needed for reversible electronic counting are available.

The speed of this method is particularly important for the calibration

of divided scales.

The two methods which have just been described are also applicable

to the measurement of flat-end gages. A gage adhering to a base plane constitutes a system of two mirrors (this plane and the free face of the gage)

whose separation is the length of the gage. In the method of excess fractions, these two mirrors play the same role as the initial and final positions

of the mirror Mm in the case of scale measurement (fig. 10 (a)). Measurement of the fractional parts corresponding to the plane or to the free face

are made by selecting one or the other by means of diaphragms suitably

located in the beam. In the fringe counting method (fig. 10 (b)), these two

mirrors play the same role as the ruHngs on the scale, and the image of the

fixed plane mirror given by the splitter plays the role of the microscope. A

displacement equal to the length of the gage is realized by successively

placing these two mirrors in the position of the image of the fixed mirror; in

the neighborhood of this position, the coincidence can be adjusted by observation of the characteristic white light interference.

The comparator operates in air which is near atmospheric pressure.

The wavelength to be used in the formula / = p\/2 must be derived from the

vacuum wavelength and the refractive index, n, of air by the relation k —

Kn. The definition of the metre in fact furnishes the vacuum wavelength of

krypton 86; the wavelengths of other radiations used are deduced from this

by comparison in vacuo. The index n is measured inside the tank by means

of a refractometer (fig. 9 (c)). For the value obtained to indeed be that of the

index of the air traversed by the beams of the main interferometer, it is

83
I L- /

MP

Mm iMf

B

D

,Mf'

-/

Mf

|Dl

I

ID2

I

I

MP-^T

MP Tm

Mf

Tm

Mf

Figure 10. Analogy between measurement of a scale and measurement of a gage-block, (a) Measurement of a scale by the method of excess fractions, or static measurement of a gageblock. The displacement which causes the lines T and T" to be centered under the photoelectric microscope MP successively, is equal to the length / of the scale. The

distance between the initial and final positions of the mirror Mm. linked to the scale, is measured by means of interpolation ot interference fringes obtained with several radiations

for each of these positions (in addition to that, we know that the positions are symmetric

about Mf', the image of the fixed mirror of the interferometer). The free face C of the gageblock, and its base plane B, i)lay the same role as the two positions of Mm. Measurement of the distance requires successive use of two diaphragms Di and D2 to limit the useful beams

although only one, Di is used for the scale, (b) Measurement of a scale or of a gage-block by

fringe counting. The translation of the scale is the same as before. The displacement of the movable corner reflector Tm, linked to the scale, is measured by counting interference

fringes using laser radiation. The base plane B of the gage-block and its free face C play the same role as the scale lines T and T" but they cannot be pointed with the microscope MP:

to place them successively in the same position, they are made to coincide with Mf", the image of the fixed interferometer mirror. Tlie displacement of the corner reflector Tm',

linked to the gage-block, is equal to the length of the latter and is measured by counting

fringes as in the case of the scale.

84
necessary that conditions, especially pressure, be the same for the two apparatuses; in particular, they must be in the same horizontal plane. This

refractometer is itself a small interferometer comprising a vacuum

chamber of known length which is placed in one beam, then in the

other. The index of refraction is derived from the difference between the

interference orders corresponding to these two positions.

The result of the measurement of a standard, scale, or gage, is always

adjusted to a reference temperature, for example 20 °C. For this, it is necessary to know the exact temperature of the standard at the moment of

measurement, and also its coefficient of expansion. The temperature measurement is made in two steps: a platinum resistance thermometer gives

the temperature of a copper reference block located inside the tank, and

thermocouples give the temperature difference between the block and the

standard itself. The accuracy of this measurement is 0.001 °C. As for the

coefficient of expansion, this is determined by measuring the length of the

standard at various temperatures over a range of several degrees on each

side of the reference temperature; the uncertainty of this coefficient does

not exceeds X lO'-'K"'.

The uncertainty in the length of a standard at its reference temperature is largely due to the quality of the standard itself: quality of the rulings

and flatness of the ruled surface, for a scale; flatness and parallelism of the

faces, for a gage block. The uncertainty is generally several hundredths of

a micrometre.

Since this comparator was put in service, numerous standards have

been measured, including 10 national metres and the 4 working prototype

metres of the BIPM. These latter, already known relative to ^M, thus are

also known relative to the new definition of the metre. From this is deduced

the difference between the ''1889 metre" and the "1960 metre." The result

obtained has been verified by direct measurement of

^ against the standard radiation. This difference, which is 0.25 /xm (the current metre being

the shorter one) is without practical consequence.

Interferometerfor Measuring Gages

In 1971, the BIPM acquired an interferometer for measuring gage

blocks. This commercial instrument replaced the Fizeau-fringe interferometer which had been in use since 1923. Fizeau fringes are formed

between two nearly parallel plane mirrors and are observed through one of

them which is semi-transparent; these are fringes of equal width. In measuring a gage block (fig. 11 (a)), the length of the air path above the base

plane is necessarily longer than that above the free face. This results in a

fringe system observed on the base plane which has less contrast than that seen on the free face. This reduction of contrast limits the length of gages

85
R

1/

i B

Figure 11. Static measurement of jiage-blocks. (a) With a Fizeau interferometer, (b) With a Michelson interferometer.

The measurement ^)t ihc lfii;^lh / resuhs from interpolatinjt the ei[ual width frinj;es which

are formed between the reference plane R (semi-transparent mirror) or R" (image of a fixed

mirror) and, on the other hand, the free face C of the gage-block or its base plane B. (c) Appearance of the fringes observed in case (b). The interpolation consists in locating the

position of a fringe given by C in relation In the two fringes, given by B. which enclose it. The excess fraction here is c//c/,,.

Mn M

A-no:

6

v

^---/-

>

Mm

24

Mml

Mf

a

-i-F

o

Kr

Figure 12. Plan of the arrangement for interfert)metric measurement of the 24-metre geodetic

baseline. A, B, Fabry-Perot etalons nf 0.2.S m and 1 in: F. interference filters permitting the

selection of certain radiati(ms fidin the lain|) Kr (krypldii 86). for the measurement of A

(mirror R:i in its lower position): S|. helium-neon laser, and S). point source, used for tlie ad- justments; Si, white-light xenon source used for optical multiplication by 4 (Ri and Ris in

their upper positions. R> in its lower position) and by 12 (Ri in its lower position, R2 and R.-)

in upper position. A ecliiised): tiie movable mirror Mm is then alined with microscope Moor

Mj4. and the line T. engraved on the lower edge of the mirror, can be pointed: Mf, fixed mirror: (). ()|. (),. 0 . objectives: 1-. observation telescope: R. orientable mirror: IM, splitting

and roinpi ii'ialiiig |)lates of the Michelson interferometer.

86
measurable by this procedure to about 100 millimetres. Furthermore, the

Fizeau fringes are slightly asymmetric.

The new instrument uses a Michelson interferometer. These fringes are also formed between two mirrors, but one of these is virtual; it is the

image of a fixed mirror. It can therefore be placed at the midpoint of the

gage (fig. 11 (b)).The two sets of fringes have equal contrast and the length

of gages which can be measured is doubled (it is about 200 mm with a natural cadmium source and 250 mm with a mercury-198 source). In addition,

the fringes are symmetric. In short, the arrangement is the same as for the

measurement of gages with the interferometric photoelectric comparator

by the method of excess fractions (see p. 81). The temperature is determined in the same way; the refractive index of the air is measured with a

built-in refractometer, or calculated from ambient conditions. On the other

hand, the determination of the fractional parts of the interference order is made in this case by visual observation (fig. 11 (c)). The details of construction make the use of this instrument simple and fast. Thus, for example, a rotating carriage can hold up to nine gages, each wrung onto the base

plane.The desired gage can be brought to the measuring position by external control.

The uncertainty of the measurement is generally 0.01 to 0.04 fim, depending on the length of the gage.

Interferometric Measuremen t of the Geodetic Baseline

This installation (fig. 12), completed in 1964, concerns only the interferometric measurement of the distance between the axes of the

microscopes Md and M24, 24 metres apart. The passage from this distance

to that which separates the corresponding references, and the comparison

of geodetic wires with the baseline established by these references, remain

the same as described earlier (see p. 72 ). Counting fringes would without doubt be appHcable as a method, but

there would be serious difficulties due to the considerable number of

fringes to be counted in a reasonable time (more than 75 000 000 with visible radiation), and to the necessity of realizing a high-quality motion of

translation. An original method has been developed [13]; it is based on the

principle of optical multiphcation and uses Fabry-Perot etalons.

Monochromatic radiation which enters a Fabry-Perot etalon along its

axis gives rise to narrow circular fringes observable with a telescope. By

measurement of the angular diameters of a few of the rings for several

radiations of known wavelength, the distance between the two mirrors of

the etalon can be determined by the method of excess fractions.

In this way, the exact length /o of a 0.25-metre etalon can be determined using several radiations of krypton 86, including the standard radia573-106 0-75-7 87
tion. Naturally, the refractive index of air must be known, but this can be

calculated from ambient conditions.

Now let there be a second etaion whose length li is close to a multiple

of the length of the first one, for example, a 1 -metre etaion. By illuminating

the system of these two etalons in line with an intense source of white light, one can observe interference patterns. These can be simply explained by

saying that a beam which makes a round trip in the 1-m etaion travels about

the same distance as the beam which makes four round trips in the 0.25-m

etaion. These two beams give an interference pattern whose appearance

depends only slightly on the wavelength and remains visible with a light as complex as white light. Many other beams of appreciable intensity are also

present. Some of these produce interference, others do not but contribute

to a lessening of the fringe contrast which is therefore decreased when the

length ratio of the two etalons is increased. A method based on the displacement of the interference fringes when the orientation of one etaion is changed slightly permits determination of the small difference /i — 4/o.

The length /j is thus obtained.

Quite analogous phenomena are produced by observing, through a 1- metre etaion, the light from a Michelson interferometer whose path difference of the two arms is a multiple of /j. In particular one can obtain

rigorous multiplication by 12 for 2 positions of the movable mirror of the

Michelson interferometer: in one, the variable arm is shorter than the fixed

arm by 12 /i; in the other, it is larger by 12 /]. To go from one of these positions to the other requires a 24 /i displacement of the movable mirror. The

installation is such that one of these positions is plumb with the microscope

Mo, and the other with M24. By pointing each microscope on a line engraved on the edge of the mirror, the distance between their axes is obtained.

The method described above is also suitable for measuring the

distance between any two of the microscopes located between Mo and M24,

since this distance is always a multiple of 1 m.

Putting this into operation allowed appreciable progress, notably for

the measurement of geodetic tapes observed directly with the

microscopes; in fact the determination of the 24-metre distance between

microscopes Mo and M24 is now carried out to an estimated 2 or 3 fxm.

Complementary Studies of the Standard Radiation

The accuracy of interferometric length measurements is most often

limited by instrumental imperfections: defects of mirror flatness, expansion, drift, etc. These limitations correspond to imperfect utilization of the

possibilities offered by monochromatic radiation. Errors due to instrumental defects have been studied at the BIPM since its creation. We most often

know how to eUminate their effects or how to allow for them by appropriate

corrections.

88

I
With the 1960 definition of the metre, it became essential to study the

Hmitations due to the radiation itself: a krypton lamp always gives an imperfect realization of the length unit.

Extrapolation to the Unperturbed Atom

The definition of the metre refers to an atom of krypton 86 which is not

perturbed, therefore isolated and stationary. In a spectral lamp, one must

take account of several effects which influence the emitted radiation: ef- fect of pressure due to interactions between atoms, Doppler effect due to thermal agitation of atoms or their entrainment by the exciting electric

current. Thermal agitation betrays itself by a practically symmetrical

broadening of the spectral profile, without displacement of the mean

wavelength. On the other hand, one must extrapolate to zero pressure and

current to evaluate the effects of pressure and current on the wavenumber**

of the emitted radiation (fig. 13).When the krypton-86 lamp is used under

the recommended conditions ( p. 76 ), these effects compensate each

other and the wavelength of the emitted radiation (fig. 13) corresponds

to that of the definition of the metre to better than 1 in 10**.

Spectral Profile

The broadening of the spectral profile is mainly due to the Doppler ef- fect from thermal agitation. When the lamp is used under the recom- mended conditions, the half-width of the spectral profile, in terms of

wavenumber, is around 8or=1.3 m~' (fig. 14). This broadening limits the

visibility of the interference fringes for large path differences. In a Michel- son interferometer, the visibility of the fringes of the standard radiation is no more than about 0.01 at a path difference of Z) = 0.9 m (fig. 15); it is still less for the other usual radiations (lasers excepted). It is thus practically

impossible to measure directly lengths greater than 1 m with the standard

radiation itself. A more complete study [16], in which account must be taken of intensity fluctuations, shows that the relative precision of interferometric measurements reaches a maximum of the order of 10'' for lengths of the order

of 0.4 metre (fig. 16).

We have also been able to demonstrate a very small asymmetry of the

spectral profile [15] whose origin is still unexplained. In interferometry,

this asymmetry betrays itself, in principle, by a relative variation of the

*To describe the spectral properties of a radiation, it is preferable to use the wavenumber a

or the frequency/ which are related to the wavelength X and the speed of light in vacuum by

the relations: o-=l/A=//c.

89
A cr

,75

1650763,73

m-1

,70 ©

58

"I61

4 Pa 63K

Figure 13. Extrapolation to zero pressure in a i<rypton-86 lamp [14]. The pressure p in the lamp is the saturated vapor pressure of solid krypton at temperature T: it is controlled by

chan<;ing T. The current density is held at 0.33 A/cm-. The wavenumber cr of the emitted

radiation depends on the pressure and on the direction of observation. Curve (1): observer

at the cathode end (lijilit emitted in the current direction). Curve (2): observer at the anode

end (light emitted in the direction opposite to the current).

By taking the average (straiglit line (3)). one eliminates the Doppler effect responsible for the difference between curves (1) and (2). The value of the wavenumber extrapolated to zero pressure corresponds, to better than 1 X 10 to that obtained at r=63.15 K (triple point

of nitrogen) at the anode end (curve (2)). Under different conditions, one obtains lines like (4) (current density. 0.78 A/cm^) or (5) (transverse observation) which allow placing the value 1 650 763.73 m ' on the cr scale.

90
1650 763,73 m-^

Figure 14. Spectral profile <if the standard radiaticm [15]. The standard radiation is emitted

by a krypton-86 lamp operating under recommended conditions. The spectral profile is deduced from the variation in the visibihty of interference as a function of path difference

in a Michelson interferometer. The lack of symmetry is imperceptible. The ordinate at the peak is taken as unity.

Figure 15. Variation of the visibiUty Fof interference as a function of path difference Z) in a symmetrical Michelson interferometer, for the standard radiation. F is defined (Michelson) in terms of the maximum ly, and minimum /,„ intensities of the

fringes, by

hQ

D

Figure 16. Variation of the relative precision of measurement as a function of path difference

D. In measuring a length / (or a variation of interference order Ap = AZ>/X) it is always

desirable to use the path difference variation AD = / between Di = — Ij'Z and 0-2=+ 112. In

this case the precision is characterized by Q= l/Sl, 81 being the uncertainty in /. The scales

are arbitrary. For small path differences the interference visibility varies little and Q

increases with D: for large path differences, the reduction of visibility becomes the dominant effect.

91
order of 1 X 10 in the apparent wavelength as a function of path difference; it is fortunately without practical consequence: when the maximum precision is used, the apparent wavelength corresponds closely to the average of the wavelengths at the peak and center of gravity of the

spectral profile [17] for whatever type of interferometer used.

Reproducibility

To evaluate the reproducibility of the realization of the length standard, it is sufficient to compare the wavelengths of the radiations emitted

by various krypton-86 lamps. The lack of reproducibility is thus evaluated

to be ±2 X 10"-' [18]. A better check consists in comparing length measurements in different laboratories, made on an "object" whose stability

and reproducibility are certainly better than those of the length standard itself. The measurement of wavelengths of stabilized lasers (see p. 98) has

recently permitted such comparisons. The dispersion of the measurements

is less than ±4 X lO"''. As this last value includes the inevitable imperfections of utilization, it well confirms the preceding evaluation. It appears

impossible to reduce the uncertainty of measurements using the krypton

lamp to less than 1 X 10

Lasers

Since 1955. the invention of the laser" has brought spectacular

progress to interferometric procedures. The BIPM has been particularly

interested in continuously operating helium-neon lasers (fig. 17); only these

are involved in the following discussions. These laser sources are very

directional, very intense, and can be very monochromatic. It is especially

this last property which interests us here: the spectral width Scr of the

radiation from a laser can be less than 0.001 m"' (6/= 30 kHz), which al- lows observation of interferences of perfect contrast at all customary path

differences and up to several kilometres.

Unfortunately, although the instantaneous spectral profile is very nar- row, the mean wavelength A varies rapidly with time. The mean wavelength

must be inside the relatively broad spectral band (spectral width of the

order of 1 GHz, or Acr = 3 m"M in which laser action can occur in the mixture of helium and neon suitably excited by an electrical discharge. In this

band, the laser oscillations fix themselves spontaneously to one or several

' The term laser, whic h has been accepted into numerous languages, is a contraction of ^'light

amplification by stimulated emission of radiation." Originally the term "laser effect" was applied to the phenomenon of amplification of visible waves; usage now attributes the name

"laser" to light sources using the laser effect.

92
Figure 17. Sketch of the principle of a iieliuni-neon laser (X =0.633 /xni). M, M'. slightly

transparent concave mirrors, forming the resonant cavity: their curvature keeps the ligiit beam in the cavity throughout numerous round trips. A. mixture of helium (about 85%) and neon (about 15%) under a total pressure of 300 Pa, excited by an electrical discharge; tiiis medium amplifies the waves of X = 0.633 /xm which traverse it; the oblique windows

(Brewster angle) have a negligible reflection factor for light polarized in the plane of the

figure. F, F'. emerging beams, polarized in the plane of the figure.

frequencies corresponding to resonances of the cavity: for a cavity of spectral length L, the resonance frequencies / (for oscillations of axial symmetry) correspond to L = kKl2, whence f= kc1 2L, where k is an integer.

Different values of k correspond to different axial modes of oscillation of the

laser. For a sufficiently short cavity, only a single oscillation mode can be

excited and the laser is then said to be unimodal; this is the only case with

which we are concerned. The frequency /remains dependent on the optical

length of the cavity. Since the cavity contains the optical medium, electrically excited, the stability of L, hence also that of/, is always mediocre.

The metrological interest in lasers increased many fold when it was

learned how to stabilize the frequency (or the wavelength) of the emitted

radiation by various artifices.

Stabilized Lasers

The power radiated by a laser varies as a function of the optical length

of the cavity, hence as a function of the frequency / For each mode, it has

a maximum on which is superposed a sHght depression, the Lamb dip,

under certain excitation conditions (see fig. 19 (a) and p. 97). The maximum

(or the superposed minimum) is located at a characteristic frequency of the

amplifying medium. This property is easily used to stabilize the length of

the laser cavity through feedback, for example by the procedure indicated

in figure 19 (a) and (d), in such a way that it corresponds to the maximum

(or minimum) of power. The related variations of wavelength of a laser sta- bihzed in this way can be of the order of 1 X 10 *^ for periods of the order of

several months. Over a longer time, a drift (fig. 18) is usually observed, apparently due to diffusion of helium through the walls. Several lasers of this

type are used at the BIPM, for example for length measurement by fringe

counting; their wavelengths must be calibrated regularly.

The length of the laser can also be slaved in such a way that the

emitted wavelength corresponds to a resonance of an auxiliary optical cavi93
ty [19]. The optical length of the auxihary cavity then determines the

wavelength of the laser and the stability of one controls the stabiUty of the

other. Here again, calibration is indispensable and it must be repeated

periodically.

A much more effective procedure which we shall discuss in more

detail consists in forcing coincidence between the frequency of the laser

and that of a "saturated absorption line."

A I

1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974

Figure 18. Change with time of the wavelength of three lieHum-neon lasers locked to the Lamb dip of the emission. The wavelength is given in picometres (1 pm = 10"'- m).

Lasers Locked to a Saturated Absorption LJne

An absorption cell containing, under low pressure, of the order of 1 Pa.

a gas which exhibits an absorption line within the Doppler width of the

laser frequency, is placed in the resonant cavity: for example, a methane

cell for a helium-neon laser operating at 3.39 /xm. The absorption reduces

the power emitted by the laser (fig. 19 (b)). The gas molecules, at rest, can absorb radiation of frequency/). If the

laser oscillates at a frequency/ near/i. the waves which propagate along

the cavity can nevertheless be absorbed by certain molecules of the gas.

For this to happen, it is sufficient that the velocity of these molecules, due

to thermal agitation, have a longitudinal component such that, by Doppler

effect, they "see" a wave of frequency/). If, for example. /is less than/),

the waves which propagate to the right are absorbed by molecules

travelling to the left and vice versa: if /is higher than/i. the phenomenon is similar under interchange of the roles of the two families of waves. If/=/).

the two families of waves are absorbed by a single class of molecules: those

whose velocity is perpendicular to the axis of the laser and for which the

Doppler effect vanishes.

When the absorbed radiation is very intense, there is also a phenomenon of saturation. Molecules which absorb radiation of frequency

/remain in an excited state for a certain time. The number of molecules

94

I
®

I. / !

A P

/f-1

/A

G DS

C ^ril R

DS

M

/

M

P ifiure 19. Piinciplf of luckiiiji a laser (\ = 3.39 ixm). (a) Vaiiatidii iif emitted power P as a function of cavity length /. A, iielium-neon amplifier tube. R. photoelectric sensor. / — 1. k. i + successive modes. Under certain conditions of excitation, the Lamb dip LD is ob- served, (b) The same laser witii an absorption cell C containinji methane under a pressure

of 1 Pa. The emitted power is less. A peak S due to saturated absorption is observed, (c) The cavity length / is modulated with a very small amplitude at the frequency F,, by use of the generator G and the piezoelectric ceramic PZ. The photoelectric current is modulated

at the frequency F,. with an amplitude m proportional to the first derivative of P(l). The

component at frequency F^, is isolated and rectified by a synchronous-detector amplitier

DS; the output voltage /V/of DS is pro|)ortional to m. If the mean value / of the length / is

varied. M vanishes at S' which corresponds to the top of the peak S. and varies very rapidly

in its neighborht)od. (d) M controls a second ceramic PZ' with the help of the amplifier HT.

If m > 0, PZ' lengthens the cavity: if m < 0. it shortens it. The mean length stabilizes at one

of the values for which M vanisiies (points S'). corresponding to the top of one of the peaks

S.

95
remaininji in the normal state diminishes, and with this, the capacity of the

gas to absorb at frequency /: there is saturation of the absorption.

In the laser cavity, this saturation occurs more readily for molecules

which can equally absorb waves which propagate to the right or to the left. The absorption then decreases when the frequency / of the radiation (a

function of the cavity length) passes through the value/), and the radiated

power then presents a "saturated-absorption peak." The molecules

responsible for this peak being just those for which the Doppler effect

vanishes, this peak is not broadened by the Doppler effect.** One thus obtains peaks of width 8/ less than 100 kHz (relative width 1 X 10"") with

methane at \ ~ 3.39 jxm and less than 3 MHz (relative width 6 X 10"-') with

iodine at A. = 0.633 ^tm.

It is relatively easy to slave the cavity length by using the peak due to saturated absorption as a reference (fig. 19 (c) and (d)). Since this peak is very sharp, the slaving can be extremely precise.

Since the absorption is due to a nonexcited gas under low pressure,

the frequency /Ii is subject to only a little perturbation. In addition, we can

choose a gas whose useful absorption line is to a certain degree insensitive

to electric and magnetic fields. This is the case for methane at A = 3.39

^tm. There exist, however, some effects which broaden or displace the absorption line: duration of interaction with the waves limited by the transit

time of the molecules, perturbation of the molecules by the intense electromagnetic field of the laser radiation or by nearby molecules, differences

of saturation for different components when the absorption line exhibits a nonresolved structure, Doppler effect of the second order, etc. [18,20].

These effects are always small; the corresponding frequency displacements, which rarely exceed several kilohertz, say a few parts in 10'" for

relative value, can in large measure be made reproducible.

Other parasitic phenomena can involve an apparent displacement of

the peak due to saturated absorption. If this peak is located on the powerlength characteristic in a region of appreciable slope, its summit is displaced in relation to the frequency (fig. 20). Similarly, if parasitic electric

potentials appear in the servomechanism, the length of the cavity may be

stabilized to a value slightly altered from that which corresponds to the top

of the peak.

These last effects are, however, weaker for a narrower peak. In

this regard, saturated absorption lines provide an essential safeguard

for metrology.

"There is an analogous phenomenon, predicted by W. E. Lamb. Jr., which causes the Lamb

dip in the case of emission (fig. 19 (a)); consequently, the peak due to saturated absorption is sometimes called "inverse Lamb Dip." Since emission occurs in a strongly perturbed medi- um, the Lamb dip of emission is very broad and less stable than the peak due to saturated absorption.

96

I
A P

Figure 20. Shift of the top when a peak due to saturated alisorption is superposed on the characteristic P (I) in a region of appreciable slope.

Measurement ofFrequency Differences by Beats

Thanks to the very high stability and to the very low spectral width of

radiations from stabilized lasers, one can display and measure, as in

acoustics, the beats between the radiations of two lasers having neighboring frequencies f and f>. To do this, a single photoelectric sensor is simultaneously illuminated by the beams from the two lasers, beams which are superposed with the help of a semi-transparent mirror. The illumination of

the sensor and the current it delivers are modulated at the beat frequency

A/=/i — fi. The frequency A/ of the current modulation is measured by

the customary techniques of electronics.

This method is limited at high frequencies only by the response of the

photoelectric sensor to the modulation of the light. It permits precise stu- dies of the frequency displacement effects mentioned in the preceding section. It also permits intercomparison of frequencies, hence also of

wavelengths, of lasers locked to the Lamb dip or to nearby saturated absorption lines. In this way, the intervals among a hundred absorption lines

of iodine, in the neighborhood of 0.633 /u,m, have been measured. These intervals range from some 10 megahertz to a gigahertz [18]. This method is also used in the periodic calibration of lasers locked to the Lamb dip {k ~

0.633 ^tm) by using a reference laser locked to the saturated absorption of

iodine.

Finally, this is the only present method which permits evaluating the

stability and reproducibihty of the frequency (thus of the wavelength) of

radiations from lasers locked to saturated absorption lines of iodine or methane. In this way have been measured, over times from several seconds

to several hours, stabilities better than 10" for iodine and lO^'^for methane,

with reproducibilites of the order of 10"' and 10" respectively.

97
Measurement of Wavelengths

Wavelengths of helium-neon lasers locked to methane (X ~ 3.39 /itm)

and to iodine (A = 0.633 (xm) have been determined in several laboratories.

At the BIPM, we have used the Michelson interferometer for direct

comparison of these wavelengths with that from the krypton-86 lamp [21].

If the interferometer is illuminated with two radiations of respective

wavelengths A.i and A.o successively, and if the path difference is varied by

AD, the ratio of the variations of interference order, Api = AD/\i and Ap2 =

ADjki, gives the ratio of wavelengths immediately. We have systematically

used path differences D of ±375 mm leading to the maximum precision in

the case of krypton radiation.

Figure 21 summarizes the results of these measurements. They have

supplied the mean values of wavelengths which have been recommended

by the CIPM [18]. They have also allowed experimental evaluation of the

uncertainty with which the 1960 definition of the metre can be reahzed;

this uncertainty does not exceed ±4 X 10 '.

In the case of iodine, several absorption lines can be used for locking.

Their frequency differences, measured by the beat method, are known

with a precision largely sufficient for deducing all the wavelengths from

any one of them.

The frequency of the laser locked to methane, measured elsewhere

[22], is /-SB 376 181 627 kHz to within ±50 kHz. This measurement in

conjunction with those of the wavelength \ of the same laser, supplied the

value of the speed of light in vacuo which was recommended by the CCDM

in 1973 [18]:

c=\/=299 792 458 m/s.

The major part of the uncertainty comes from the uncertainty in the

realization of the definition of the metre (±4 X 10"''), leading to an uncertainty in the value of c of ±1.2 m/s, nearly a hundred times smaller than

that of the best earlier determinations.

It can be predicted that the speed of light and lock-stabilized lasers

will play an important role in length measurements and will perhaps be the

basis of a new definition of the metre. Studies carried out by the BIPM in

this field now prepare for this possibility.

98
®

pm

,420 NBS(G)

,410

3 392 231,400

,390

,380

NRC

NBS(B)

BIPM

-A-^4x10

-9

® ,

pm

404

A

NSL

NBS NRC BIPM

"PTB

NPL T

4^- 4x10

,402

632 991,400

,398

,396

,394

.392

Fi>;ure 21 . \\ a\ (•leniitlis in picometres (1 pm = lO"'- m) iif lasers locked to abscirption lines of

nietlianr (al m iiiiline (b). Values measured in various laboratories, with their uncertainties,

and rcccinimcndcd values.

99
Bibliography

[1] \(ilft. C.h.. Siir I '(tuhlissement et la ((imparuisun des prototypes de lorifiueiir. in JoiiriK'cs intiTiialidiialcs dc ( llironiinirtric el dc Mrtrolo^sie, |-'aris, 1937. Editions de la Revile (!'( )pli(|iie. I'aiis. pp. 6;5-7() (j'^.'-!'').

I'erard. \.. \laudaiid. I,., and V<ilet. (^Ii.. Premiere verification periodicpie des Metres prototypes. Triivaux et Mpmoires B.l.l'.M. 20 , 86 i)a;:es (1944).

1-eelere. V,.. Resultats des reeentes deterniiiiatioiis de Metres prototypes effectuees

ail B.l.l'.M.. Prores-Verbaux C.I.I'M. 26-B, |ip. M4I .M50 (1958).

[2] Volet, (di.. Siir la eoniparaison des elalons de longueur a traits. Rev. Oplique 21, pp. 16«-I75(1942).

Leeleri'. ('.. l.e nouveau eomparateur dii Bureau International pour les Metres

prototypes. Hroces-Verbaux C.1 .P.M . 25 , pp. 146-1.53(1956).

[3] l5(]|ilioure. \.. I. a niesure des fils -leodesiiiues au B.l.l'.M.. Triivdiix et Memoires

B././M/. 22(2),(il pa;:es(|966).

[4] .Mielielson. A. A.. Determination experimentale de la valeur du metre en lon;:ueiirs d"ondes lumineuses. Travaux et Memoires B.I. P.M. 1 1 , 237 pafies (1895). Benoit. .1. R.. Fabry. ('Ii.. and Perot. .\.. Nouvelle determination du rapport des

lonjjueurs d'onde fondamentales avec Tunite metrique. Travnux et Memoires B.I. P.M.

15, 134 pajies (1913).

[5] Perard. \.. Quelciues etudes particulieres au dilatomrtre Fizeau. Triivoux et Memoires

B.l.l'.M. 19. 127 pa}ies( 19.34).

[()] I'cranl. \. and Maudet. I,.. Etudes sur les etalons a hoiits. Triivaax et Memoires

B.I.P.M. 17,9] pa';es(l927).

Perard. A.. Appliralions [)rati(|ues des iiiterterenees lumineuses a retuiie des calibres

industriels. Travaux et Memoires B.I.P.M. 18,85 pa^es (1930).

[7] I'rores-l erhoNxC.I.I'.M. 12,ii. 21 1 1927). and 2 1 , p. 25 ( 1948).

[8] Terrien. J. and Hamon. J.. Sur la mesure interferentielle des lonjiueurs par une methode

d'observation pliotofMectrique. C.R. .4ri!<l. Sci. 243, [ip. 740-742 (19.56). Terrien. J.. Perfectionnenients a rem[)loi (fun ensemble pliotomiiltiplicateur interfero- mctre de Micbelson pour les mesures de lonjiueur d onde et de jiroiil spectral des

radiations oiitiipies de jirande finesse. Opticii .4ct(i 6, No. 4. pp. 301-307 (1959).

[9] f;.C;./9.,l/.,3' session, p. 173(1962).

[10] Cnmptes Rendus \V C.C.P.M., p. 85 (1960).

[II] ( 'arrc. P.. Installation et utilisation du eomparateur pliotoelei tricpie et inter! crentiel du

B.I.P.M.. l/c/ro/,)A-(a 2,.\o. l.pp. 13-23(1966).

[12] < .iac(jni( 1. P.. I laiuon. ,1 .. Host ac li e. .).. and ( !arrc. P. . I tilisation du i-omptane de franjies

d'interlcrenccs pour des mesures de longueur de liaute precision. Metrologid 8, No. 2.

pp. 72-82(1972).

[13] Terrien. J.. Pioiet d'une mesure interferentielle d<' la base de 24 m du B.I.P.M.. Ann.

Aniil. Srienl. Fenniroe 4111 61, p|). 263-268(1961 ).

(^arre. P. and llamoii..|.. Mesure interlerenti(dle ile la base t;eodesi((ue du B.I.P.M..

MetroloLiia 2. 4. pp. 143-1.50 (1966).

100
[14] Terrien, J. and Hamon, J., Mesure de la longueur d'onde des radiations etalons secondaires et de la radiation etalon primaire sans perturbation, C.C.D.M., S*" session, pp. 76- 82(1962).

[15] Rowley, W. R. C. and Hamon, J., Quelques mesures de dissymetrie de profils spectraux. Rev. Opiique 42, pp. 519-531 (1963).

[16] Terrien, J., Observations photoelectriques a Tinterferometre de Michelson, J. Phys.

Radium 19, pp. 390-396 (1958).

[17] Giacomo, P., Dissymetrie du profil spectral et nombre d'ondes apparent de la radiation

etalon du krypton en interferometrie, C.C.D.M., 5'' session, pp. M126-M132 (1973); see

also Recueil de Travaux du B.I. P.M. 4, articles 9 and 10, 14 pages (1973-1974).

[18] C.C.D.M., 5<- session, pp. M15-M44 (1973).

[19] Tanaka, K. and Sakurai, T., Methode pour stabiliser la frequence d'un laser He-Ne non

module, C.C.D.M.A'' session, pp. M75-M76 (1970).

[20] Hall, J. L., Saturated absorption line shape, in fundamental and applied laser physics, Proc. of the Isfahan Symposium, 1971 , M. S. Feld, A. Javan, and A. Kurnit, Eds., John

Wiley & Sons, New York, London, Sydney, Toronto, pp. 463-477 (1973).

[21] Giacomo, P., Longueur d'onde du laser asservi sur le methane rapportee a la longueur

d'onde etalon de la definition du metre, in Atomic Masses and Fundamental Constants,

Proc. of the Fourth International Conference, Teddington, 1971, J. H. Sanders and A. H. Wapstra, Eds., Plenum Press, London and New York, pp. 348-354 (1972).

[22] Evenson, K. M., Wells, J. S., Petersen, F. R., Danielson, B. L., and Day. C. W., Accurate

frequencies of molecular transitions used in laser stabilization: the 3.39 fjum transition

in CH4 and the 9.33 /xm and 10.18 p.m transitions in CO2, Appl. Phys. Letters 22, pp. 192-195(1973).

101

CHAPTER IV

GRAVIMETRY

Metrological Importance of the Knowledge

of the Acceleration of Gravity

The most precise method of realizing a known force F consists in

utilizing the action of the terrestrial gravity field on a mass m, known by

comparison with the standard kilogram. This action, when it exerts itself on

a body free to move vertically, gives it an acceleration g. The fundamental

relation of dynamics F=mg permits relating F to the base quantities

length, mass, and time provided that the value of gis itself determined in an absolute manner by means of measurements of length and time.

For example, the definition of the ampere and consequently of all the

electric units involves a force and therefore in practice requires the

knowledge of g. Similarly, the measurement of pressure with the aid of

liquid manometers requires not only the measurement of the height of a column of liquid and the determination of the mass density but also the

knowledge of g. The importance of the knowledge of g, with the maximum precision,

did not escape the CIPM; as early as 1886, it stated that the anomalies of

gravity and the irregularities in the form of the Earth required more and

more serious attention for barometric reductions; it recommended that the

acceleration of gravity be determined locally, at places where fundamental

barometric measurements are carried out and particularly at the Pavilion

de Breteuil. Three methods were utilized successively at the BIPM; the

first was based on the utilization of reversible pendulums; the second util- ized the free fall of a graduated scale; the third, to which further improvements are still being made, employed the symmetric free motion (ascending, then descending) of an optical reflector; it is called the "method of two

stations."

Reversible Pendulums

In 1888, a measurement of the acceleration of gravity was carried out

at the Pavilion de Breteuil by Defforges of the Geographic Service of the

103

573-106 O - 75 - 8
French Army, following a request from the CIPM [1]. The use of reversible pendulums of symmetric exterior form and having interchangeable

knife edges permitted elimination of the influence of air resistance and of

the imperfection of the knife edges. The use of pendulums of different

lengths but of the same mass, and oscillating on the same knife edges,

eliminated the combined effects of the support motion and the sliding of

the knives as well as certain systematic errors in the determination of the

knife edge separations of the two pendulums. The uncertainty of the result

obtained (^=9.809 91 m/s-) seemed to be less than 5 X 10"'' m/s-, or 5 units

in the last place.

The absolute measurement carried out at Potsdam in 1905 by F. Kiihnen and Ph. Furtwangler [2], also based on the use of reversible pendulums, served as the point of departure for the "Gravimetric system of

Potsdam." From the value of obtained at this location, the values of gat

various points on the Earth have been deduced by use of connections, that

is to say by measurements of differences, effected by means of relative

gravimeters of either pendulum or spring type. In this system, the value of

g at the Pavilion de Breteuil (point A) is 9.809 398 m/s-. Note that the value

of Defforges differs from this by 5 X 10^ m/s-.

The exactness of these measurements, however remarkable for the

time, was put in doubt and several new determinations were carried out by

similar methods between 1920 and 1940; the best known are those by P. R.

Heyl and G. S. Cook in the United States and by J. S. Clark in Great

Britain. It appeared that the Potsdam system was blemished by an error of

10 to 20 X 10 m/s-'. The difficulties of methods based on the use of pendulums seem to consist of the exact evaluations of certain corrections [3],

notably those which are due to the elastic distortion of the oscillating pendulums. It was desirable to conceive an entirely different method.

Free Fall of a Graduated Scale

In 1946, timed motion pictures of a graduated scale in free fall in vacuo was proposed [4]. The law of motion, that is to say the expression for the

vertical distance h of the center of gravity of the scale from a horizontal

reference plane, as a function of the time t counted from an arbitrary

origin, is h = hi) + vot+ 1/2 gt'^, assuming constant throughout the trajectory of the scale. It is seen that knowledge of the position of the scale for

three values of fis theoretically sufficient for the computation of g. One can

therefore be content with three images; actually, one uses many more in

order to increase the precision. A preHminary determination by this

method was made; it was finished in 1951. It appears that the result obtained (9.809 16 m/s^) suffered from several systematic errors, due mainly

to friction of the residual air.

104
The studies were continued with the aim of improving the accuracy of

the measurements. These researches were completed in 1958 with a new

determination [5]. Let us give some details of this work.

The body which undergoes free fall (fig. 1) is a 1 -metre scale of

platinum-iridium bearing millimetre divisions over its whole length. The

scale is furnished with ferrules used on the one hand to keep it vertical

between two supports, and on the other hand, after the fall, initiated by

removal of the lower support, to catch the scale by a device giving gradual

braking. The mean temperature of the scale, also the temperature gradient,

is determined by the use of two thermocouples attached to the support.

The fall is carried out in a cylindrical enclosure within which is a vacuum of the order of 0.007 Pa. A photoelectric device permits verifying

that the scale remains vertical during its fall. The graduation of the scale is photographed at regular intervals during

the fall. For that purpose, an optical system forms, on a film placed on a rotating drum, the superposed images of the marked surface of the scale

and of a fixed reference mark.

Illumination is provided by a spark gap controlled by a quartz oscillator; it produces flashes at regular intervals, adjusted as appropriate to the

experiments, say at the values 10 ms or at 8 ms. The initiation of the fall and the start of the train of flashes are controlled by the rotation of the drum itself. Thus, for each fall, about 50

images are available on the film. After development, the exact positions of

Figure 1. Measurement of ^ by method of fall of a jiraduated scale (a) Diajiram of the optics.

The firaduation of the scale R is illuminated by sparks in the {lap S. through the objectives

G and A and the semi-transparent plate H. The objectives A and B form an image of this

graduation on the glass plate C carrying a reference mark. The objective D gives, on the

film placed on the drum E. an image where the graduation and reference marks are superposed, (b) Appearance of an image of the marks of the scale and the reference.

105
the scale are obtained by locating each image of the graduation of the scale

and the fixed reference mark by means of a micrometer microscope. Corrections are applied to the positions found, to take account of the calibration of the subdivisions of the scale. Computation of the acceleration is made by the method of least squares making equal use of all the images.

The value obtained is corrected for the exact length of the scale considering its temperature, also for the departure of the exact frequency of the

quartz oscillator, determined by comparison with a standard frequency

transmission, from its nominal frequency.

The value of g cannot be considered as constant throughout the height

of the fall, but we can assume that it varies linearly as a function of elevation, its increase being about 3 X 10" m/s- when the elevation diminishes

by 1 m. It is established that the calculation method used gives the value of

g at a point situated at the distance 2At/7 below the location of the center

of gravity before the drop, /?t being the total height of fall. The result obtained is transferred to reference point A of the BIPM gravimetric station

by means of an experimental value of the gradient oi g. Finally, the attraction of the Sun and Moon produce a variation of g, called gravitational tide, whose maximum amplitude is 1.6 X lO"*^ m/s-. Tables resulting from a theoretical evaluation permit calculating the small

correction which results from this effect.

Finally, the value found at the Pavilion de Breteuil (point A) is g=

9.809 280 m/s-. We note that the value of g at this point on the Potsdam

system differs from this by 11.8 X 10 m/s-.

Method of Two Stations

This method, advocated as early as 1947 [6], was put into operation at the BIPM beginning in 1960 [7]. The first results were obtained in 1966.

Their relative precision was then estimated at 1 X lO"'^. Improvements of

the apparatus since that date have allowed reaching the present precision

(early 1974) of 3 X 10~". To get a feel for this precision, one can note that g

varies by 3 X 10"" (in relative value) when the altitude of the point of measurement changes by 1 cm.

Principle

A body projected vertically upward in vacuo crosses two horizontal

planes. Si and S2 (the "stations"), whose separation h is known (fig. 2); if t\

is the time between the two passages of the center of gravity of the body at the lower station in the course of its ascent and descent, and t> the

analogous quantity for the upper station, it is easily established that g'ls

given by the relation S/i/fii'- — t-r).

106
h

Figure 2. Principle oi the iiieusiirenieiit of g by the inethiid <il two ^lalidns. The curve

(parabola) represents, as a function of time /. the height ; reached by the center of gravity of an object launched vertically upward. If Ix and ti are the intervals which separate the ascending and descending passages of the point past the stations Si and of separation lu the acceleration ol the object is

In fact, by virtue of the vertical gradient of g which is supposed constant along the trajectory, this formula gives the exact value of ^ at a point

situated at the distance hl6 + h'l3 below the summit of the trajectory, h'

being the distance between the upper station and the summit.

This method presents the advantage of automatically eliminating the

systematic errors due to the possible braking forces due either to residual

air or to eddy currents caused by the inhomogeneity of the Earth's magnetic field, since these forces change sign with the reversal of velocity of

the body: they add to its weight during the ascent and subtract from the

weight during the descent. Furthermore, this facilitates the time measure- ment since at the beginning and end of each of the intervals and t> the

body passes the same position with the same velocity (apart from sign).

However, if high precision is sought, putting this method into operation presents serious metrological and technical difficulties. The relative

precision of 3 X 10 •' for g requires the following precisions: 1 nm for h of

the order of 400 mm, 0.3 ns for ti of about 0.6 s and 1 ns for ti in the

neighborhood of 0.2 s. The body must be launched upward by a motion of

vertical translation with extremely severe tolerances as to its direction (3 X

10"^ rad) and as to its motion in rotation (1 X 10"- rad/s). Furthermore, it is necessary to use a reference base stable to a few nanometres, protected

from ground vibrations and shocks due to the launching.

107
Implementation

The essential part of the absolute gravimeter (fig. 3) is a fool-proof

Michelson interferometer [8]. An optical corner reflector is used as the

projectile. The two stations are virtual horizontal planes. When the apex of

the corner reflector crosses one or the other of these planes, the end mirror

of the vertical arm of the interferometer is conjugated with one or the other

of the two mirrors placed in the horizontal arm.

Fb

Figure 3. Diagram of the absolute gravimeter of the BIPM. The apparatus comprises two

evacuated compartments connected by flexible bellows S. The vertical compartment CI

(residual pressure 2 X 10"'' Pa), provided with a magnetic shield B, is the place for the ascending then descending, free fall of the mobile corner reflector Tm. This is shown at the lower station (full lines) and at the u|iper station (dotted) at the distance h. The horizontal compartment C2 (residual pressure 1 x 10"- Pa) contains the fixed portions of the measuring interferometer: beam s|)litter L, fixed corner reflect<ir Tf, etalon E,

of length 'Ih ~ 0.8 m. This interferometer, illuminated by the beam of white light Fb (full

lines) gives, when the mobile reflector passes the lower and upper stations, an interference

phenomenon I (achromatic fringe).

This compartment is placed on a platform T whose stabilization is assured by a wire

suspension F, an oil damper H, and the piezoelectric elements P. These last are controlled by the accelerometer A and by the signals from a seismometer of very long period supporting the corner reflector Tr whose apex constitutes a reference point w ilhout appreciable acceleration. The residual vibrations of C2 with respect to Tr are recorded at V with the aid of an auxiliary interferometer illuminated by the monochromatic light beam Fm (dashed

lines); one takes account of these vibraticuis in correcting the value of ^obtained.

108
For these positions, the path difference in the interferometer vanishes

and interference fringes can be produced with white light. They are detected by a photomuItipHer. The central fringe, or achromatic fringe, is used for starting and stopping the timing counters. By reason of the small

width of the beams used and the high frequency of the signal given by the

photomultiplier, an ordinary source of white light is not suitable for giving

a good signal/noise ratio; one must use a xenon lamp whose flashes are triggered at each station passage, at ascent and descent, by means of an appropriate predetection device.

Measurement of Distance

The length 2h of the etalon constituted by the two fixed mirrors of the

horizontal arm of the interferometer is determined by direct comparison

with the primary standard radiation of krypton-86 using the same interferometer as for the measurement of g. For this measurement, the movable

corner reflector is fixed halfway between the two stations. Although the

visibility of the interferences thus obtained is weak (5%), the precision of

1 X 10"-' can be assured. Use of the radiation from a helium-neon laser

locked to a saturated absorption line of iodine, whose wavelength is stable

to about 1 X 10 and for which a value has recently been recommended

(CCDM, 5th session, 1973), greatly facilitates this measurement and currently permits attaining a precision of 0.7 X 10

Projectile and Catapult

The projectile (fig. 4) consists of six plane mirrors forming two corner

reflectors back-to-back at the apex and mounted on a frame of aluminum

alloy. Only one corner reflector is used, but this symmetric construction

facilitates placing the common apex of the two reflectors in coincidence

with the center of gravity of the assembly. The frame is pierced with the

openings needed for the passage of the light beam. An axial bore gives

passage for the elastic cord which serves for launching. The projectile is accelerated over a distance of 0.30 m and then follows freely its movement

after blocking of the catapuh. After a travel of 0.18 m, of 0.05 s duration, in

the course of which its internal oscillations die out, it traverses the lower

station and then, after 0.2 s, the upper station. The peak of the trajectory

normally occurs 50 mm above the upper station. In the descent, after a new

traversal of the upper and lower stations defining the intervals ti and to. the

projectile is braked by elongation of the elastic cord of the catapult.

This cord, in the course of its contraction, develops electric charges.

Their effect on the projectile is eliminated by a metallic tube surrounding

the cord and forming an electrostatic screen.

109
0123456789 10

cm

Figure 4. Projectile (mass 430 g) for the measurement iif g by the two-station method. There

are shown the six plane mirrors forminfi two corner reflectors back-to-back at the apex, the openings for tlie passage of light, and tlic central bore for the passage of the elastic cord of the catapult.
Stabilized Platform

The horizontal compartment containing the essential parts of the

Michelson interferometer rests on a platform which is protected from

vibrations and ground movements by means of various devices.

Suspension by wires and viscous dampers eliminates horizontal vibrations at frequencies above 5 Hz. A set of piezoelectric bearings and a vertical accelerometer of short period constitute a counteracting system which

attenuates rapid vertical movements of the ground (5 to 50 Hz). These

bearings also carry elements controlled by a vertical seismometer of very

low natural frequency and elements permitting the fine adjustment of the

horizontality of the platform.

The residual accelerations of the reference system are currently less

than about 10"*' m/s-. say 10"-'

g.

Measurement of Time

The intervals t\ and t-z are measured in two steps. A resolution of 50 ns

is obtained by means of counters at 20 MHz; then a resolution of 0.1 ns is obtained by interpolation on a photographic recording of the white light interference fringes; this recording carries time reference marks at a frequency of 20 MHz. In practice, the chronometers are preset to measure

successively three intervals; t^, the duration of the ascent from the lower

station to the upper station, to already defined, and t^\, the duration of the

descent from the upper station to the lower station. Thanks to the symmetry of the motion, ascending then descending, the effect of the air re- sistance is negligible at pressures p < 1 Pa with the condition that this

residual pressure remain constant during the whole displacement. At

present, we work with residual pressures of the order of 2 X 10"^ Pa. The

difference ^^t — t^\ — t^ then varies linearly as a function of p. If one ex- trapolates to zero pressure one finds A?=+5.3 ns, a result conforming perfectly to that foreseen in the case of no braking, taking account of the finite

value of the speed of light. This confirms the exactness of the time measurements.

Recording ofthe Gravitational Tide

We have seen that the perturbation of due to the luni-solar effect has

for its maximum value 1.6 X 10"" m/s-; its rate of variation can reach ±0.8

X 10"* m/s- per minute at the BIPM station. It is necessary to know this

perturbation with an uncertainty at most equal to 0.5 percent of its amplitude and at times known to about a minute, or better, to make the measurements of ^ from day to day consistent with each other.

Ill
The precision of the theoretical determination of the gravitational tide

running the risk of being revealed insufficient, a recording station

equipped with a relative gravimeter has recently been installed (October

1973) at the BIPM. The protection against microseisms and the stabilization of the pressure and temperature have been specially studied, and we

can confirm the values of the gravitational tide found with the absolute apparatus. The drift of the relative gravimeter is currently less than 1 X lO"'^ m/s- per month, which is 30 times less than for the best commercial apparatus. The combination of absolute and relative apparatus is favorable to both: the true correction for gravitational tide is now available for the absolute apparatus and this latter permits the calibration of the relative

gravimeter and the determination of its long-term drift.

Results and Studies Underway

The results obtained since 1966, transferred to the reference point of

the gravity station of the Pavilion de Breteuil (point A), thanks to a positive

relation by means of relative gravimeters, has the mean value 9.809 260

mis'.

It is seen that the value found in 1958 differs from this by 2.0 X 10~^

m/s- and that the value in the Potsdam system differs from it by 13.8 X 10"^

m/s2.

This result, joined with those of other laboratories, has led the CIPM

to add to the Potsdam gravity system a correction of — 14 X 10 m/s-

(Resolution 1 (1968)).

By reason of the precision attained, this corrected system was soon

surpassed. In 1971, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics

created a "Unified International Gravity Net" (IGSN-71) by adjustment of

a large number of absolute and relative measurements of precision at least as good as 10"' carried out at various points of the globe. The CIPM

adopted this net (Recommendation 2 (CI-1972)) and its future updatings for

metrological needs. The BIPM station (point A) is the point where the measurements are the most precise and the systematic errors the most

completely studied. It has been chosen as the starting point of this net and

as the verification point for transportable absolute measurement apparatus.

Since 1968, the BIPM has given its help to the Istituto di Metrologia

G. Colonnetti (Turin) in the construction of a portable absolute gravimeter

[9]. The principle of this gravimeter is identical to that of the stationary apparatus of the BIPM (fig. 5) except with regard to the determination of the

separation of the two stations which is carried out by the use of reversible

counting of interference fringes of a stabiHzed and calibrated helium-neon

laser. On the other hand, the optical reference corner reflector is supported

by a vertical seismometer of long period; this avoids registering

112

I • I
Ascent Summit Descent

Figure 5. Transportable absolute gravimeter. (a) Diagram of principle. Tm. mobile corner

reflector; Tf "fixed" corner reflector supported by a long-period vertical seismometer; L, helium-neon laser emitting a monochromatic radiation of wavelength \; S, beam splitter; two photomultipliers P and P' are used to furnish sinusoidal signals out of phase by approximately one quarter period, which permits reversible counting. The apparatus is supported

by piezoelectric bearings C, elements of an antivibration mounting, (b) Signal from one of the photomultipliers as a function of time t. The upper station is defined by the last fringe

counted on the ascent and the first fringe counted on the descent. The lower station is defined in the ascent by the start of the counter at a predetermined instant and in the descent by its return to 0: n fringes being counted in the ascent (and deducted in the

descent), the distance between the stations is h = n \/2. The intervals and N are measured

by counting pulses at a 50 MHz rate.

113
microseisms and determining the corrections due to them. Finally, the apparatus operates with a modest vacuum (1 Pa), which is sufficient to insure an accuracy better than 5 X 10 m/s'; this has permitted simplification of

the pumping system. This apparatus, recently tested at the Pavilion de

Breteuil, gave for each series of 25 measurements a mean result agreeing

with the accepted value to better than 2 X 10"^ m/s-. It will permit the early

reahzation of numerous gravimetric links, even over large distances,

without risk of drift. In particular, the difference of the values of g between

the stations at Sevres and at Turin (about 0.003 9 m/s-), will become the

most precise base for the calibration of relative gravimeters, and its exact

knowledge will contribute greatly to the precision of the Unified International Gravity Net.

But naturally, measurements made with a fixed apparatus can be more

precise than the data of this Net. This is indeed the case for the measure- ments made at the BIPM. They show up effects which up until now had not

been capable of being demonstrated.

Figure 6 gives some of the values of g obtained since 1966.

It is seen that g is subject to variations reaching 40 X 10^*^ m/s'; their

origin is unknown. Some years of study will still be needed to clarify this

point which could have important metrological, geophysical, and as- tronomical consequences.

9,809 2600

9,8092595

1 1967 1968 1969 1 1970 1971

1 '^^^ 19731

1 r 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 J 1 1 1 1 < J 1 1

1 I 1 1 I 1 i 1 1 1 [ 1 1 1 M 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 y

Fiiiure 6. Monthly means of tlie values of obtained at the measuring point and transferred to

jioint A. reference ]ioint ol llic BIl'M gravity station. Eaeli of these means carries some 50 measurements. Tlie error Ijars represent the uncertainty of a measurement, calculated from the dispersion of individual results. The transfer from the measuring point to the point

A introduces a supplementary uncertainlv roimnori to all these values and assessed at 3 X

10 " m/s-.

114
Bibliography

[1] Defforges, Mesure de Tintensite absolue de la pesanteur, Proces-Verbaux C.I. P.M.. pp. 135 182 (1891).

[2] Kiihnen, F. and Furtwaiifiler, Ph., Bestimmung der absoluten Griisse der Schwerkraft

zu Potsdam mit Reversions pendeln, Veroff. Kdnigl. Preuszischen Geod. Inst., No. 27.

xvi + 390 pages, Berlin (1906).

[3] Cook, A. H., The absolute determination of the acceleration due to gravity. Metrologia

1. No. 3, pp. 84-114(1965).

[4] Volet, Ch., Sur la mesure absolue de la gravite, C.R. Acad. Sc. 222, pp. 373-375 (1946). Volet, Ch.. Mesure de I'acceleration due a la pesanteur au Pavilion dc Breteuil. C.R. Acad. Sc. 235, pp. 442-444 (1952).

[5] Thulin, A., Determination absolue de racceleration due a la pesanteur au Pavilion de

Breteuil, Travaux et Memoires du B.I.P.M. 22 (1),91 pages (1961).

[6] Volet, Ch., L'intensite de la pesanteur determinee par la chute d'un corps. C.R. Acad.

Sc. 224, pp. 1815-1816(1947).

[7] Sakuma, A., Recent developments in the absolute measure of gravitational acceleration, Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Spec. Publ. 343, pp. 447-456 (August 1971), and Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 3, article 15 (1971-1972).

Sakuma, A., A permanent station for the absolute determination of gravity approaching one microgal accuracy, Proc. Symposium on Earth's gravitational field and secular

variations in position. University of N.S.W., Sydney, pp. 674-684 (1973), and Recueil

de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 4, article 11 (1973-1974).

[8] Proces-Verbaux C.I.P.M.. p. 49 (1960).

[9] Cerutti, G., Cannizzo, L., Sakuma, A., and Hostache, J., A transportable apparatus for absolute gravity measurement, VDI-Berichte 212, pp. 49-51 (1974), and Recueil de Travaux duB.I.P.M. 4, article 12 (1973-1974).

115

CHAPTER V

MANOBAROMETRY

From the beginning of the BIPM. the responsible scientific leaders

recognized the necessity of an apparatus which permits the precise evaluation of the atmospheric pressure (barometer) or, more generally, of other

pressures (manometer) and, less than 10 years after its creation, the BIPM

constructed a quality manobarometer (fig. 1); this apparatus competed successfully, practically without essential modification, with the various

developments which appeared successively in the world in the course of

the first half of the 20th century. It was a mercury apparatus with several

original features, the first manometer, for example, to have large diameter

menisci (about 37 mm) rendering negligible the influence of capillary deformation. The vertical distance between the central parts of the two menisci

was determined optically, by transfer to a vertical calibrated scale with the

aid of the two horizontal telescopes of a cathetometer (fig. 2); to define the

surface of a meniscus, the optical procedure adopted as early as 1890, al- ready very much elaborated, utilized the middle point between a reference

(glass point placed inside the chambers of the manometer) and its image

reflected by the mercury. Furthermore, the apparatus had been filled with

mercury by distillation under vacuum [1 ].

It is rather difficult to estimate with what accuracy one can determine

a pressure with this apparatus. The pressure p is deduced from the relation

p — hpg, where h is the level difference between the two mercury menisci,

p the mass density of the mercury, and g^the acceleration of gravity. Even

aside from the optical and mechanical errors which affect the measure- ment of the length h and which prevent a precision better than 10 fxm (or

about 10"'^ of the atmospheric pressure), the two other factors p and gwere

not known to better than about 10^^. and this was so at least until around

1930.

In practice, it was necessary to await the years after 1950 for profound

metrological studies based on the rapid progress of technology to improve,

almost simultaneously, the knowledge of p and g; p is now known to about

10"'' [2] and gto better than 10"' [3]. We could therefore envisage improving the measurement of pressure, conditioned, however, on conceiving a new manobarometer in which the determination of the height of the mercu-

]17
ry would be possible to about 1 in 10'*. The study of a new apparatus was

therefore undertaken, because the reaUzation of a more precise temperature scale, based on fixed points corresponding to the boiling temperatures

of pure substances, demanded a knowledge of pressure to a few parts in

10**. And even today when the progressive abandonment of boiling points

renders the problem less crucial in thermometry, the precise measurement

of pressure becomes necessary in other areas, for example in the comparison of mass in all the cases where air pressure plays a role.

118
Figure 2. Diagram of the standard manobaroineter of 1884. C. cathetometer; R. graduated

scale: Mi, M2, chambers of the manometer; Bi. B.. chambers of the barometer; RM, mercury reservoir (the four chambers and the scale are at the same distance from the cathetometer).

Interferometric Manobarometer

The apparatus studied at the BIPM and put into service in 1966 [4] is

still a mercury manobarometer. Mercury is still the most suitable liquid: it can be obtained very pure, its thermal conductivity (that of a metal) is good,

and its mass density is high. The originality of this apparatus resides in the

device for localizing the mercury surfaces, which allows substituting for

the measurement of a not directly accessible vertical distance, the easy

measurement of a horizontal displacement (fig. 3). This device utilizes the interference of light, not for measuring the

distance which separates the two mercury menisci, but simply as an optical

feeler; for this, one depends on the behavior of white light interference

fringes which appear when the two optical paths are sensibly equal (to

about 1 jJLm). The two mercury surfaces are used as mirrors in a Michelson

interferometer; the optical path difference which appears when there is a

573-106 O - 75 - 9 119
Figure 3. Dia<zium of the standard mannbarometer placed in service at the BIPM in 1966. A. reference mirror; B. source of white light; C. photomuitiplier; D. oscilloscope; E. graduated

scale; F, suspension spring: C annular oil damper: H. measurement chamber; I. aluminum

envelopes; J. thermal insulation; K. reservoir chamber; L, supporting frame; M, carriage: N. optical corner reflector; O. optical reflecting prism; P. oscillating compensator plate; Q.

beam splitter.

The measurement ol a |iressure comprises two operations. First, one evacuates the two measurement chambers and disjilaces the carriage bearing the two corner reflectors and

the scale to the point of obtaining fringes on the oscilloscope screen; a reading of the scale by means of a microscope |>rovide(l with a micrometer then furnishes the ""zero" of the ap- paratus. One of the chambers is then put in communication with the closed space in which

one wishes to know' the pressure and. by a procedure analogous to the preceding, a second

reading on the scale is obtained. The difference of the two readings gives, after various corrections, the level difference between the two mer cury menisci.

120
Figure 4. Image observed on the osc illoscope screen. When one observes a packet of several

fringes, approximately centered on the oscilloscope screen, tiie adjustment is reached (the length of the packet corresponds to a carriage displacement of less than 1 fj.m}.

change in the relative positions of the two menisci, that is to say, when the

pressure is changed, can be compensated by the displacement of two solid

optical elements; this displacement, measured on a calibrated scale, indicates the change of height of the mercury. The interference fringes are observed on the screen of an oscilloscope (fig. 4) whose sweep is synchronized with the oscillatory movement of the compensation plate of

the interferometer; this movement creates the small variation of path difference needed for exploration of the fringes.

Some corrections are, however, necessary. For example, the use of

light interference involves the indices of refraction of the different media

traversed by the light; now the ambient air and the nitrogen contained in

the measuring chamber have slightly different indices of refraction and are not equally dispersive; it results from this that, in general, equality of the

optical paths does not rigorously correspond to equality of the geometrical

paths (fig. 5). The correction term, a function of the pressure to be measured, and easily calculated, never exceeds 5 Pa, however. The

manobarometer thus permits measuring pressure in the entire range from

0 to a little above 10^ Pa, with an accuracy of 0.1 to 0.2 Pa. that is to say, to about 1 in 10*^ in the neighborhood of atmospheric pressure.
Source of

white

light

Source of

white

light

Sensor

vacuum

Nitrogen

If

B

Fifiure 5. Paths of the lifiht beams in the iiiteiferdiiieter. A: for a zero pressure: B: for an arbitrary pressure, p. Note that the perfect symmetry of the optical paths in the first case no

longer exists in the second (in fact, one compensates the difference by a difference of

pathleiigths in air).

122
The practical realization of the apparatus has naturally required great

precautions. In order to utilize the mercury menisci as mirrors, it is necessary to protect the manometer chambers from vibrations; these exhibit

themselves by ripples on the mercury surface which weaken the contrast

of the interference fringes; observations then become difficult without,

however, any risk of systematic error. We have sufficiently attenuated the

perturbing vibrations at frequencies above a few hertz by using a damped

elastic suspension of very low resonance frequency (helical springs and oil dampers) and by connecting the manometer chambers to the fixed pipes

with flexible links.

For the mercury to retain its initial properties, it is necessary to protect against all contamination and, in particular, to avoid exposing it to contact with the humidity of the air; the manometer chambers are kept under

an artificial atmosphere of dry nitrogen. Up until now, the manobarometer

has been used only for comparative measurements, tied to a closed space

containing dry nitrogen, but nothing would prevent interposing a membrane for particular applications (gas thermometry, for example).

Another very important problem concerns the mercury temperature

which should be very uniform and known to better than about 0.01 K, if one

wishes to know the density of the mercury to better than 10^"; a double en- velope of polished aluminum enclosing a large thickness of a good thermal

insulating material assures the required uniformity of temperature; an en- semble comprising a mercury thermometer and several differential thermocouples allows determining the temperature at a reference point and the

temperature differences between this point and the mercury at different

levels.

This manobarometer, as it operates at the BIPM, permits either the

measurement of a pressure or the adjustment of a pressure to a predetermined value, in a few minutes.

An apparatus of this type not being transportable, there appears a need for pressure transport standards of an equivalent precision; it has al- ready been proposed, for example, to use for reference the vapor pressure

of the triple points of various pure substances. These standards would permit an interesting comparison of some absolute manobarometers which are

in service in the large metrology laboratories.

123
Bibliography

[1] Marek, W. J., Pesees executees aii B.I. P.M. du I''' octobre 1881 au 15 Janvier 1883,

Travaux et Memoires B.I. P.M. 3, (1884), see Instruments auxiliaires, Barometres, pp. D22-D51 (1884).

[2] Cook, A. H., Precise measurements of the density of mercury at 20 °C, Phil. Trans. Roy.

Soc. 254 A. pp. 12,5-154 (1961).

[3] Acceleration of gravity: tiiis volume, p. 103,.

[4] Bonlioure. J. and Terrien, J., The new standard manobarometer of the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures, Metrologia 4, pp. 59-68 (1968). Bonhoure, J., Manobarometre pour la mesure absolue des pressions, Entropie 13, pp. 57-61 (1967), and Recueil tie Travaux du B.I. P.M. 1 (1966-1967).

124

I
CHAPTER VI

THERMOMETRY

The Gas Thermometer and the Mercury Thermometer

Measurements of length and mass, which were originally the principal

preoccupation of BIPM, require a good knowledge of the temperature; this

explains the almost simultaneous development, starting in 1875, of important studies on the gas thermometer and the mercury thermometer [1].

The work undertaken utilizing successively hydrogen, nitrogen, and

carbon dioxide in the thermometer quickly showed that hydrogen was the

gas closest to the ideal state, and as early as 1887 the CIPM adopted as the

standard thermometric scale, the centesimal (or centigrade) scale of the

hydrogen thermometer. This scale was based on two fixed temperature

points to which were assigned the values 0 and 100: the temperature of

melting ice and that of the vapor of water boiling under standard at- mospheric pressure.

For practical applications, however, there was needed a measuring instrument which would be more convenient to use than the gas thermometer. Although in 1875 the reputation of the mercury thermometer was not

excellent, the BIPM decided to evaluate its possibilities. Techniques were

developed very rapidly; they consist in determining very carefully all the

corrections necessary to bring the readings into agreement with those

which a perfect instrument would give: they permitted reliable and precise use of the mercury thermometer. The disappearance, about 1925, of the

"hard glass" used up until then for the construction of thermometers, al- most brought the question up again and almost nullified the value of the

enormous work which had been accomplished: but the adoption of glasses

of equivalent quality (Jena glass 16'" for the reservoir, "green glass" for the

stem) saved the situation. Further progress, which brought the mercury

thermometer to a high degree of perfection, was marked by two important

stages. In 1933, the double-graduation stem (front and rear) permitted the

suppression of parallax error; in the next few years, the feasibility of

replacing glass by fused quartz made possible the elimination of a limitation of the mercury thermometer, the instabilities of the zero: "slow climb"

due to aging of the glass and "depression" due to residual dilatation of the

glass. It is generally admitted that the mercury thermometer, used under

125
the best conditions and by an experienced observer, can give a precision of

2 or 3 mK. Since 1887, therefore, mercury thermometers which have been

carefully evaluated and compared to a hydrogen thermometer could provide a convenient and precise representation of the standard thermometric

scale.

The International Practical Temperature Scale

Some discussion of the chronological evolution of this practical scale

of temperature [2] is necessary to estabhsh the orientation of the work of

BIPM.

Since the beginning of the century, the need for an international agreement on a practical temperature scale had been felt; a draft presented by

the United States of America and soon supported by Germany and Great

Britain led to the adoption of the "International Temperature Scale of

1927/' This scale, defined only above — 190 °C, was based on six

reproducible equilibrium temperatures to which were assigned numerical

values, and on instruments and interpolation procedures: the platinum re- sistance thermometer up to 660 °C, the platinum/ platinum — 10 percent

rhodium thermocouple up to the freezing point of gold (1063 °C), and the

Wien radiation law above that. The scale agreed with the thermodynamic

scale as well as possible and as far as the knowledge of the time permitted

its verification.

Some modifications were made to the scale in 1948, in 1960, and in

1968 to arrive at the scale which is currently in force under the name "International Practical Temperature Scale of 1968"; these had been primarily for the purpose of extending the scale to low temperatures (down to 13

K), of replacing the melting point of ice by the more reproducible triple

point of water and of substituting Planck's ' law for that of Wien. Moreover,

account had been taken of the increase in the accuracy of measurements,

and the international practical scale was adjusted so that it gives, within

the limits of this accuracy, an approximation as close as possible to the

thermodynamic temperature (fig. 1). Note moreover that there is no longer a thermodynamic scale, since

the kelvin (K), which is the unit of thermodynamic temperature (T), is defined as being the fraction 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature

of the triple point of water (1954, 10th CGPM). Concurrently, there exists

' Planck's law gives the spectral density of the energy exitance Mof a blackbody as a function

of the wavelength X and the temperature T: M= Cik^^{e\p{C2lKT) — 1} Ci and C2 are two constants.

Wien's law is obtained by neglecting 1 compared to the exponential. The exitance is the quotient of the flux leaving a surface element of the blackbody, by the area of that element.

126
Fixed points (K) Instruments Interpolation formulas

TP Hj (eq.) 13.81

BP (eq.) 17.042

BP (eq.) 20.28

TP Ne 27.102

TP O2 54.361

BP O2 90.188

273.15

TP H,0 273.16

BP H^O 373.15

FP Sn 505.1181

FP Zn 692.73

903.89

FP Ag 1235.08

FP Au 1337.58

(Scale not defined below 13.81 K)

®

Temperature-resistance

Relation: ® reference function

+ difference function

PLATINUM © A, B, C, or D

RESISTANCE

THERMOMETER

Temperatureresistance

Reiation:

2 polynomials

THERMOCOUPLE

Pt/Pt-Rh 10%

Temperature-EMF Reiation: Second-degree equation

PYROMETER

Planclf's Law

(reference: FP Au; C2= 0.014 388 m K)

Figure 1. FriiK-ipal elements defining the International Practical Temperature Scale of 1968

(IPTS-68). TP. triple point: FP, freezing point: BP. boiling point under a pressure of 101 325

Pa: BP*, boiling point uder a pressure of 33 360.6 Pa: eq.. signifies that the hydrogen has its

ortho-para composition in equilibrium at the temperature considered.

The instruments should be standardized at the fixed temperature points; at intermediate

temperatures, the interpolation formidas relate the temperature to the instrument indication.

a Celsius temperature (t), obtained by shifting the zero and defined hy t =

T — 273.15 K, whose unit is the degree Celsius (°C) which is equal to the

kelvin. It follows that the temperature of the triple point of water is also

0.01 °C,by definition.

The mercury thermometer has never figured as an interpolation instrument in the International Scale, even in the range of ambient temperatures; the platinum resistance thermometer has always been preferred

because it is more precise, and also because the same instrument can

cover a very large temperature range. Since 1897, the BIPM has been interested in this latter type of thermometer and has studied its properties up

to 600 °C by direct comparison with a gas thermometer; it verified the resistance-temperature relation proposed by Callendar and Griffiths. Incidentally, in the course of this work, the BIPM even assigned a value to

the boiling point of sulfur, a fixed point which was used much later, from

1927 to 1960, as a reference in the International Scale. But later and for

127
various reasons, the activity of BIPM in this area dechned and, as paradoxical as it may appear, it was necessary to wait until 1960 for the beginning

of the installation at BIPM of the necessary equipment for the realization

of the International Scale. Today, this installation operates from 0 °C to 1064 °C with its greatest precision, and it is in operation below 0 °C, both to satisfy BIPM's own needs and to respond to calibration requests from national laboratories.

Measurement Equipment of the BIPM

The installation includes not only the defined fixed points and the

specified interpolation instruments, but also measuring apparatus.

The fixed points actually realized are the triple point of water (0.01 °C)

and the freezing points of tin (231.968 1 °C). of zinc (419.58 °C), of silver

(961.93 °C), and of gold (1064.43 °C); the boiling point of water, less precise,

has been abandoned.

The technique for use of a water triple-point cell (fig. 2) is now well

established. An ice mantle of well-regulated thickness is obtained around

the thermometer well by introducing a very closely fitting metallic rod,

previously chilled in liquid nitrogen; fewer than 10 such operations suffices, which requires only a very short time, but it is necessary to wait

several hours if one wishes the thermal equilibrium of the triple point to be

attained to better than 0.000 1 K. This equilibrium can be preserved for

PYREX

WATER Ivaporl

WATER IliquidI

WATER IsolidI

Figure 2. Cell for the triple |i(iint of water. The temperature 0.01 °C is obtained, with water of very high purity contaitied in a sealed ampoule, wherever the iee is in ei|uililiriuni with the

liquid-vapor interfaee. Tlie ampoule should therefore be free of all gas and all foreign substanee.
several weeks if one takes the precaution of placing the cell in a Plexigias

tube which is itself kept in a tub of crushed ice.

To reaHze the freezing points (figs. 3 and 4), we have researched the

techniques which allow the best reproducibihty, for example by blowing

argon into the thermometer well to initiate crystalhzation in the case of a metal which undergoes an appreciable supercoohng (tin).

Similarly, crucibles are kept in an argon atmosphere to avoid oxidation

of the graphhe and, in the case of silver, the solution of the oxygen of the air

into the molten metal. As to ovens, they have a large time constant (greater

than 10 hours) and muhiple (five) heater windings, which permits obtaining

a very high stability and a very good uniformity of temperature throughout

the crucible (0.01 to 0.02 K).

G

H

Figure 3. Diagram of a cavity containing a pure metal, for the realization of a freezing point. A, Teflon stoppers; B, guard cavity; C, pure metal; D, argon inlet; E, thermal insulation; F, graphite disks; G, thermometer guide; H, graphite lid; I. graphite thermometer well; J, gra- phite cavity.

A step in the curve of temperature as a function of the time corresponds to the solid- liquid equihbrium of a very pure metal; one can thus realize very reproducible temperature.

temperature

/ / Figure 4. Steps of the freezing and melting of a metal. The form of the steps (in particular the temperature interval Afj of the fusion step) and the lowering of the temperature of the freez- ing step, Afs, give information on the purity of the metal. In the ideal case, Afi, /k-z, At3 would be zero.

129
I

Figure 5. The Smitli bridge and the measurement of resistance theriiKimeters. The nominal

values of the bridge resistanceTare: S=1000 fi, « = 10 (1.6 = 990 (1. a, = lOfl: a = (). The

lead resistances Li. L>, A3, L^ are almost equal (mean value L).

If the preliminary adjustment of tiie bridge is such that

a + aJQ + R=blS - R

one lias, at balance:

P = {KIS) Q+{L,-L2) +

b + a,+Q

One can, by interchange of the leads Li. L^- l^iu with L4, L^. L>- /^i, get rid of the re- sistances of the conductors, up to a mean value L which is a function of the precision

desired for For equivalently for the temperature. In practice, temperature measurements

are possible to about 10"^ K for L =s2 fl. which allows keeping the Smith bridge at a fixed

location even for measuring thermometers as far as 100 m away from tiie bridge.

130
The interpolation instruments differ on the two sides of 630.74 °C: the

resistance thermometer below, and the platinum/platinum — 10 percent

rhodium thermocouple above. The BIPM possesses some resistance thermometers of recent fabrication: the resistor, of very pure platinum, is en- closed in an envelope containing dry air; the thermocouples are completely

mounted and stabiHzed at the BIPM, starting with wire of suitable characteristics and purity and with tubes of pure alumina.

The measuring apparatus comprises a potentiometer of 0.1 resolution for the thermocouples, a resistance comparator using alternating current (resolution of few parts in 10") and a type III Smith bridge (resolution

10 ft, corresponding to 10"^ K for a thermometer having a resistance of 25

n at 0 °C) for the resistance thermometers. The type III Smith bridge (fig.

5) is a modified version of the Kelvin double bridge; it is particularly well

adapted to measuring resistance thermometers because it permits, by interchange of connections, the almost perfect elimination of the resistance

of the conductors which connect the thermometer to the bridge; the Smith

bridge nevertheless requires upkeep and frequent and tedious cahbration.

This is why a direct current bridge using the principle of the current comparator could advantageously replace the Sinith bridge in the near future.

The precision of temperature measurement with the resistance thermometer can be considered as satisfactory: it is better than 0.001 K in the

range 0-100 °C, for example; at elevated temperatures, it is limited to 0.1 or

0.2 K by the instabilities of the thermocouple. Studies underway, with the

aim of reducing this defect, could lead to the abandonment of the thermocouple as an interpolation instrument; the range of temperature left open would be shared between the resistance thermometer which, well

constructed, can go beyond 630 °C, and the photoelectric pyrometer which,

with modern detectors, becomes practical below 1064 °C.

Pyrometric Study of the Freezing-Point

Temperature of Gold

There is another problem to be considered, that of the accuracy of the

values assigned to the defined fixed points: for example, a recent determination of the temperature of the boiling point of water by use of the gas

thermometer seems to show that the uncertainty which affects the temperatures is perhaps greater than was estimated in 1968, even for temperatures which were believed to be well known. This is why some work is being pursued in laboratories by diverse methods, notably gas thermometry and pyrometry; the BIPM is participating in these researches and

has chosen to study the temperature of the freezing point of gold [3].

The value assigned to this fixed point in the IPTS-68 resulted from

several determinations, all made with gas thermometers, whose dispersion

is greater than 0.5 K; on the other hand, two studies made later by

monochromatic pyrometry furnish values which are lower by several tenths

131
of a kelvin. In the face of these disagreements, the BIPM has undertaken

a determination, also by a pyrometric method, but under different conditions of reaHzation.

The principle of the measurement consists in comparing the

monochromatic luminances (wavelength in the neighborhood of 1 /u,m) of

two identical radiating cavities, approximating blackbodies, which are observed alternately (fig. 6); the cavities are maintained at 630 °C and 1064 °C

respectively; their temperatures are measured by two thermocouples

which give the temperature values in the IPTS. If at 630 °C the difference

between the true temperature and its value in the IPTS is known, the

pyrometric method permits determining the corresponding difference at 1064 °C. By apphcation of the same principle, the study has been extended

to the temperature of the freezing point of silver and to several intermediate temperatures between 630 °C and 1064 °C. The use of an odd

number of intermediate temperatures constitutes moreover a useful variant in the study of the freezing point of gold; it permits the comparison of

the luminances at 630 °C and 1064 °C of the same radiating cavity, which

eliminates the effect of possible dissimilarities between the two cavities.

S

> Pi 02> < \ ;P3

R

1 D2

E

Eo

O)

c 1

70mm

Fijiuie 6. Pyrometric determination of the freezing point of fiold; tiie optical measuring

device. Mi, aluminum coated quartz mirror: Oi. O2, Os, O4 objectives; L, field lens; Di, D2

diaphragms; F, interference filter: R, detector: C, aperture of the blackbody cavity; S, mercury vapor lamp, M;, retractable mirror. The detector R (photoelectric tube of very good linearity) observes alternately the cavity

at 630 °C and that at 1064 °C; the centering of the cavity is satisfactory when the green light

spot furnished by the ensemble S, O4, M2 completely enters the aperture C of the cavity in question; this adjustment is verified with the aid of M.).

132
By this approach, the ratio of luminances, which is of the order of 150 for

the direct comparison, is lowered to 12, or even less, which facihtates its measurement; on the other hand, there is no longer only one ratio to be

determined, but several.

The current work is distinguished fn^n similar determinations in

several respects. First, we have obtained an emissivity very close to unity

for the radiating cavities (fig. 7), by hollowing out in blocks of pure nickel,

cavities having a very high "effective surface/aperture" ratio (above 700);

next, we have used techniques perfected in the course of other work to develop ovens of very high stabihty and very good temperature uniformity;

finally, we have chosen interference filters to isolate the desired spectral

band (half-width from 8 to 15 nm).

The difficulties encountered are essentially due to the thermocouples

and interference filters; the former do not permit temperature verification

to better than 0.1 K; the latter are hkely to give very weak residual transmission over very broad spectral ranges outside the useful transmission

band, and these effects are difficult to evaluate with precision.

The results obtained, in good agreement with those of other laboratories, show that the IPTS-68 is not a satisfactory representation of thermodynamic temperatures in the range 630-960 °C; on the other hand, the

temperature interval between the freezing points of silver and gold seems

Figure 7. Pyrometric determination of the freezing point of gold: view of the interior of a

radiating cavity. From left to right, the cover, the cylinder, and the base. The internal wall

of the cavity is grooved and cross-ruled to increase the surface/opening ratio, and the bot- tom is slightly inclined to diminish the loss of radiation by specular reflection. At the center

of the cover, one sees the aperture (10 mm diameter).

133
to be correctly evaluated (fig. 8). But the problem is much more general [4]

and much work remains to be done to render the measurements more exact, in particular at very low and very high temperatures.

873

I 973

I K

+ 0,5

-0,5

Reference

_ (630,74 °C)

1073

I 1173 1273

i__

1373 K

I

600 700 800 900 1000 iioo°c

Figure 8. Pyiometric determination of the freezinij p<iint of gold: results obtained. The curve

gives from 630 to 1064 °C, the difference between the thermodynamic temperature and the temperature in the IPTS-68. One accepts by hypothesis that the temperature 630.74 °C in the IPTS-68 is exact and the c-i. Planck's second radiation constant, has the value 0.014 388 m- K. The precisions of the freezing points of silver and gold are 0.13 and 0.16 K

respectively.

Bibliography

[1] Guillaume, Ch.-Ed., Etudes thermometriques. Travaux et Memoires B.I. P.M. 5, 251 pages (1886). Chappuis, P., Etudes sur le therniometre a gaz et comparaison des thermometres a mercure avec le thermometre a gaz, Travaux et Memoires B.I. P.M. 6, 312 pages (1888). Chappuis, P., Nouvelles etudes sur les thermometres a gaz, Travaux et Memoires

B.I. P.M. 13. 66 pages (1907).

[2] Echelle Internationale Pratique de Temperature de 1968, Comptes Rendus 13''

C. G.P.M.. 24 pages (1967); Comite Consultatif de Thermometrie. 8th session, pp. AlA24(1967).

[3] Bonhoure, J., Temperature du point de C(mgelation de Tor. Comite Consultatif de Ther- mometrie, 9th session, pp. T84-T87 (1971). Bonhoure, J., Etude pyrometrique des temperatures comprises entre 630 °C et 1064

°C, Comite Consultatif de Thermometrie, 10th session, a paraitre (1974).

[4] Temperature. Its Measurement and Control in Science and Industry, 2 , 444 pages

(1955); 3, 2500 pages (1962), Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York; 4, 2383 pages

(1973), Instrument Society of America, Pittsburgh.

134
CHAPTER VII

ELECTRICITY

The BIPM took a very early interest in electrical measurements. As

early as 1884, for example, at the request of the International Committee

for Weights and Measures, J. R. Benoit constructed on behalf of the French

Ministry of Postal and Telegraph Services, 4 prototypes of the legal ohm

and about 15 secondary standards. At a time when the ohm was the re- sistance, at the temperature of melting ice, of a column of mercury of 1 mm^ cross section and 106 cm length, its construction was essentially a matter of the measurement of length and bore of glass tubing; it was thus

natural to entrust it to the specialists of the BIPM who were currently performing this kind of study on mercury thermometers of high precision.

Much later, in 1907, it was the BIPM which calibrated and adjusted the

tubes destined to realize for France the new ohm defined at Chicago in

1893 (length: 106.3 cm; mass of mercury: 14.4521 g).

Although this activity was known and appreciated, it was only in 1921

that the 6th CGPM modified the Convention of the Metre of 1875 to extend

the scope of the BIPM to the domain of electric units.

This decision was implemented in 1927 by the 7th CGPM which

created for this purpose a Consultative Committee for Electricity iCCE) to "advise the International Committee for Weights and Measures on

questions relative to systems of measure and electric standards."

The CCE defined in 1928, in the course of its first session, the functions which needed to be assigned to the BIPM. These were: — To establish a central secretariat for organizing a systematic

exchange of standards and for assuring the synthesis of the results

obtained by the national laboratories. — To establish a laboratory to which physical standards representing the results obtained in various countries could be brought for

precise comparisons. — To estabhsh a stock of reference standards and working standards, with the installations necessary for the comparison of other

standards with those of the Bureau.

These recommendations, adopted by the CIPM in 1929, define the

present mission of the BIPM in the domain of electricity.

573-106 O - 75 - 10

135
Electric Units

In 1908, the International Conference of London had noted the con- cern of physicists with making a very clear distinction between the definitions of the units and their material representations.

At this time, the electric units called "practical" were defined in terms

of the CGS electromagnetic units and comprised part of the "Practical

system of units"; they were for example: the ohm which had the value 10'' CGS electromagnetic units of resistance, the ampere equal to 10^' CGS

electromagnetic unit of current, the volt equal to 10" CGS electromagnetic

units of potential difference.

On the contrary, the representations of these units constituted another

system called "International System,"' based on two material standards:

the international ohm, the resistance offered to an unvarying electric current by a column of mercury of a mass of 14.4521 grams, of a constant cross

section and of a length of 106.300 centimetres, at the temperature of melting ice, and the international ampere, an unvarying electric current which,

in a solution of silver nitrate in water, deposits silver at the rate of 0.001 118

00 gram per second.

After the London Conference, there were then two systems: — the CGS system, absolute but purely theoretical (with its practical multiples and submultiples: ohm. volt, etc.). — and the international system permitting the reproduction of the

units with the best precision possible at the time, and the assurance

of uniformity of electrical measurements throughout the world.

In 1908, the agreement between the two systems was satisfactory but,

very rapidly, the progress of electrical metrology made annoying divergences appear. As early as its first session, in November 1928, the CCE

therefore proposed to the CIPM to substitute for the international units, an

absolute system derived from the CGS units, as soon as it would be possible to "fix with the desired accuracy \\\e ratios between the absolute units

and the international units of current, electromotive force, and resistance"

[1].

In June 1939, the CCE judged that this accuracy had been reahzed and

recommended the transition to the absolute units: but the world events that

occurred several months later did not allow the CIPM to meet before 1946,

and it was necessary to wait until that time for the CCE recommendations

to be adopted [2].

In 1946, the CIPM fixed the date of 1 January 1948 for putting the absolute electric system of units into effect (in usage since then) and indicated the relation to be used for converting from the international units

' This "Tnternational System." designated thus in 1893 by the Congress of Chicago to distin- guish it from the absolute CC.S System, should not be confused with the International System

of Units (SI) adopted by the 11th CGPM (1960).

136
to the absolute units. It also gave definitions of the electric units; we recall

below those of the ampere, volt, and ohm. — The ampere is that constant current which, if maintained in two

straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of negHgible circular cross

section, and placed 1 metre apart in vacuum, would produce between these

conductors a force equal to 2 X 10 " MKS unit of force [newton] per metre

of length. — The volt is the difference of electric potential between two points

of a conducting wire carrying a constant current of 1 ampere, when the

power dissipated between these points is equal to 1 watt. — The ohm is the electric resistance between two points of a conductor when a constant potential difference of 1 volt, applied to these points,

produces in the conductor a current of 1 ampere, the conductor not being

the seat of any electromotive force.

These decisions of the CIPM were ratified by the 9th CGPM in 1948

[3].

Standards

Although in the International System of Units (SI) the electric base

unit is the ampere, the two units whose material representations have al- ways served jointly as the departure point for electrical measurements in

all laboratories are the units of resistance and electromotive force; the ohm

and the volt are in fact the units which we know how to reaHze and maintain with the most accuracy.

Resistance Standards

To be completely defined these standards have four terminals: two

current leads and two potential taps (fig. 1). The best quality standards are the standards of nominal 1 fl value developed by the national laboratories

(fig. 2). They are constituted of a metallic wire of an alloy having a low temperature coefficient, for example, manganin (85% copper, 12% manganese,

3% nickel); they should in fact have the least possible sensitivity to variations of the ambient temperature and to the heating produced by the

passage of the measuring current. This wire, of 1.2 to 1.5 mm diameter, is wound in the form of a double helix (to reduce the self-inductance) and

carefully annealed to assure the stability of its resistance; it is placed inside a hermetically sealed container filled with pure mineral oil or an inert

gas.

137
The standards of good quality have a temperature coefficient between

5 and 10 X lO'^/K in the neighborhood of 20 °C; their resistance may

change slowly with time, but this change does not exceed 1 X 10~^ per year

for the best standards.

c

o

/

u

R

B

C

-o

Fijiure 1. Dia<;rarn slmwiii}; the principle <if a staiidaid resistor: R = U/I. C, terminals for the current feed: I', potential taps. To measure such a resistor it is necessary to use an arrange- ment which allows elimination ot the effect of the resistances in arms AC, BC. AP. and BP.

Fifiure 2. Resistance standards of 1 il developed hy national laboratories. To insert a stan- dard into the measuring circuit, terminals C are set in cups filled with mercury (for the third standard to the right, one can also clamp wires under the terminals C ). Terminals P serve

in the measurement of the voltage ilrop which results from the passage of current through

the resistor.

1.38
Standards ofElectromotive Force

The volt is "maintained" by means of cells — or elements — of the saturated cadmium sulfate type (developed by Weston in 1893), whose electromotive force at 20 °C is of the order of 1.01860 V. These cells belong to the category of elements called "reversible," each of the electrodes being

immersed in an aqueous solution of a salt of the metal which constitutes

the electrode (fig. 3).

Figure 3. Cadmium-sulfate standard cell. Negative limb: A. cadmium amalgam in 2 phases:

Positive limb: B. pure mercury: C. mercurous sulfate HgiSO,; E. saturated solution of cad- mium sulfate: D, crystals of cadmium sulfate CdS04 • 8/3 H>0.

139
The Weston element is a frajiile standard; it is sensitive to shock,

vibration, and li^ht; a reversal is fatal to it. But it is especially sensitive to temperature variations which render its use ticklish.

The electromotive force of a saturated Weston element decreases

about 40 ixV when its temperature increases by 1 degree, in the neighborhood of 20 °C; furthermore it varies by 330 /jlW per degree of temperature

difference between the two limbs. For the electromotive force of a standard

cell to be defined to about 10 ' V, it is thus necessary that its temperature

be known in absolute value to about 2.5 mK and that the temperature of its two limbs be equal within about 0.3 mK.

The Weston element also has a serious defect as a standard: not only

does its electromotive force require several weeks to stabilize after a temperature change, but in general it does not recover exactly its initial value

when the initial temperature is reestablished. Only a few very well

equipped laboratories can thus achieve a high stabiHty: a microvolt per

year or even several tenths of a microvolt per year for the most successful

elements.

Installations of the BIPM

The study of typical standards for the ohm and the volt comprises the

basic experimental activity of the BIPM. To carry out this study and to maintain the standards under the best conditions, the BIPM has put vari- ous installations into more or less perfect running order.

Kelvin Double Bridge

A Kelvin double bridge (figs. 4a and 4b) is used for determining the difference between two resistance standards; this instrument in fact, allows

eliminating the influence of contact resistance, of current leads, and of the

potential taps of the measured standards.

The standards are compared in turn and repeatedly to a "tare re- sistance" whose value is adjusted by means of a shunt to obtain bridge

balance (null current in the detector).

The standards are kept in a bath of mineral oil. During the measure- ments this oil is kept in motion by an impeller, to remove the energy dissipated in the standards and in the tare by the measuring current (0.1 A).

The comparisons are carried out at ambient temperature (20 ±0.05)

°C; the exact temperature of each standard is registered to a few

thousandths of a degree by means of mercury thermometers calibrated at BIPM. To eliminate the effect of possible parasitic electromotive force,

bridge balances are obtained for the two directions of current.

The installation at the BIPM permits determination of the difference

between two 1-fi standards to about 1 X 10 " fl.

140
A

-AA/WVW

C

AWVIW

B

mmD

wvwvT

Figure 4a. Diagram showing the principle nfthe Kelvin double bridge. Wiien there is no current through tiie detector G. one has tiie relation:

XIT = AIB = CID

X. standard to be compared: T. tare resistance.

141
p

A ^—mmr

B

A/WWW—

0

D

r—A/VWWV— ^^VWVW-n

^AAAAA/V

X

-3

-AAAAr

^4

N T

^lAAAAMr

K

If y

Figure 4b. Diagram of the double bridge used at the BIPM. X. standard to be compared: T.

tare resistance (1.007 fl): S. 6-decade resistance box (resolution: 0.1 11): A. B. C. D principal

bridge resistances (nominal value: 100011): P and N, switches: K. current reversing switch:

61. e-2. e:j. 64. resistances of the arms of standard X and of the connections (the influence of these parasitic resistances is eliminated by establishing auxiliary balances, the first with P

and N closed with adjustment of s across the terminals of a. the second with P and N open

and with adjustment of s' across the terminals of c). The principal double bridge cor- responds to P open and N closed: it is balanced with adjustment of S. If Si and S2 are respectively the values needed for S to obtain bridge balance with two standards Xi and X2

the difference between these two standards is given by:

X, - X;= (AIB) ( -I^-J^^ I

If the ratio .4/Bof the arms of the principal bridge, nominally equal to I. is in tact equal

to (1+S). the difference (A'l — ^"2) is determined with a relative error equal to 8. By in- terchanging the arms A and B in the middle of the comparison of the two standards —

^¥2, the relative error of the difference is reduced to 6-/2.

142
Potentiometer

To determine the difference of electromotive force between two cells,

they are connected in opposition and the resulting electromotive force

measured by means of a potentiometer. The voltages to be measured are thus always small (at a maximum, several hundred microvolts) and relatively easy to determine with precision. The device used at the BIPM essentially comprises two potentiometers connected in series (fig. 5); the first. A,

serves to regulate the potentiometer current (10~* A), the second, B, to measure the difference between the electromotive forces of the two cells to be compared.

For a null detector, we use a galvanometer amplifier whose principal

advantage is to avoid discharging the cells during measurement.

The BIPM potentiometer allows determination of the difference

between two cells to a few tens of nanovolts.

Figure 5. Diagram of potentiometer used to compare two standard cells. X| and X2. cells to be

compared, connected in opposition: Ki. reversing switch to give the appropriate polarity to

the potential difference to he balanced against {Xi — X->): ¥.>. double reversing switch for simultaneously reversing the sense of the potentiometer current and the polarity of the measured vohage {Xi — X-i), for ehminating the effect of possible parasitic electromotive

forces in the circuit of the balance detector (',, The potentiometer current /. is iurnished by

a battery of dry cells P and is not interrupted. Before each measurement its value is adjusted to 1 X 10"'* A; for this, the potentiometer (A) is set to the known value of electromotive force of a standard ceil W and the rheostat Rh, is adjusted for a null on the galvanometer Gi. When /i = 10"^ A. the terminals of the potentiometer (B) supply a potential difference which is adjustable from 0 to 1600 /xV in steps of 10(U,V. To establish the balance

(null current in the detector G2), we add algebraically to (A^i - X-i) the potential difference

created at the terminals of a 1-fI resistor R by the passage of a current l> measured by means of the microammeter

143
Oil Bath for Storage and Measurement ofCells

The BIPM stores and measures its reference cells in a tank filled with

mineral oil (fig. 6). It is also in this tank, which can hold 120 cells, that are immersed the transport cells which participate in the international comparisons and the cells which the BIPM receives for calibration.

The heat capacity of the oil reduces the temperature fluctuations. It permits obtaining, as quickly as possible, thermal equilibrium of the cells

which are sent to the BIPM. During measurement, the rotation of an impeller assures a radial circulation of the oil whose temperature uniformity

is thus obtained to better than 5 X 10"'* K throughout the bath.

In the course of a measurement, which lasts around a half-hour, the

temperature rise produced by the agitation of the oil is of the order of

1.5 mK.

This bath is not temperature regulated but it is placed in a room kept

at (20 ±0.05) °C. Its temperature is determined by means of one or several platinum resistance thermometers. It is closed by a cover of opaque

Plexiglas.

Figure 6. Mineral-oil hath in which the standard cells are stiired and measured. Ch. rack supporting the standard cells (each rack can rotate a half-turn about its vertical axis X); P. positive terminal (the negative terminals are connected to each other): PL. Plexiglas partition

separating the tank into two compartments: H, impeller assuring circulating of the oil, which passes from the upper comijartment to the lower compartment, comes back up

through the peripheral orifices 0. and is then channeled toward the center of the tank by the

lateral faces of the racks.

144
The racks which carry the cells are mounted on supports which can

turn about a vertical axis. By rotation of a half turn the cells placed at the

periphery are carried to near the center (and conversely) and the positions

of the limbs of each cell relative to the flow of oil are interchanged. The ef- fects of possible temperature gradients are thus eliminated.

Temperature-Regulated Air Enclosure

To maintain the cells at a temperature still more constant and more

uniform than in the oil bath, the BIPM has constructed a temperature-regulated air enclosure whose thermal behavior is being studied. This enclosure

comprises cubes, some of thin duralumin walls, others of thermally insulating walls of expanded polystyrene, stacked one within the other (fig. 7). The

innermost cube which contains the cells (distributed in 16 massive duralumin blocks) is of copper with thick walls to have a large heat capacity.

This enclosure is placed in the same room, controlled at 20 °C, as is the oil bath; it is maintained at about 21 °C by electric heating of 10 W

uniformly distributed on the six faces of the next to the outer metallic cube.

Its temperature is regulated by a mercury thermometer with a contact and

is measured by means of two 100-fl platinum probes, a thermistor bridge,

and two copper-constantan thermocouples lodged in the middle partition

of the interior chamber.

To reduce possible heat exchange between the cells and the exterior,

the conductors which lead to the cell terminals are teflon insulated multistrand copper cables of very small cross section (0.014 mm^), very long

(about 4 m), and wound in a spiral.

Periodic International Comparisons

To assign values to the resistance standards and standard cells which

constitute their reference groups, the principal national laboratories carry

out absolute determinations. These are electromechanical experiments

which relate the electric units to the units of length, mass, and time in con- formity with the definition of the ampere. These are difficult measurements, long and costly, which must, it is well understood, be repeated

periodically; their precision is. for most of the electric units, inferior to the

stability of physical standards which represent these units, and to the comparison measurements between these standards. For these reasons, and for reasons of continuity, the national laboratories do not modify the values of

their reference standards each time they carry out absolute determinations. They do this only exceptionally, practically in the three following

cases:

145
Fijiure 7. Tempei ature-ret:ulatf d air enclosure for storing cells. Cu. interior cube of copper

with its middle partition enclosing the platinum probes, thermistors, and thermocouple

junction which permit knowing the temperature of tiie cells; D, duralumin cubes: P. ex- panded polystyrene; B. duralumin blocks which can each hold six cells; C, cover for a

block.

146
— When the difference between the resuh of the new determination and the value previously assigned exceeds the uncertainty of

the measurements, and when some particular reasons can explain an abnormal change in the material standards (bad storage conditions, for example), — When the progress of metrology permits improving the precision

of the absolute determinations (this has been the case for several

years for the farad and the ohm), — To improve international uniformity (as was the case for the ohm

and the volt the 1st of January 1969).

The reference groups maintained in various national laboratories comprise only approximate representations of the units (ohm and volt).

One of the essential tasks of the BIPM consists in determining the

spread among these representations: it is the object of the international

measurements in the world. These comparisons also permit evaluation of

the effective precision obtained in the absolute determinations and can

lead to the discovery of possible systematic errors. To participate in these periodic comparisons (biennial from 1932 to 1957, then triennial since 1957). all the laboratories invited by the CIPM

simultaneously submit several standards of resistance (of 1 fi) and of electromotive force (Weston cells) to BIPM. The transportation of Weston cells

requires elaborate precautions; laboratories most often utilize Cardan

suspensions to keep them vertical (fig. 8) and transportable temperatureregulated enclosures to avoid all thermal shock.

With the development of high-precision metrology throughout the

world, the number of participants in the international comparisons continues to grow. In 1932, the first comparisons had assembled at the BIPM

20 standard cells and 81-0 resistors provided by 4 laboratories.

In 1973, 11 laboratories sent to the BIPM 59 bare cells (in 10 groups),

37 cells at 30 °C (in 9 temperature-regulated enclosures), 36 l-O resistors,

and for the first time, 15 resistors of 10^ (1. The duration of the measure- ments has a parallel growth; those of 1973 lasted about 4 months.

Given the large number of standards, it is not possible, also not useful,

to compare them two by two in all possible combinations. We therefore

adopted some simplified comparison schemes; an example of comparison

of resistance standards is reproduced in figure 9. For resistors as for cells, each measurement is made twice, at times

which are symmetrical relative to the central date of the comparison, to eliminate in the first approximation the possible drifts of the standards.

147
Figure 8. Sliippiiij: case witli Cardan suspension for the transpDrtation of cells by freight. The

box B which holds the cells remains vertical during transport. A. accelerometers recording

niaximuni acceleration (shock, in particular); C, recorder for oscillations (a second recorder

is invisililc in this photograph).

148
Figure 9. Example of tlie eompaiisoii scheme for l-fi resistance standards. For comprehension of the scheme, tlie first cokimn has been repeated on the riglit in broken lines, and the

first row repeated at the bottom. The standards of the BIP.M are identified by double cir- cles. The standards of a given laboratory are compared among themselves in all possible

combinations (comparisons indicated by heavy lines). This scheme, used in 1973 to compare 42 standards, needed the execution of 198 comparisons (99 comparisons "going" and

99 "returning").

149
Results of the Comparisons

The results of measurements carried out at the BIPM express the

value of the transport standards of national laboratories in terms of the

representations of the ohm and the volt maintained by the reference groups

of the BIPM.

Before their trip to the BIPM and after their return, the transport standards are carefully caUbrated in their laboratory of origin; thus it is verified

that they have not been subject to any damage by reason of their transport,

and their probable values are calculated for the central date of the measurements made at the BIPM.

In comparing the two values attributed to the transport standards for

the same date, we deduce the divergences between the representations of

the units maintained by the national laboratories and those which are maintained by the BIPM.

Figures 10 and 11 show the relative changes, since 1950, of the

representations of the units of resistance and of electromotive force maintained by the national laboratories.

()

+ 17.9 22 120,9] 1 16.9 0 6 0 1 0

1960 1965 1970

Figure 10. Results of the periodic comparisons of national resistance standards, from 1950 to

1973 (difference between the reference values maintained by the national laboratories and

that of the BIPM). In 1957, the ASMW reduced the value of its national reference by 16.9

/xH to adjust it to that of the BIPM. To achieve a better international uniformity, the PTB,

the NSL, the NRC, the LCIE, and NPL adjusted the values of their rational references to

that of the BIPM on the 1st of January 1969. B NPRL;0ASMW:#P'1'B:VNSL;ANRC;

NBS;BLC1E:+IEN; * ETL: X NPL: x IMM

150
I 22.3 M

0

T-10.2

1955 1970

Figure 11. Results of the periodic comparisons of national standards of electromotive force,

from 1950 to 1973 (difference between the reference values maintained by the national laboratories and that of the BIPM). On .lanuary 1, 1969. the reference maintained by the BIPM was reduced by 11 x 10 " to put it into closer agreement with the volt. On the same

date all the national laboratories, except the ASMW, also corrected their national references to make them coincide with the new reference of the BIPM. For tiie identification of the signs, see figure 10.

Maintenance of the Ohm and the Voh by the BIPM

As do also all the national laboratories, the BIPM maintains the ohm

and the volt by means of 1-fl resistance standards and saturated cadmium

sulfate cells. The majority of these standards (especially resistors) were

fabricated by various national laboratories and deposited at the BIPM in

accordance with the recommendation of the CCE (1928) approved by the

CIPM. Currently, 6 1-fl standards and 43 cells constitute the reference

groups of the BIPM. It is by comparison with these references that the

BIPM determines the value of standards which are submitted to it for

study.

What do the references maintained at the BIPM represent?

Until 1935, these references, identified by the symbols 0^ and

were the averages of material representations of the ohm and the volt in use in the national laboratories which had participated in the most recent

periodic international comparisons. They could consequently vary on the

occasion of each comparison; it sufficed for this that a new laboratory came

573-106 0 - 75 - 11 151
152
in or tliat one ot tlie old ones modified tlie value assijined to its referenee

standards in the interval between two comparisons.

To avoid this serious drawback, the CCE in 1935 defined the "mean

international ohm" (Hm) and the "mean international volt" (Vm), as the

means, on 15 March 1935 and on 4 December 1934. respectively, of the

representations of the ohm and the volt maintained in the six lar<ie national

laboratories of the time (PTR. NBS. LCE. RTL. NPL. and IMM), these

means to be considered henceforth as constant. These are the means VL^ and

Vm which the BIPM maintained from 1935 to the 1st of January 1948. date

of the transition to absolute units.

It was foreseen that the value of the standards of the BIPM would be

readjusted, when necessary, on the occasion of international comparisons

(and this was actually the case in 1935. 1937. and 1939); but starting in September 1939 the BIPM found itself isolated and was forced to maintain Hm

and Vm depending solely on the quality of its own group of reference standards. Some later studies have shown that the behavior of these standards,

kept under the best possible conditions, had been excellent; and this was

fortunate for they played an important role in 1946. In fact, between 1939

and 1946. several reference standards of the six national laboratories in- volved were destroyed or damaged. It was thus considered in 1946 that the

"international mean units" Om and V^ were those maintained by the standards of the BIPM. The relations then adopted by the CIPM to pass from

these units to the absolute units were therefore applied directly to the

references maintained by the BIPM which became, starting on 1 January

1948. figiPM (absolute ohm maintained by the BIPM resistors) and VgipM

(absolute volt maintained by the BIPM cells), with the transformation relations given in table 1.

In 1946. the CIPM decided that henceforth Hbipm and Vbipm would constitute autonomous references and would participate in the international

comparisons on the same basis as the references of the national laboratories. Since 1950 the results of the international comparisons have been ex- pressed in terms of the references maintained by the BIPM.

The CIPM also specified in 1946 that "the values to be assigned to the

reference standards maintained by the BIPM would be fixed from time to time by the CIPM on the advice of the CCE, in accord with the results of

the comparisons carried out between these standards and the national

standards whose values had been determined directly by absolute measurements. Conforming to this decision, the CIPM decided in 1968 to correct

the values assigned to the references of BIPM. To avoid confusion between

the old references and the new ones, the symbols have been modified.

The relations between the references successively maintained by the

BIPM are given in table 1. Most of the large national laboratories having simultaneously

proceeded to the readjustment of the values assigned to their reference

153
standards, cuncoidance ainonji the national representations of the ohm and

the volt was assured for the first time to about one part in a million, practically throujihout the entire world, the 1st of January 1969.

Progtress of Metrolof?y in the Field of Electrieity

After having been very slow and laborious for numerous years, being

limited to the refinement of relatively old classical methods (use of the current balance to realize the ampere, calculation of self-inductance or mutual

inductance to realize the ohm), the progress of electrical metrology has

been remarkable since 1956; thanks to the application of recently

discovered physical laws, the verification of the permanence of standards

and the accuracy of the realizations of the units have been considerably improved.

Permanence ofStandards

Up until about 1960 for the ohm and 1970 for the volt, it was difficult to detect the drift of national reference groups. The relative drifts placed in

evidence by the international comparisons indeed seemed to prove the instability of the standards, but the limited precision of absolute measure- ments (20 to 50 times less precise than the relative measurements) did not

permit determining this instability with assurance.

Resistors ofPure Metal

To attempt the determination of the instability of manganin resistance

standards which comprised its reference group, the BIPM has constructed

several l-fi standards of platinum wire, defined at the temperature of the

triple point of water. From very numerous comparisons carried out regularly from 1958 to 1969 between the standards made of manganin and of

platinum, the BIPM has concluded that its reference group probably

remained stable to about 5 X 10"' fi.

Gyromagnetic Ratio of the Proton

It has been known for several years, how to reproduce the ampere with

a good precision (about 10 with the aid of the phenomenon of nuclear

magnetic resonance. For a proton (nucleus of hydrogen) of magnetic moment fx placed in a

field of magnetic flux density B, there exist only two possible energy states:

154
/jlB when its magnetic moment is parallel to B and — /jlB when it is antiparallel. When the proton passes from one state to the other, its energy

thus changes by 2fjiB, which involves the emission or absorption (according

to the sense of the flip) of a quantum of radiation hv = 2ixB (h, Planck's constant; V, radiation frequency). The frequency of the radiation is proportional to B: v={2/jijh) B; the proportionahty factor y = (2/x//i) is called the

gyromagnetic ratio of the proton [4]. If the flux density B is created by a current / in a solenoid, it is expressed by B = kl and consequently v= kyl.

The phenomenon of nuclear resonance then permits directly relating a current / to a frequency which is well defined and easy to measure. If A" remains constant (that is to say, if the geometric dimensions of the solenoid

and the permeability of the medium do not change), it is sufficient to reproduce v to recover /. Experimentally, the nuclear magnetic resonance of a very large

number of protons is observed at the same time; besides, the larger this

number is, the more convenient is the measurement. As it is necessary,

however, to contain these protons in a small volume (in the region of space

where the flux density is uniform), one observes in practice the nuclear resonance in a sample of pure water of several cubic centimetres (6 X 10--

hydrogen atoms per cm'*) which has been placed at the center of a long

solenoid.

At the BIPM, we do not yet use the phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance to maintain the ampere but we use it to stabilize and measure

the magnetic flux density in the air-gap of the electromagnet where we

determine the energies of a-particles (see p. 190).

Application of the Josephson Effect

To monitor the behavior of its reference cells, the BIPM has un- dertaken to put the Josephson effect into operation. The phenomenon,

discovered in 1962 [5], manifests itself between two superconductors

separated by an insulating layer of very small thickness (1 to 3 nm) constituting a "Josephson junction"; it furnishes a relation between a direct

voltage and a frequency.

In a superconductor, the conduction electrons of opposite spin group

themselves by pairs (Cooper pairs). These pairs of electrons do not obey

the same statistics as do independent electrons; they have a tendency to put themselves into the same quantum state so that a single wave function

<^ = (/)()e'^ (called the order parameter) suffices for characterization. As a

result, one can observe a quantum effect on the macroscopic scale.

When the insulating barrier which separates two superconductors is

sufficiently weak that the phases d-z and of the order parameters appropriate to each of them cannot vary independently, some electron pairs

15S
can cross the barrier by the tunnel effect. The current / which resuhs, and

the time variation of the difference between the phases have for their ex- pression:

/=/csin(6>2 - ^i) (1)

and

d{d,-9,) _2e (2)

dt h

where

/c = critical current whose value depends mainly on the nature of the junction and on the magnetic field in which it is placed,

e = elementary charge

h — Planck's constant

U = potential difference across the terminals of the junction.

If one passes a bias current / through such a junction, the phases di

and 62 adjust themselves to satisfy equation (1) and no voltage appears at the terminals of the junction as long as / ^ /c (this is the d-c Josephson effect). When / becomes greater than /g a voltage U appears and the difference between the phases {62 — Bi) increases proportionally with the

time; by this fact the junction becomes the seat of an alternating current of

frequency v = {2elh) U (this is the a-c Josephson effect which relates Uio v through the natural constants e and h).

If the bias current / is progressively increased while the junction is ir- radiated with an electromagnetic radiation of frequency v, the voltage U

across the terminals of the junction increases discontinuously and exhibits

steps whose levels are multiples of hl2ev (figs. 12a and 12b). With the value

A U

Figure 12. A-c Josephson effect, a: theoretical characteristic U = f {\) =n(hvj2e)\ b:

characteristic observed in the neighborhood of the 250th step (about 5 mV); step width in

current, about 20 /xA.

156
2e/A = 483 594 GHz/V and for a frequency of incident radiation ^' = 9.67

GHz. the steps are equidistant in the neighborhood of 20 /jlY.

The relation £/=n(/i/2e)f is independent of the nature of the superconductors and the barrier, of the temperature, of the magnetic field, and

of the power of the incident radiation.

The Josephson voltages are however always small (no more than a few

millivolts), thus difficult to measure with high precision. They are necessarily produced at a very low temperature (4.2 K or less), while the cells to which they are to be compared are maintained at 20 °C (293 K) or 30 °C (303

K); thermoelectric voltages necessarily result, whose influence must be

eliminated as completely as possible under pain of introducing systematic

errors into the measurements. Finally, the precision of the comparison depends directly on that of the voltage comparator.

At the BIPM, we fabricate junctions Pb - PbxO„ - Pb or Pb -

AljOy — Pb (fig. 13) (barrier resistance 200 to 300 mfi: step height, 50 to 100 ^A), with which we can produce conveniently usable Josephson volt- age of 5 mV (for example, the 250th step). We put two junctions in series to

finally make available a voltage of 10 mV.

The voltage comparator reahzes to about 1 X 10"** the 100/1 ratio which

exists between the electromotive force of the cell under study and the

Josephson voltage. It is constituted of 2 "Hamon devices" [6] placed in series and each comprising 10 lOO-H resistors; the 10 resistors of the first device are connected in parallel (resulting resistance 10 fl) when the 10 resistors of the second are connected in series (resulting resistance 1000 Cl)

and conversely.

J J J J

a

I

\ 1 0 1 2 cm

Figure 13. Small glass plate tarrying four Josephson junctions. J. junction: I'b. lead: a. soldering points for current and voltage leads.

157
We eliminate the effect of thermal electromotive forces by repeating

the measurements after having reversed the bias current through the junctions, the current m the comparator, and the polarity of the cell under

study.

A diagram of the principle of the installation at the BIPM is given in

figure 14. This installation is placed inside a screened room to shield it from stray electromagnetic radiation.

The cells which are compared to the Josephson voltage are maintained

in the temperature-regulated enclosure at 30 °C located in the screened

room and they are periodically calibrated relative to the BIPM reference

cells.During the measurements, the temperature of the helium bath in

which junctions are immersed is lowered by pumping to about 1.5 K. Below

the lambda point (2.17 K) the helium in fact becomes superfluid and its thermal conductivity exceptionally high (200 times better than that of

copper); the uniformity of the bath temperature is considerably improved

and the loss of helium reduced.

The microwave-frequency electromagnetic radiation is furnished by

a klystron where frequency is held constant to a few parts in 10^ throughout

Figure 14. Diagram of the principle of the installation for the comparison of the Josephson

voltage with the electromotive force of a standard cell. A. source of constant current for the

voltage comparator; B. source of bias current for the junction; C. voltage comparator; J,

junction; W. standard cell (electromotive force E): Ii, I2, I.3 current reversers; d. G2. G3, balance detectors; H.F., source of microwave radiation (K, klystron; P, controlled supply

for the klystron; S. frequency stabilizer; CF, frequency counter; EF, frequency standard). At balance (null current in G, and G2) the potential difference across the junction terminals

is equal to £'/?2/^ii.

158
the whole measurement by a stabiHzer which acts on the polarization voltage. The frequencies used are of the order of 8.5 GHz for the Pb-Pb^Oy-Pb

junctions and of 9.5 GHz for the Pb-Al.rO„-Pb junctions, and the irradiation

power is in the neighborhood of 200 mW.

The frequency counter is calibrated by means of a quartz clock, itself

calibrated starting from the 200 kHz transmissions of the station at Droitwich (United Kingdom). The measured frequencies are known to about 1 X

10-".

The BIPM continues to maintain the volt by means of standard cells,

but the electromotive force of these cells is periodically redetermined by

comparison with the reference voltage of a Josephson junction. We hope to thus be able to assure the permanence of the unit of electromotive force

maintained by the BIPM to about 1 X 10"^ V.

Accuracy ofRealization of the Units

Although the BIPM does not carry out absolute measurements, it very

closely follows the results and advancements of measurements made in the

national laboratories; these results in fact enter into the international comparison and serve to fix the values of the BIPM reference standards; as to advancements, they guide the future activities of the BIPM.

Unit ofResistance

A very important advance has been realized in the determination of

the farad and, as a consequence, in that of the ohm. Three reasons have

combined for this advance.

The first and essential reason was the discovery in 1955 by A. M.

Thompson and D. G. Lampard, of the NSL (Australia), of a new electrostatic theorem [7] permitting rigorously the reduction of the determination

of the capacitance of a capacitor of appropriate type to the determination

of a length, assuming the permittivity of space, eo, known. In the most

highly perfected apparatus [8], the length to be measured is that of a displacement; it is determined by interference measurements in terms of the

standard radiation of krypton 86 with a precision around 1 X 10^**.

There was next the development of transformer comparator bridges

[9] thanks to which one can pass from very small capacitances (0.25 to 0.50

pF) determined in absolute value to capacitances of practical value (up to

0.1 fiF) without loss of precision.

There was finally, more recently, the new determinations of the speed

of light to about 4 X 10--' (c = 299 792 458 m/s) [10] , from which is deduced

the permittivity of space by the relation eo = 10^/47rc^.

159
The conjunrtiDii of these three advances today makes the farad, formerly without metrological interest, the eleetric unit best known in absolute value. It is thus the farad, and no longer the henry, from which one now derives the value of the ohm through the intermediary of a frequency.

The precision thus obtained is in the neighborhood of 1 X 10 it has been

improved by a factor of 30 in about 15 years.

The interest in capacitors of small value is such that they will

probably, in the near future, be objects for international comparisons of the

same kind as standards of resistance and of electromotive force. The BIPM

has consequently equipped itself for carrying out comparisons of capacitors of 1 , 10, and 100 pF with a precision of about 1 X 10~**.

Unit ofElectromotive Force

The absolute determination of the volt has similarly profited from the

advances made in the determination of the farad. The possibility of replacing the always difficult and uncertain calculation of a capacitor by its measurement has given a fresh impetus to the so-called "absolute electrometer" in which the potential U applied to the movable member of a capacitor

is deduced from the measurement of a force F and the variation 8C of the

capacitance in terms of the relative displacement 8x of the movable

1 8C

member (F=-— C/'^). The precision of the determinations underway

/ ox

in several national laboratories could reach 1 x 10"'', that is to say, three to four times better than the precision currently obtained.

Conclusion

Following the mission which was assigned by the CIPM in 1929, the

BIPM has for almost a half century assured the uniformity of electrical

measurements throughout the world. Applying without delay the advances

of science and technology, it has continually improved its installations or created new ones in order that its standards permanently represent the

ohm and the volt as exactly as possible. In 1939, the CCE estimated that

the uncertainty was 2 X 10~^ for the ohm and 1 or 2 X 10""* for the volt; in

1948 these uncertainties were reduced to 1 X lO"'' for the ohm and 2 X 10~^

and a few in 10''. Progress has thus been continual.

These successes have led several national laboratories to request the

CIPM to extend the competence of the BIPM to measurements of electric

quantities in the domain of radiofrequencies. The CIPM received this

request favorably and in 1964 approved the creation within the CCE of a permanent working group for radiofrequency quantities. Without participating in the work experimentally, the BIPM has coordinated, since

1965. the execution of several international comparisons carried out in this

domain by the specialized laboratories.

160
The results already obtained are satisfactory and we believe that in this new discipline in full development, international collaboration will permit rapid improvement in the consistency and precision of measurement

results.

Bibliography

[1] Proces-Verbaux C.I. P.M. 13, p. 58 (1929).

[2] Proces-V erbaux C.I.P.M. 20, p. 129 (1945 1946).

[3] Comptes Rendus 9'' C.G.P.M.,p. 49 (1948).

[4] Purcell, E. M., Torrey. H. C, and Pound. R. V.. Resonance absorption by nuclear magnetic moments in a solid. Phys. Rev. 69, pp. 37-38 (1946). Bloch, F., Hansen. W. W., and Packard. M., Nuclear induction, Phys. Rev. 70, pp. 460-474(1946).

[5] Josepbson, B. D.. Phys. Letters 1, p. 251 (1962). Langenberg, D. N., Scalapino, D. J., and Taylor. B. N., The Josephson effects. Scientific .American, pp. 30-39 (May 1966).

Taylor. B. N., Parker, W. H., Langenberg. D. N., and Denenstein. A., On the use of the AC Josephson effect to maintain standards of electromotice force, Metrologia 3, No. 4, pp. 89-98 (1967). Petley, B. W. and Morris, K., A measurement of 2ejh by the AC Josephson effect. Metrologia 6, No. 2, pp. 46-51 (1970).

[6] Hamon, B. V., A 1-100 fl build-up resistor for the calibration of standard resistors, J . Sci.

Instr. 31, No. 12, pp. 450-4.53 (1954). Page, Ch. H.. Errors in the series-parallel buildup of four-terminal resistors, J. Res. Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.) 69C, No. 3. pp. 181-189(1965).

Page, Ch. H., Errors in the series-parallel buildup of four-terminal resistors, J. Res. Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.) 69C, No. 3, pp. 181-189 (1965). Page, Ch. H., Tetrahedral junction error contribution to a series-parallel four-terminal

resistor, IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas. lM-23, No. 1, pp. 5-8 (1974). Harris, F. K., Fowler, H. A., and Olsen, P. T., Accurate Hamon-pair potentiometer for Josephson frequency-to-voltage measurements, Metrologia 6, No. 4, pp. 134-142 (1970). Finnegan, T. F. and Denenstein. A., High accuracy potentiometers for use with ten

millivolt Josephson devices. I. Double series-parallel exchange comparator. Rev. Sci.

Instr. 44, No. 8, pp. 944-953 (1973).

[7] Thompson, A. M. and Lampard, D. G., A new theorem in electrostatics and its application to calculable standards of capacitance. Nature 177, p. 888 (1956). Lampard, D. C, A new theorem in electrostatics with applications to calculable stand- ards of capacitance, Proc. Inst. El. Engrs., Monograph 216M, 104C, 10 pages (1957).

[8] Clothier, W. K.. A calculable standard of capacitance, Metrologia 1, No. 2, pp. 36-55

(1965),

[9] Thompson. A. M.. The precise measurement of small capacitances, IRE Trans, on In- strumentation 1-7, Nos. 3-4, pp. 245-253 (1958). McGregor, M. C, Hersh, J. F., Cutkosky, R. D., Harris, F. K., and Kotter, F. R., New

apparatus at the National Bureau of Standards for absolute capacitance measurement,

IRE Trans, on Instrumentation 1-7, Nos. 3-4, pp. 253-261 (1958).

[10] Terrien, J.. International agreement on the value of the velocity of light, Metrologia 10,

p. 9 (1974).

161

CHAPTER VIII

PHOTOMETRY

When, in 1875, the BIPM was created to look after length and mass, T.

Edison had not yet constructed the first incandescent lamp. It was, however, already a century and a half since P. Bouguer had pubHshed his Essai

d'optique sur la gradation de la lumiere, which can without doubt be con- sidered as the first serious attempt at visual photometry; the luminous

sources of that time were flames and even the name of the various units in use up to 1948 strangely recalls the first standards: candles. There have

been successively lamps using coleseed oil (Carcel), pentane gas (VernonHarcourt), amyl acetate (Hefner); in all these cases the luminous intensity

depended not only on the fuel, but also on the wick, the height of flame, etc. To avoid the inconveniences of flame standards, Violle proposed in 1879 to adopt the luminous intensity emitted from 1 cm- of the surface of a bath of

pure platinum in the course of soHdification; unhappily, and for various reasons (impurities in the platinum, for example), VioUe's standard had low

reproducibility.

Artificial illumination became practical and effective only with the appearance of the incandescent lamp with a carbon filament (1879) and the

invention of the gas mantle (1895); it was the rivalry between these two

sources that made photometry progress.

Originally, each country had its own, and rather poorly reproducible,

unit of luminous intensity; it was necessary to wait until 1909 to see a beginning of unification on the international level, when the national

laboratories of the United States of America, France, and Great Britain decided to adopt the international candle represented by carbon filament

lamps; Germany, at the same time, stayed with the Hefner candle, defined

by a flame standard, and equal to about nine-tenths of an international candle. But a standard based on incandescent lamps, and consequently dependent upon their stability, would never have been fully satisfactory and

could therefore be only provisional; on the other hand, the properties of a blackbody provided a theoretically perfect solution and, as early as 1933,

the principle was adopted that new photometric units would be based on

the luminous emission of a blackbody at the freezing temperature of

platinum (2045 K).

163
It was in this situation, perhaps a little confused, but full of hope, that

the CIPM decided in 1937 to extend the activities of the BIPM and to install a photometric laboratory in the Pavilion de Breteuil, in order to "contribute to the international unification of the important physical quantity

which is the unit of light."

The role of the BIPM was not, and is no more so today, to realize the

primary standard (blackbody), but to maintain secondary reference standards for practical use in the form of standard incandescent lamps having

carbon or tungsten filaments; the values assigned to these lamps were to be

expressed with the aid of the "mean unit" that results from determinations

made in all national laboratories that have realized the primary standard.

Naturally, photometry is much more than the comparison of luminous

sources. Associated with radiometry, its applications extend to many other

disciplines such as colorimetry, optics, photography, astronomy,

pyrometry, etc. But here as elsewhere, the role of BIPM is definite and

voluntarily limited to the basic metrology.

Apparatus and Measurement Methods at the BIPM

The laboratory of the BIPM created in 1937 was thus conceived to respond to these needs; its equipment can be divided into two entirely

distinct parts: the electrical facility for providing power to the lamps and

the specifically photometric installations.

The direct current electrical supply of the lamps is simple since a relative precision of a few parts in 10'' is sufficient; initially assured by lead

storage batteries of large capacity, the supply is now provided from the

power lines through the intermediary of rectifiers and stabilizers, giving a more versatile operation.

A single potentiometer permits simultaneous determination of the

potential difference between the lamp terminals (by the intermediary of a voltage divider, however) and the current through the lamp; for the latter, one measures the potential difference between the terminals of a calibrated resistor connected in series with the lamp (fig. 1). Two lamps can

be supplied simultaneously on completely independent electrical circuits,

this was originally required by the measurement techniques used, and

remains today a practical advantage.

The photometric measurement of lamps at the BIPM displays a

characteristic which results from the coordinator role played by the BIPM

and which greatly facilitates the comparisons; all the lamps to be compared

are always operated at the same distribution temperature,*' that is to say

that their radiations have just about the same color; it is therefore not

necessary, at least in principle, to verify the spectral properties of the detector, whether it is the human eye or a physical sensor.

' The terms marked with an asterisk are defined in the lexicon.

164
Figure 1. Measurement nf the electrical characteristics nf an incandescent lamp. L. lamp; R.

calibrated resistor: A. adjustable stabilized supply (direct current); Rli. fine adjustment

rheostat: T. voltajre divider of total resistance R , and of division ratio p = 0.01: P. measuring potentiometer: C,. galvanometer.

a) The reading e, corresponds to the potential difference E between the terminals of L:

£' = e,/p. oi £=100p,

{Eh generally between 10 and 200 V.)

b) The reading e< corresponds to the current / thrcjugh L;

I=e2lR - EIRj

(/is generally between 0.2 and 6 .4.)

Photometric measurement [1] depends on either standards of lu- minous intensity* or standards of luminous flux*: thus a difference of only

a geometric nature separates the two kinds of measurement. Standards of

intensity are placed directly on a photometric bench in front of the sensor; standards of flux are placed in the center of a sphere (fig. 2) provided with

a small observation window and coated on the interior with a diffusing

white coating; the window faces the sensor. In the two cases, the measure- ment itself is finally the same and consists in attributing a value to the ratio

of illuminances* received by the sensor in comparing the two standard

lamps.

Originally the measurements were visual; the eye can judge correctly

only the equality of two illuminances, which must therefore be realized

simultaneously by using an auxiliary comparison lamp; the system for adjustment of the illuminance utilized variation of the distance to the

photometer, either from the comparison lamp or from the standard lamp

(fig. 3). Since the spectral sensitivity of the eye is not rigorously identical

from one individual to another, it was necessary either to have the measurements made by a large number of persons or to use several observers

who possessed the "average eye," at the least for a time and under certain

conditions. This "average eye" has been well defined physically since

165
Figure 2. Intc-irating sphere. This device is used for ciimparing standards of lumitKius flux. S. sphere (1.5 m diameter): L, standard lamp; L;„ auxiliary lamp: E, opaque screen (15 cm

diameter): M, spherical mirror: F, observation window (4 cm diameter); R. photoelectric sensor: A, area of the interior wall of the sphere, seen by R. via M. E protects F and A from

direct radiation emitted by L. Tlie illuminance at A is pr(ip<irtional to ihe luminous flux from

L. The interim' wall surface of the sphere carries a coating which should he uniform, stable,

perfectly diffusing; and with a nonselective high reflection factor. It is difficult to unite these diverse properties, but a flat white paint having zinc oxide pigment constitutes a

satisfactory compromise.

The lamp L placed at the center of the sphere must be considered as a foreign body

which "absorbs" a part of its own luminous flux; since this absorption is different from one lamp to another, one is led to apply a correction (rarely more than 1%) whose determination

is provided by L;, (measurements of the flux of L;, with and without L in the sphere).

166
Figure 3. Visual comparison oi Inn lamp standards nf himinous intensity. P. visual photometer: T, comparison lamp (of luminous intensity /): B. pliotometric bench furnished with a graduated scale: L|. reference lamp (of known luminous intensity I,): L,, lamp to be

calibrated (of unknown luminous intensity L,). P and T. movable along B. are rigidly linked

to each other at the fixed distance (/, which it is not necessary to know. In the course of each

of the two operations (a) and (b). one displaces the ensemble (P.T) just to the point where

the eye estimates that there are equal illuminances at P: one then has:

I,l<h- = II<I- and /,/,/,- =

whence:

573-106 O - 75 - 12 167
1924, tlianks to an international aJ^reement bearing on the curve of relative

spectral luminous efficacy V{k) (fig. 4); photometry is then completely freed

from physiological influence and has thus become a major scientific

discipline, similar to thermometry for example. Even aside from the fact

that visual measurements were long and painstaking, their duration

presented a definite inconvenience because incandescent lamps are standards of a slightly peculiar character: they change, as a matter of fact,

although very slowly, while being used.

A V{.\)

' — 1 1 >- 400 500 600 700 nm

Figure 4. Relative spectral luminous efficacy The values adopted by the Commission In- ternationale de rEclairaj;e (CLE.) are given in the form of a table [2], at 1 nm wavelength

intervals from 360 to 830 nm. I {K) is valid for photopic vision (or daytime vision) only; there

is another curve V'{\) apphcable to scotopic vision (night-time vision).

168
A substitute solution was therefore sought; nonsubjective and more

rapid, and there soon followed the adoption of the selenium photovoltaic

cell which, under certain conditions of use, constitutes a satisfactory sensor for photometry. The photovoltaic cell is used in the same way as the

eye. for determining the equality of two illuminances, the determination of

the ratio of two standards always resulting from the measurement of

distances to the sensor. A new advance was achieved with the photoelectric cell, today still in

service. The vacuum cell, of the (/illod-Boutry type (cylindrical anode forming a Faraday cage around the cathode), presents the enormous advantage

of excellent linearity, better than 10 for an illuminance ratio between 1 and 2 for example; this remarkable quality, together with the fact that the

illuminances to be compared no longer need be realized simultaneously,

but on the contrary, should be realized successively, has permitted simplifying the measurement installation (fig. 5). A comparison lamp is no longer

needed, and the measurement of distances is no longer required; the cur- rent given by the cell is proportional to the illuminance on the sensor. A

potentiometric compensating device, associated with a direct-current amplifier using a null detector, completes the receiver. Although the incandescent lamps to be compared have identical spectral energy distributions

in principle, it has been judged prudent to correct the spectral sensitivity

of the cell by means of filters to make it approximately analogous to V(X.)

thus avoiding a small uncertainty due to the minor differences in spectral

distribution of the radiation from the lamps.

This measurement method is rapid, which is beneficial for the standard lamps; moreover, it permits total freedom from the law of variation of

illuminance as a function of distance, a law whose rigorous validity cannot

be guaranteed (source and receiver of non-negligible dimensions compared

Figure 5. Photoelectric comparison of two lamp standards of liimincnis intensity. V. double

opal glass: D,. D2, diaphragms: Oi. O2 objectives: C. cathode of the phuioelectric tube. The

reference lamp Li (of known luminous intensity I,}, then the lamp to be calibrated L2 (of unknown luminous intensity /2) are successively placed at the unknown, but fixed, distance

d in front of V. D, defines the surface of the cathode which is illuminated and. with D2. the

geometrical throughput of the beam. The photoelectric current is proportional to /|. which

implies: 1-1 = I, (kli,)

169
to the distance that separates them, atmospheric absorption). It is estimated that the precision of measurement is better than 0.1 percent, when

all the precautions in the organization of the measurements, symmetry in

particular, are taken.

International Comparisons of Intensity

and of Luminous Flux

The BIPM has already utilized its installations five times (1948, 1952,

1956, 1961, 1969) for comparisons of standard lamps which maintain, in the

large national laboratories, the two principal photometric units [3]; these

two units are the candela*, which is either determined directly starting

with the primary standard at 2045 K (fig. 6), or realized at higher distribution temperatures (2357 K and 2859 K), and the lumen* realized at 2357 K

or at 2793 K (fig. 7). The laboratories participating in these comparisons are

R(/,)

L(/) R(/;) ®

Figure 6. Principle <>{ the calibration of an incandescent lamp hy comparison with the primary standard of luminous intensity (2045 K). T. hiackliody (thoria tube): Pt. pure platinum at

its freezing temperature: Th. thoria powder; C.h. heater: P. prism-lens of transmission factor r; A. area (to be determined precisely) oi the aperture of a diaphragm: R. photoelectric sensor whose current is prnpoi I ioiial to the received illuminance E,: L, incandescent lamp

of luminous intensity / to be dctei must be constant.

(a) £, = 600 000(7 -.-i/*/-). from t

d; </. distance uhii h need not he known, but which

definition of the candela

(b) E, = tll(P) so that

1 = 611(1 IWOt A <E-,IE,)

I = m) OUUt A{i.,ji^)

170
in principle those which have reahzed the primary standard, but the magnitude of the work to be done for this reahzation is such that there are rarely more than one or two laboratories that have redetermined the candela

starting with the blackbody before each new comparison.

The results obtained show some disagreements between laboratories

of as much as about ±0.8 percent for the candela determined directly from

the primary standard; this is much larger than the errors (about 0.3%)

which each laboratory estimates, which proves that there exist important

systematic errors in the blackbody realization or in the transfer to incandescent standards; studies undertaken on the causes of these errors have

not yet permitted reducing the differences.

Under these conditions, it might be feared that the spread among the

results of the laboratories may be larger for standards of luminous intensity

at higher distribution temperatures, and for standards of flux; this is happily not the case, without doubt by a phenomenon of partial error compensation, since the disagreements do not exceed ±1.1 percent (fig. 8). But perhaps the most important verification is that in the chain of comparisons

LUMINOUS

INTENSITY

LUMINOUS FLUX

PRIMARY STANDARD

(blackbody at the freezing point of

pi atmum)

SECONDARY

STANDARDS

(Incandescent

lamps)

2045 K

Photometer

2357 K

J 2045 K

blue glass

Photometer i

Spectrophotometer

2859-K

Goni ophotometer 2357 K

blue glass

Integrating sphere

and photometer

2793 K

Figure 7. Crenealngy of photometric' standards. The origin of the various values ot distriliutioii temperature attributed to the standards is the following: 2045 K— freezing temperature of

platinum; 2357 K— temperature obtained by placing a certain blue glass in front of a standard at 2045 K; 2793 K- temperature obtaiiic<l !>> placing the same blue glass in front of

a standard at 2357 K: 2859 K— temperature oi a coioriinetric reference standard. (The arrows indicate the passage from one standard to the next, with the comparison instrument

indicated.)

171
there has appeared no reduction in the dispersion of the resuhs between

national laboratories; we have, however, in particular for the comparison

of 1969, tried to get rid of some defects and uncertainties of incandescent

lamps by multiplying the precautions taken: choice of a unique lamp type

only slightly subject to variation during transport, substantial increase in

the number of lamps in the groups, specification of the manner of excitation and of the duration of preheating the lamps, etc. If no progress has

been realized with respect to the dispersion among laboratories, we have,

however, observed for each laboratory a greater consistency than previously between the results of two successive comparisons.

Figure 8. Results lA' the cdiiiparisou (if national standards of luminous intensity (2045 and

2859 K) and of luminous flux (2793 K) carried out in 1969. In the three cases, deviation of each lahoratory relative to tlir mean. (The abbreviations are those used by the partici|3atin<i

laboratories.)

172
Maintenance of the Units and Stability of the Standard Lamps

The BIPM maintains reference standards whose values, in candelas

or in lumens, resuhs from the mean of the groups of lamps sent by the national laboratories at the time of the 1952 comparison. These standards are used for the varied work carried out at the BIPM and for furnishing calibrations to laboratories requesting them; several hundred lamps have been

sent to Sevres since 1952 for calibration or for verification of their calibration. The three following international comparisons (1956, 1961, 1969) have

shown that the reference standards of the BIPM have continually satisfactorily represented the mean of the national standards of the laboratories

having reahzed the primary standard at least once.

The uncertainty of the photometric measurements, of the order of 0.5

percent, is such that an attempt at unification of the national reahzations of

the candela and lumen, made in 1961, failed; it was finally judged preferable to have each laboratory retain the initiative as concerns its own

representation of the units. This uncertainty is due essentially to the instabilities of some incandescent lamps; despite a rigorous selection and a preliminary aging with the aim of stabiHzing their electrical and photometric characteristics, the lamps remain subject, with almost rare exceptions,

both to a change with time which would be easy to take into account, and

also, which is more serious, to unexpected variations due to their design or

to their construction. Some progress has already been made, in particular

for evacuated lamps usable at a low color temperature (fig. 9); but much

remains to be done to obtain stable gas-filled lamps, which are, however,

the most necessary because they are the most used in practice.

Spectrophotometric Measurements

The comparison results given above might be interpreted to mean that

the realizations of the candela and the lumen at different distribution temperatures are independent units: such is not the case. For example, if the

photometric laboratories could obtain radiation sensors whose spectral

sensitivity was exactly proportional to ^''(A.), there would evidently no longer

be any difficulty in comparing two lamps operated at different distribution

temperatures.

There exists, however, a method, which is quite satisfactory theoretically for resolving this delicate problem; it consists of dividing the two

radiations to be compared into a very large number of homologous spectral

elements and comparing these elements two-by-two, which is a simple

photometric measurement; the ratio of the two radiations is then obtained

by taking rigorous account of the values of V{k) in the computation.

173
Fi-iure 9. Lamp standard of luminous intensity. Nominal characteristics: 10 V. 5 A. 2045 K, 15

cd; preheat time 15 min. The type of construction (absence of hooks to support the fila- ment), the choice of material (envelope without noticeable defects) and the care taken in as- sembling the lamp make it a standard of excellent stability. It must, however, never be forijotten that an incandescent standard lamp is a fragile instument. particularly sensitive to shock and vibration.

174
This method of spectrophotometry, rather long but certainly much

more sure, has already been used several times by the BIPM, to see what were the relations which linked the mean representations of the candela at 2045 K. 2357 K. and 2859 K; the resuhs obtained show that the magnitude

of the candela is the same in the three cases, to better than about 0.3 percent, which can be considered as entirely satisfactory in view of the measurement uncertainties. These results, combined with those of the international comparisons, allow estimating the precision with which the national

laboratories compare standards of different spectral distribution temperature; we note some spreads of 1 to 2 percent which show that the methods

of heterochromatic photometry used — methods generally based on colored

glasses — do not offer the hoped-for rehabihty of measurement. In the case

of the lumen, some older studies lead to similar conclusions.

International Comparison of

Distribution Temperature Scales

We have spoken several times of the distribution temperature without,

however, completely specifying which scale is involved. For a very long

time, the BIPM has had available only one scale, rather uncertain but

nevertheless sufficient for its needs, based on the means of the distribution

temperatures near 2045 K, 2357 K, and 2793 K, of the national standards of

luminous intensity and of luminous flux which were involved in the international comparison of 1952.

In 1963, the organization of the first comparison of standards of distribution temperature enabled one to compare the national scales and

establish a mean scale between 2045 K and 3000 K [4]. The measurements

made by two different methods, one of which was the spectrophotometric

method, and at six nominal temperatures distributed rather regularly

between 2045 and 3000 K, have shown an appreciable spread among

laboratories from 2600 K up: the maximum spread between the two laboratories whose results are the most divergent reaches several tens of kelvins

(fig. 10). The resulting mean scale is a practical scale defined at six points;

despite the disagreements among laboratories, and doubtless here also by

a happy phenomenon of compensation of errors, one can verify the excellent coherence of the mean scale to a few kelvins.

Prospects Offered by Radiometry

We see that the work of the BIPM has been restricted until now to the

comparison of incandescent lamps, and it is evident that even aside from

the reahzation of the blackbody at the freezing point of platinum, there are some improvements to be made in heterochromatic photometry and in the

transfer from standards of luminous intensity to standards of luminous

flux.

175
DAMWi

Figure 10. Results of the comparison of national standards of distribution temperature carried out in 1963- 1964. At the six nominal temperatures indicated, deviation of each laboratory relative to the mean. (The abbreviations are those used by the participating laboratories.)

But there are also other problems. For example, there exists a disagreement between the calculated value and various experimental values

of the maximum luminous spectral efficacy Km^ which is the ratio between

the luminous flux (in lumens) and the radiant flux (in watts) of a given

monochromatic radiation at the wavelength 555 nm (maximum of the curve

V(K)); the calculated value requires a good knowledge of the freezing temperature of platinum, which has stimulated several national laboratories to undertake new determinations of this temperature. Conversely, one could

also, by convention, assign a value to the luminous efficacy of a given

monochromatic radiation and realize the photometric quantities by means

of an absolute heat detector preceded by a V{\.) filter with a known transmission factor; we would then have a new basis for the candela (or for the

lumen) which would allow abandoning the blackbody.

Some studies along this line are underway in several national laboratories and some encouraging results have already been obtained; nevertheless, an international comparison of incandescent lamps calibrated in

power units, organized in 1966, exhibited the same dispersion among the

radiometric scales as among the practical realizations of the candela [5].

It would therefore be premature to change the current definition of the candela. Radiometric measurements, and especially spectroradiometric ones,

however, open the way to such applications and their rapid development is inescapable.

176
Small Lexicon of Photometry

Luminousflux

Quantity derived from energetic flux (energy transported in the form

of radiation) by the evaluation of radiation through its action on a selective sensor whose spectral sensitivity is defined by the relative spectral lu- minous efficacy V(k).

Unit: lumen, Im

Luminous intensity {of a source, in a direction).

Quotient of the luminous flux leaving the source and propagating in an element of solid angle containing the direction, by that element of solid angle.

Illuminance (at a point of a surface).

Quotient of luminous flux received by a surface element containing

the point, by the area of that element.

Unit: lux, Ix

Luminance (in a direction, at a point on the surface of a source).

Quotient of the luminous intensity, in the given direction, of a surface

element at this point, by the area of the orthogonal projection of that element on a plane perpendicular to the given direction.

Distribution temperature

Temperature of the blackbody for which the ordinates of the spectral

distribution curve of its luminance are proportional, or nearly so, in the

visible range, to those of the distribution curve of the radiation considered.

Unit: kelvin, K

Candela

SI unit of luminous intensity: the luminous intensity, in the perpendicular direction, of a surface of 1/600 000 square metre of a blackbody at

the temperature of freezing platinum under a pressure of 101 325 pascals.

(13th CGPM, 1967)

Symbol: cd

Lumen

SI unit of luminous flux: the luminous flux emitted per unit sohd angle

(steradian) by a uniform point source having a luminous intensity of 1 candela. (9th CGPM, 1948)

Symbol: Im

177
Bibliography

[1] Walsh. J.-W. T., Photometry, second edition, 532 pages. Constable and Co., London

(1953).

[2] Publications of the Commission Internationale de I'Eclairage No. 18, pp. 43-48 (1970),

and No. 15, pp. 93-102(1971).

Proces-VerbauxC.l.P.M. 40, Annexe 1. pp. 145-150(1971).

[3] Terrien, J. and Moreau, H., Rapport sur la deuxieme comparaison des etalons na- tionaux d'intensite et de flux lumineux (1950-1952), Proces-Verbaux C.I.P.M., 23-B,

pp. P76-P100(1952).

Terrien, J., Moreau, H., and Bonhoure, J., Rapport sur la troisieme comparaison des

etalons nationaux d'intensite et de flux lumineux (1956-1957), Proces-Verbaux C.I. P.M.

26-B,pp. P74-P103(1957).

Bonhoure, J., Rapport sur la quatrieme comparaison des etalons nationaux d'intensite

et de flux lumineux (1961), Comite Consultatif de Photometrie, 5^ session, pp. 63-87

(1962). Bonhoure, J., Rapport sur la cinquieme comparaison des etalons nationaux d'intensite

et de flux lumineux (1969), Comite Consultatifde Photometrie, 7'' session, pp. P86-P119

(1971).

[4] Bonhoure, J., Rapport sur la premiere comparaison des etalons nationaux de

temperature de repartition (1963-1964), Comite Consultatif de Photometrie, 6'' session,

pp. P47-P65(1965).

[5] Bonhoure, J., Comparaison Internationale des echelles radiometriques. Rev. Gen.

Electricite, 78, pp. 1001-1007 (1969), and Recueil de Travaux du B.I. P.M. 2, article 20

(1968-1970).

178
CHAPTER IX

MEASUREMENT OF RADIOACTIVITY

Generalities on the Methods of Measurement

The term radioactivity designates the abihty of certain nuc lides to emit radiation and particles, and to undergo spontaneous changes. In traversing matter, these radiations lose their energy and produce ions.'

electrons, and photons. The measurement of radioactivity is based on the

detection of these secondary products; its goal is to determine the average

number of nuclear transformations (commonly called disintegrations) per

second, that is to say the activity of a source.

We can distinguish two classes of detector depending on whether one

counts the primary particles or photons individually (at least in principle), or measures only their average effect. Those of the first class are generally

called "counters," those of the second can be called detectors. The proportional counter, which has almost completely supplanted the famous (ieigerMiiller counter, records the passage of a single ionizing particle by multiphcation of the primary ions. It belongs to the first class, just as does the scintillation counter which consists of, for example, a crystal of sodium iodide

in conjunction with a photomultiplier which transforms the scintillations

produced in the crystal by the radiation into electrical impulses, and amplifies these. In contrast, ionization chambers (integrating type) collect

without multiplication the charge liberated by the radiation.

A considerable part of the radiation emitted by a source often escapes

detection, for example by self-absorption; this prevents a direct measure of

activity. Some emitters of more than one radiation, however, under certain

conditions lend themselves to an absolute measurement by the method of

coincidence counting. An example will be explained in more detail in the

next section. The results ctbtained are often accurate to a few parts in a thousand.

Let us lecall, in passing, that accuracy refers to the difference

between the results obtained and the true, but unknown value. On the

' An ion is an atom or a molecule that is electrically charged. It can be created by the liberation of one or more electrons from a neutral atom or molecule which lies in the path ot ionizing

radiation.

179
other hand, precision chciracterizes the spread amon<i the resuUs, that is to say, their repeatibihty (under conditions as identical as possible) or their

reproducibility (under varied conditions). The long-term reproducibiHty of

the results obtained with a well-type ionization chamber can be considerably better than that obtained from other detectors or assemblies; this

explains its importance in activity measurements.

For the BIPM. the principal goal is achieving uniformity of measure- ments throughout the world and over a long time. The only sure means is to im])rove the accuracy of these measurements; this demands a thorough

knowledge of extraneous effects which can introduce systematic errors. Comparisons of independent measurements carried out in different laboratories not only allows checking uniformity but can also sometimes reveal

systematic errors. This requires close cooperation with the national laboratories.

Since the comparison of solid radioactive sources presents several inconveniences—source fragility, mountings not adapted to all detectors, impossibility of simultaneous measurement in different laboratories — it is often preferable to compare liquid sources, that is to say, aqueous solutions

of radioactive salts, provided that these are homogeneous and stable. One

then measures the activity per unit mass of solution, called radioactive

concentration. Evidently, this gain in the freedom and generality of the

measurement introduces new parameters and additional uncertainties arising from the determination of the mass of a drop of solution (sampling) and

the preparation of the sources. These techniques and manipulations must

be considered as being part of the measurement method. Having determined the mass of the aliquot, one can let the solvent evaporate or add it to another Hquid (scintillation liquid).

It is not useful for a small laboratory to try to practice a large number

of different methods and techniques. In the case of the BIPM. it has

seemed preferable to choose only two or three methods, to study them, and

to perfect them as far as possible. The basic method chosen was the

47r/3(PC)-y method of coincidence counting; this method is generally considered as the most accurate for certain radionuchdes.

The Method of Counting by 47r/3(PC)-y Coincidences

The BIPM has proposed to study this method in its smallest details to increase its precision as much as possible and to consohdate its theoretical

bases, in order to be able to apply the various necessary corrections with

more certainty. Long term experiments and special studies on the

techniques used have already achieved considerable progress.

The method is applicable to radionuclides which, immediately after a P disintegration, undergo a transition with the emission of a photon.

180
A source is placed inside a proportional counter (PC) which records

practically only electrons, irrespective of their direction, and thus has a

hiiih efficiency (jieometry with a solid angle of 47r sr). A scintillation

counter using a Nal crystal, placed close to the proportional counter,

records only the y rays emitted in a limited solid angle, thus has a reduced,

but constant, efficiency. Now these efficiencies can be considered as the

probabilities that the corresponding events are recorded. One has to determine only one or the other of these probabilities, banking on the simultaneity of the (3 and y events. An appropriate electronic device counts the

number of coincident events.

Let us denote by and ey the respective probabilities that disintegration ot a source atom will be recorded in the (B channel or the y channel.

Then the f3-y coim idence will be recorded with the probability e, = e/j • ey, since e/j and ey are independent of each other. The counting rate, that is to say the number of i)articles. jihotons. or coincidences recorded per unit

time. pi-j. py. p,.. observed in the three channels, are all proportional to the

sought-for disintegration rate, Po:

Pli = poei3, py = poey.

pr^ Pne,- = pi)eiiey,

whence

Pn = Pspylpr.

Ill this simple formula, we have neglected all loss of counts due, for ex- ample, to dead time- or to inevitable delays in the detectors and the electronics. It is relatively easy to take account of these effects in an approximate way: this seems sufficient in most cases, but there still does not exist a rigorous treatment. The work carried out at the BIPM in this fielH is described later (p. 188).

The BIPM has. moreover, always attached much importance to technical questions on the counting process and source preparation

techniques [1.2.3]. Numerous special reports, discussions within Section

II ol the CCEMRI. and resulting work, address these questions.

The BIPM Laboratory for Radioniu-lide Measurements

A 47r/3-y counting system, installed in 1962. comprises several pieces

of equipment generously donated to the BIPM by various organizations.

Such a system should always be in working order; it is quickly obsolescent

and must be updated every 5 years. In addition, a second system was constructed soon after the first, and installed in an air-conditioned room in the

-The inininuini inUMvul necessary for recordinfi two separate pulses is eaiied detid time (or resolution time). To establish well defined conditions, an artificial dead time is often imposed.

181
new building oi tlic ioiiiziii^ radiatiims section. Four years later, the electronic system was replaced with a c(tmi)letely transistorized system [4].

Modifications to ^ive still more cliicicnl actiiiisition of data are in |)rocess.

Figure 1 gives a view of this setup.

Our present technicjues for preparing dilutions and sources have been

taught to numerous foreign guest workers who have come to spend several

weeks at the BIPM. The manipulations of source preparation are illustrated by figure 2. Let us recall finally that the BIPM has prepared and standardized

nearly 10 000 sources since 1963; several hundred of these have been

placed at the disposal of various national lalxiratories.

Figure 1. \ ii-u 111 llic LilI'M syslciii lor' i'(iuiitin;i liy llic \-Trlj^\'(.)-y ('iiiiicidence method. A:

lead castle eoiitaiiiin^ the dctectois and the sduicc to lie measured: B: bottle eontainiii};

fias which circulates tliiciii;ih the iiroportional i-ouuter; C: preamplitier ot the scintillation counter (for y radiation); U: transistorized elect i onic system; E: counter displays: F:

electronic tiniei' and printer; (i: oscilloscope (1(0 various checks): H: hi.uh-voltaiie supply

lor the detcctoi s; I: nuiltichannel analyzer (for recordint; y specti a).

182
d e f Figure 2. Preparation of radioactive sources. Manipulations are carried out with gloves to avoid contaminating the hands, a: The polyethylene pycnometer containing radioactive

solution; the end seal of the drawn-out neck is being cut. b: First weighing of the pycnometer on the platform of a microbalance. The pycnometer ( = 1 g) contains 1 to 2 gof solution,

c: Deposition of several drops (50 mg. on the average) on the support. This latter is a film of

thin plastic. metalHzed and stretched across the hole of a metallic washer, d: Second

weighing of the pycnometer; the mass of solution used is obtained by the difference from

the preceding weighing, e: A drop of wetting agent is added to each source with the aid of another pycnometer. f: Drying the sources in a current of air. The cleanliness of the instru- ments must be carefully guarded.

Radioactivity Standards

More than 1800 nuclides are known today; most of these are radioactive. The measured half-lives^ range from less than a microsecond to more

than a biUion years. The radionuclides of metrological interest have halflives between an hour and several thousand years. For the choice of a standard, it is important to recall that the results of a measurement of radioactive decay of, in general, a mixture of radionuclides depend on the values

of the half-lives of each radionuclide present, and on the mixture ratios of

the radionuclides. These ratios are not known with certitude; the useful life of a standard is therefore also not known. A practical solution consists of

preparing a batch of standards and replacing it with a new batch well before the sources become too weak.

In principle, the unit of activity could be maintained with the help of a single absolute measurement device, without use of standard sources. It has been estabhshed, however, that a 47r)8(PC)-y system, probably the

device best adapted to this use, can remain unchanged for only a few years.

^The radioactive half-life is the time required for the activity to decrease to half its initial value.

573-106 O - 75 - 13
It is therefore safer to refer also, if possible, to one or more appropriate

standard sources. At the BIPM we have chosen a certain number of "^"Co and "^^Mn sources, havin"; respective half-lives of 1926 and 312 days; in the course of measurements, we slip these in among the sources whose activity

is to be determined. Each standard can be used for one or two half-lives

and then must be replaced by a new source. This procedure guarantees

good continuity of measurements while furnishing absolute results. It has

the inconvenience of being valid only for the radionuclides mentioned and

requires a rather delicate source preparation.

In certain cases, we prefer to sacrifice the absolute character of the

method, and thus the measurement accuracy, for the benefit of better

precision. This is the case for current-measuring ionization chambers like

the well chamber (where one has provided a tube, or well, for placing the source inside the chamber). Such a chamber, also called a 47ry chamber,

can constitute a reference device of very high reliability for y emitting

radionuclides if the current measurements are made relative to an appropriate radium source (half-life ~ 1600 years).

The BIPM has embarked on a permanent reference system for international comparisons. This system comprises a 4<TTy chamber, an automatic

system for current measurement, and a set of special radium sources.

It is expected that the national laboratories that distribute radioactive

solutions will send some of their production ampoules to the BIPM. We

shall measure them, store them, and communicate the complete results,

thus establishing the possibility of relating these standards and achieving

uniformity of activity measurements on y emitters.

The international radium standard, stored at the BIPM (see p. 37). no

longer has great metrological importance aside from its historical interest

and its well defined mass of very pure radium. The mobility of the salt in its container diminishes the vaUdity of ionization measurements, and the increasing fragility of the container forbids frequent use.

International Comparisons of Radionuclides

We estimate that we can measure the activity of certain radionuclide

sources, such as *'"Co, to a few parts in a thousand. This uncertainty is composed of a random part and a systematic part. The first can be determined

by the laws of statistics: it decreases when the number of independent

measurements increases. The second, however, is determined only by an

estimate whose validity depends on the experience of the operator and the

extent of possible variations of parameters (method, operator, laboratory,

measurement conditions, etc.).

The systematic error can be estimated on firm grounds only if comparative measurements are carried out between various laboratories and

by different methods. The CCEMRI has recognized this need since the

184
beginnin<i; of its existence. Numerous comparisons of radionuclides had al- ready been made before, but it was considered desirable that they be con- tinued on a more extensive and official basis. The goal, which might seem

ambitious, was formulated by the CCEMRI in 1961: "It is desirable that an accuracy of ±1%— possibly going to ±0.1% in certain cases — be attained

in the standardization of radionucUdes."

Comparisons organized by the BIPM began in 1961 at a very rapid

pace but this subsequently slowed down (see table 1). As each of these

comparisons has been described in detail [5], we limit ourselves to presenting here some interesting figures.

Part of the results of the international comparison of ""Co in March

1963 is represented graphically in figure 3. One will note the small difference (statistically significant) linked to the method of weighing drops of

solution. Several authors have subsequently very carefully studied this difference which would have perhaps passed unnoticed if the comparison had

not revealed it. The temporary halt of comparisons after 1967 was due to the predominant opinion of the participants who found that the results, often difficult

to interpret, did not always justify the difficult work since a certain number

of problems had not been studied [6]. These problems have been distributed among several working groups of which one is rightly charged with

preparing new proposals for international comparisons.

Statistics of Counting

All the tasks undertaken in this field at the BIPM have their origin in

a practical goal. In certain cases, it is a matter of finding, adapting, or developing methods which permit the extraction of maximum useful information from the results of measurements which have been made with the

greatest possible care. In other cases, one is led to the use of statistical

reasoning to more correctly describe an observed process, as, for example,

the counting of pulses of nuclear origin whose distribution departs appreciably from a simple Poisson Law.^ To neglect these deviations or to take account of them only in an imperfect way would inevitably introduce

systematic errors. Finally, such a description can sometimes give rise to a new measurement method.

Here are some examples of applications in different fields which have

been treated at the BIPM: - Exploration of experimental data: analysis permitting discovery

of distortions due to a dead time, method of extrapolation of the

profile of a spectral line of a particles to zero intensity, smoothing an

experimental spectrum.

^ In this case, the probabihty of observiii}; n pulses in a time interval / is given hy e-"' (pt)" jn\.

where p is the counting rate (mean number of pulses per unit time).

185
AAEC

BCMN

CENS

IKO

IMM

ISS

JEN

PTB

(

1

c

AECL I I

AIEA

BIPM

CNAM

ETL

ISN

NBS

NPL

NPRL

NRC I I UVVVR I

c 0,1%

-I—I—I—I—1—I—I—I—

r

1510

-I—I—I—I—I—I—

I—I—I—1—1—I—I—I—I—I—|-

1520 1530 s-''mg-''

Figure 3. International comparison of a solution of ""Co (May 1963). The horizontal bars

represent mean results (activity per gram) with their standard deviations. The vertical lines

(broken) indicate arithmetic means of groups of results obtained either by the pycnometer

method (P). or by the ""extrapolation" method lE) in which the deposited drops are weighed

directly, but in which aUowance must be made for evaporation before and during the

weighing, by extrapolation to the initial instant. The initials at the left designate the participating laboratories.

186
Table 1. Resume of ihe eleven inteiiiatioiial eoniparisons

of radionuclides orjranized !)) the BIPM

Number of Range of Number of Total selected tfie selected Radionuclide Date participants range results results (%) (%)

32p Jan. 1961 16 6.0 13 2.0

131| April 1961 16 4,0 12 1 .5 Jan. 1962 25 3.1 15 2.5

Jan. 1 962 21 9.0 18 3.0

204TI May 1 962 19 14 14 5.9

355 June 1962 15 18 4 6.5 March 1 963 22 4.6 19 1.4 "'Am June 1963 21 3.1 13 0.8 TM(Sr + Y) Feb. 1964 23 3.0 16 2.0 "Mn Apr. 1965 16 14 15 6.0 ^°Co May 1967 24 1.7 20 0.9

— Process description: superposition of regenerative processes,^

time intervals between pulses after an extendable dead time (fig. 4),

modifications of a Poisson process by a nonextendable dead time,

effect of two successive dead times, statistics of pairs of pulses,

time intervals between correlated pulses. — New methods: determination of dead time to better than 0.1 percent, coincidence counting by a delay method, measurement of

secondary pulses.

Most of the problems concerning dead time have been described in

two articles which give a comprehensive view of the current state of our knowledge in this area [7,8]. Other studies have been treated in internal

reports of the BIPM; these are available on request.

The majority of these studies aim at a better knowledge of the cor- rections to be applied to counts obtained by the 47r/3-y method. The study

of perturbations capable of causing systematic errors is a permanent task.

Numerous problems are not yet resolved in a satisfactory way, as, for ex- ample, the loss of coincidences produced by the dead times in the /3 and y

channels. At the same time, these already well-advanced studies are being

actively pursued, with the aim of a simplified apphcation of the correlation

method. This method is a new route which may rival the direct measure- ment of coincidences.

To illustrate the results obtained by these studies, we have chosen the

two following examples which outline some new measurement methods

that have already aroused hvely interest in other laboratories.

^In a regenerative process, successive events occur independently of each other. Such a process is thus completely characterized by the distribution function of the time intervals between successive events.

573-106 O - 75 - 14 187
original series I —I H 1

t

after a non-extendable dead time

after an extendable dead time

t

Figure 4. Effect of dead time on a series of pulses. For a nonextendable dead time, each

recorded pulse is followed by a dead time of duration r which prevents counting pulses

which may arrive during this interval. In contrast, for an extendable dead time, all pulses,

recorded or not, are followed by a dead time of duration r. The times of insensitivity. dif- ferent according to the type of dead time, are indicated by the hatched rectangles.

superposition

deed

time

T

Figure 5. Precise measurement of an imposed dead time. — upper: scheme of the principle for measuring t with the use of two oscillators. — lower: counting rate r measured as a function of the frequency i^i; v-i\v\ is assumed

constant.

a) Precise measurement of dead time

If the elaboration of more and more rigorous correction formulas for

lost counts is indispensable, it is important that the numerical values inserted into these formulas be sufficiently accurate, in particular the duration of the dead time. Traditional techniques (two-source method, decay

method) all have the inconvenience of being tedious and of low precision.

Furthermore, they assume that the original process follows a Poisson Law

strictly and that the type of dead time is known in advance. Now to measure a dead time, we are not obliged to use a series of pulses coming from

a natural source; it is only important to know the distribution of time intervals between successive events. This distribution is particularly simple if we use a superposition of pulses coming from two oscillators of frequencies

and v-z (with V\ > p-t)- Figure 5 illustrates the results obtained for the

188
counting rate r of the superposed process. It is assumed that the length of

the pulse is neghgible with respect to the dead time t. For the range Vi <

1/2t. r is independent of the type of dead time, t can be deduced from the

relation

T= (l^i + V2 — r)l2viV2.

On the other hand, for Vi > 1/2t, the counting rate r depends on the type of

dead time and thus permits its identification.

b) Measurement ofsecondary pulses

Questions concerning the detection of secondary pulses hold a particular interest for all absolute measurements of activity, for the occasional occurrence of more than one pulse for a single initial event risks a systematic falsification of the count. Such duphcations can show up by their influence on the distribution of intervals between successive pulses. Other

perturbations of the process under study have, however, a similar effect,

and if an anomaly is observed it is often difficult to attribute it to the

phenomenon of double-pulsing with certainty. For a series of pulses containing simple events which occur individually and thus which appear in

the form of pairs, the total number of observed counts per time interval t can be decomposed into k = ki + 2k2, where ki and k2 are respectively the

number of simple pulses and the number of pairs in t. We note that k and

ki are both even or both odd, whatever is. Analogously we can write for

the total counting rate, p'"' = pi + 2p2. This property is the basis of a

statistical method which allows resolution of the contributions pi and p2 to the total counting rate. The pulses are directed to an electronic flip-flop which changes state each time a pulse arrives; the same pulses are also sent to a second flipflop, but after a delay t during which k pulses reach the first flip-flop. Each

flip-flop controls a gate which opens and closes alternatively after each

pulse. The two gates are initially in the same state: they find themselves

again in the same state if k is even and in different states if k is odd. Examination of the state of these gates allows determination of the probabilities Prob {k even) and Prob {k odd). We also know how to calculate these

probabilities in the case where the distribution of separation follows a Pois- son law; the probably that k is odd is independent of the number of pairs of

pulses and is given by

Prob odd) = 1/2 [l-exp(-27rif)].

Since Prob {k odd) is measured, this relation allows the computation of pi.

Moreover, one obtains ptot by direct counting, and calculates

p2 = l/2 (ptot - Pi).

If the delay t is much less than the mean interval 8 between the pulses

forming a pair, only a single one of the two pulses of a pair can appear in

189
this interval, in general. On the contrary, if t is much larger than 8, the two

pulses of a pair practically always appear in the same interval. Figure 6

shows that these limiting behaviors are independent of the distribution of

the interval between pulses of a pair.

This reasoning has been fully confirmed by experiment. Even for a

ratio so small that p2/ptot~ 0.005, the secondary pulses show up clearly and

can still be measured.

Some details on this new type of measurement and a generalization of

the method in the case of multiple secondary pulses are found in the

references [9-11].

8

Figure 6. Measurement of secondary pulses. Graphical representation of — In R(t), where

R(t)= 1—2 Prob (A- odd), for a distribution which is originally Poisson. The two straight

hnes represent the behavior limits; the difference of their slopes is proportional to the counting rate p-y of paired pulses. The intervals between pulses of a pair are assumed equal

to 6 (case A) or distributed about the mean value 5 according to an experimental law (case

B).

Energy Measurement: Alpha-Particle Spectrometry

In 1965, it was decided that the BIPM would engage in the field of

energy measurement of a, j8, and y rays to be able to express an official

opinion on the energy of certain lines. It was first occupied with a

spectrometry, where the need for unification was urgent and where it could

benefit from certain previous experience.

Nearly 300 a-emitting radionuclides are known; this is slightly greater

than the number of stable nuclides. The a particle is a helium nucleus with

electric charge +2e, comprising two protons and two neutrons. For each a

emitter these particles are ejected with one or more discrete energy values.

The excellent definition of these energies, normally between 4 and 9 MeV,

gives them the quality of standards.

190
The preferred method for measuring absolute energy is that of deflection by a uniform magnetic field. Knowing that a charged point mass having

a velocity perpendicular to the direction of the field describes a perfect

circle in vacuo, one measures the magnetic flux density B and the radius

r of this circle. The kinetic enrgy Ea is then, except for a relativistic

correction,

Ea=i2elm)iBr)\

where 2e and m are respectively the charge and mass of the a particle.

The magnetic spectrograph of the BIPM (fig. 7) is the only one in the

world which has been specially designed for the absolute measurement of

the energy of a particles. The electromagnet of 8.5 Mg has a semicircular

airgap of 650 mm radius and 70 mm spacing. The flux density, stabilized to about 1.5 X 10^^ with the help of a proton-resonance probe, can have

several values between 0.6 and 1.0 T. Into the spacious vacuum chamber,

one places either the device for measuring magnetic flux density, or the

spectrograph proper; this latter essentially comprises a slit and a photographic plate held in the same plane at a fixed distance apart by a rigid bar.

The photographic plate serves as an a-particle detector. The principle of

the functioning of the semicircular spectrograph is indicated in figure 8.

Figure 7. Overall view of the BIPM magnetic spectrograph lor absolute measurement of the

energy of a particles. A: electromagnet (mass 8.5 Mg), maximum flux density 1 T; B;

water-cooled coils; C: cover of the vacuum chamber; D: device for stabilizing the magnetic field using proton resonance; E: turbomolecular vacuum pump (speed: 900 m^ h^').

191
Figure 8. Diagram showing the principle of the semicircular spectrograph. Under the action

of the uniform magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the figure, a particles of the same energy follow circular paths of the same radius r. A: pole face of the electromagnet;

B: a-particle source; C: slit; D,D': a-particle paths; the particles emitted perpendicularly

to the direction CF (path D) give the limit of the recorded line; E: rigid bar to maintain the distance from C to G; F: detector (photographic plate); G: reference scale whose distance

from C has been previously measured. The scale is recorded on the photographic plate at the same time as the a-particles.

The distance between the sUt and the detector impact point of the particle emitted by the source depends upon the energy of the particle and on

its direction of passage through the slit. To a group of monoenergetic particles emitted by a source of limited size, there corresponds a calculable distribution of surface density of the number of particles on the detector (fig.

9). Since sources are not infinitely thin, the energy of a group of particles

spreads, because of self-absorption, over a certain range which is called a

"line"; its upper hmit does not depend on the source thickness. This limit can be determined by extrapolating to zero the density of tracks on the

plate. Experience confirms that this density increases as the 3/2 power of

the distance from the extrapolated point. Consequently, if the density is plotted to the 2/3 power on a graph, the observed values lie on a straight

line, except for statistical uncertainties. By extending this hue to its intersection with the baseline (fig. 10), one obtains the extrapolated point whose

distance from the inner edge of the sht is equal to the diameter 2r. The

baseline, always present, comprises tracks whose origin is not in the

source. Details of the method and of the experimental device are described

in the reference [12].

At the time of writing, 37 different lines from 24 emitters have been

measured with uncertainties varying between 10~^ and 10"'*. These new

results have permitted adjusting a large number of earUer measurements

and publishing a complete catalog of recommended a-particle energy

values [13]. It must be noted, moreover, that starting from the energy of an

192
a particle and recoil nucleus, one can calculate the energy of disintegration

which, in turn, is equivalent to the difference between the mass of the

emitting atom and the sum of masses of the residual atom and the a

particle. The systematics of atomic masses makes large use of the new

values of a-particle energies determined at the BIPM.

Despite the limited number of a emitters which can be measured,

these experiments are far from being finished. Problems relating to the

state of the sources and to the natural widths of the lines have not yet really

been touched, but will merit special attention.

Distance (in mm) from the extrapolated point

Figure 9. Line profiles obtained by semicircular spectrography. The a-particle tracks have

been counted in 0.02 X 5 mm bands on the photographic plate as a function of distance from

the slit (fig. 8). A measured profile, thick source; O measured profile, thin source; - profile

calculated for monoenergetic a particles.

193
N

4

y.

IS

10

129.00 12«,10 Position on plate {mm)

V/

\

1 keV

I

Ba s 1

1 128.00 12fl10 Positron on plate (mm)

Figure 10. Edge of an a-particle line; at the left the distribution of A', at the right that of N^'^; N: number of tracks counted (and statistical uncertainty) per band of 10 /Ltm width. The abscissa indicates the position on the ph(jtograpliic plate; the particle energy increases to the

right. The extrapolated point, marked by an arrow, is the furthest point the particles reach.

194
Bibliography

[1] Rytz, A., Standardization of *'"Sr+ '"'Y by means of a chemical separation, in "Standardization of Radionuclides," IAEA, Vienna, pp. 247-256 (1967), and Recueil de

Travaux du B.I.P.M. 1 , (1966-1967).

[2] Rytz, A., Colas, C, and Veyradier, C, Some experiments on the dilution of radioactive

solutions and the uniformity of mixing, Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 2, article 25, 8 pages (1968-1970).

[3] Colas, C. and Rytz, A., La resistance electrique des supports et des sources utilises dans le comptage 477/3-7, Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 3, article 18, 8 pages (1971-

1972).

[4] Description of assembly No. 3 for counting by 47r/3(PC)--y coincidences. Rapport BIPM75/2.

[5] See. for example, the appendices to CCEMRI, 4th session. 1963, and 5th session, 1964.

[6] CCEMRI, Section II, 1st meeting, p. R17 (1970).

[7] MiUler, J. W.. Dead-time problems, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. 112, pp.47-57 (1973), and

Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 4, article 20 (1973-1974).

[8] Miiller, J. W., Some formulae for a dead-time-distorted Poisson process, Nucl. Instr. and

Meth. 1 1 7, pp. 401-404 (1974). and Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 4, article 21 (1973-

1974).

[9] Miiller, J. W., Some notes on pair statistics, Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 4, article

24, 12 pages (1973-1974).

[10] Miiller, J. W., A new method for distinguishing between pairs and single pulses, Recueil

de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 4, article 25, 10 pages (1973-1974).

[11] Miiller, J. W., A complex modulo K counter, Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 4, article

26, 16 pages (1973-1974).

[12] Grennberg, B. and Rytz, A., Absolute measurements of a-ray energies, Metrologia 7,

pp. 65-77 (1971), and Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 3, article 26 (1971-1972).

[13] Rytz, A., Catalogue of recommended alpha-energy and intensity values. Atomic Data

and Nuclear Data Tables 12, pp. 479-498 (1973), and Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 4, article 31 (1973-1974).

195
ii
CHAPTER X

X AND GAMMA RAYS

Generalities

The Quantity ''Exposure.'' The Principle ofthe Ionization Chamber With

"Air Walls."

Ionizing radiations are frequently used to produce modifications in

matter— modifications sometimes physical (tests of materials for nuclear

reactors), sometimes chemical (polymerization of plastics), sometimes

biological (treatment of cancer). These radiations must be measured and

checked at the time of use. In situations of this kind, the radiation is considered not from the point of view of the source producing it, but from that

of the material which is irradiated: whence the name dosimetry (literally,

measurement of dose) given to the measurement of quantities which

characterize radiations of this kind.

As to X and y radiations, one uses a particular modification of matter

which lends itself well to measurement: the ionization of air. Photon radiations are not directly ionizing: in the first step, the photons liberate fast

electrons,^ these then progressively lose the energy which the photons have

given them, by exciting and ionizing atoms in their path. When photons

liberate electrons in a small volume dF, the resulting ions appear in the entire neighboring region. This zone of influence has dimensions which vary

with the energy of the radiation, from about a millimetre to several tens of

centimetres in air, depending on whether it is a matter of hard or soft x

rays.

Whatever be their initial kinetic energy, the electrons practically al- ways expend the same energy on the average in producing a pair of ions in a given medium. This energy, customarily designated by the symbol W, is about 54 X 10^'^ J in air. The number of ions obtained is thus proportional

to the energy transferred by the photons to the electrons and allows characterization of the beam of photons. This is why one defines at a point M of a

' In the field of interest to us, two processes are responsible for the production of electrons:

the photoelectric effect in which the photon loses aD its energy in expelling an electron from an

atom, and the Compton effect, an elastic collision with a free electron in which the electron

receives and carries away part of the energy of the incident photon, the remainder appearing

in the form of a scattered photon.

197
eH

F

Figure 1. Principle of the air-wall ionization chamber. A: beam of x rays: B: collector plate

(potential ~ 0); C: grounded guard plate (potential 0); D: plate at a potential of a few

kilovolts, the electric field of about 20 000 V • m~' thus created between D and B-C allows coUection of the ions; E: region of length / (several centimetres) from which are collected the ions reaching electrode B, the charge which they transport is measured by the device F. A few examples of electron paths are shown, only the ions produced on the portion of the paths shown in heavy lines are collected. The upper part of the figure illustrates a typical case of compensation; the three trajectory portions utilized are on the whole equivalent to the trajectory T.

beam of x or y radiation a quantity called exposure,^ derived from the electric charge carried by the ions produced in air by the electrons liberated by

the photons in the mass of air Am contained in a small volume surrounding

the point M.

The diagram of the air-wall ionization chamber shown in figure 1 indicates the principle of the measurement of exposure. Between two parallel

plates, there is an electric field which can collect the ions produced by the

pencil of x rays passing through the center of the chamber. According to the above, determination of the exposure at the point M in the diaphragm

aperture requires measuring the total ionization produced by the electrons

which come from the small volume AV surrounding M, and this ionization

^ The definition of exposure given by the International Commission on Radiation Units and

Measurement (ICRU). Its latest formulation (1971) is as follows: "The exposure X is the quotient of dQ by dm, where dQ is the absolute value of the total charge of ions of one sign

produced in air when all the electrons (negative and positive) liberated in a volume element of

air of mass dm are completely stopped in air. The special unit of exposure is the rontgen (R).

I R = 2.58xlO-''C kg-i."

198
only. This is evidently impossible, for inside the chamber, the ions which

interest us are inextricably mixed with those generated by electrons

liberated along the path of the photon beam. But thanks to compensations

like that indicated in figure 1, the charge Q collected from the central re- gion of the chamber provides the desired information and consequently the

exposure at M.^

This impUes that the cross-hatched volume in the figure is surrounded on all sides by a sufficient thickness of air (hence the name "air-wall"

chamber): in fact, if the diaphragm is too close to the hatched volume, the

compensation will be only partial, also, if the two parallel plates are not sufficiently separated, some electrons will strike these plates and their paths

will thus not be totally utilized for the production of ions in the air.

The Concept ofa Standard ofExposure

It would seem natural to choose as a standard, the exposure at a designated point in a reference beam. But the definition of such a beam

cannot be envisaged for x rays because an x-ray tube emits complex radiation which is known only imperfectly. In the most favorable case of y

radiation emitted by a radioactive source, stability of the beam imphes that

the geometry of the system (and also that of nearby objects which could be

sources of scattered radiation) remains fixed.

By reason of these difficulties, the unit of exposure is not maintained

by the use of a radiation beam. The role of standard is assigned to the instrument for measuring exposure: an ionization chamber can constitute a standard of exposure rate,^ since it permits determination of this quantity

from the measurement of two base quantities: electric current and mass.^

But it is impossible to experimentally reproduce the ideal situation as- sumed in the definition of exposure: the measurement of this quantity can

be made only indirectly, thanks, in particular, to the compensations indicated earlier. Whatever standard chamber is used, it is necessary to

^ If the beam is parallel (and if we neglect the attenuation of photons associated with the

liberation of electrons), the exposure at M would be the quotient of Q by the mass of air contained in the cross-hatched volume. In reality, the beam diverges, but (always if we neglect the attenuation of the photons) there are as many photons coming through the aperture as through successive sections of the beam perpendicular to the axis, only the area in which they

are distributed being changed. Similarly, the production of electrons remains constant in the

slabs of air successively traversed by the beam. From this it can be deduced that the exposure

at M is equal, in the first approximation, to Q/Alp, where A is the area of the aperture, / the length of the collection region, and p the mass density of the air (see [1] for a more complete

analysis).

* Exposure rate = exposure/time

^ In fact, these two quantities are measured in an indirect way: this has been indicated above

for the mass of ionized air (= ^ Ip), we shall see it later for the ionization current.

199
determine various correction factors which allow, starting with experimental results, calculation of the value of exposure at a given point in the beam

which conforms to the ideal conditions of the definition. Finally it is the uncertainty in the determination of these factors which hmits the accuracy of

measurements of exposure.

Measurement of X Radiation

Measurements ofExposure at the BIPM

Since the beginning of work in this field at the BIPM (1962), we have

tried to obtain good measurement conditions, which presupposes a highly

stable radiation emission. In an x-ray tube, the x rays are produced by the

impact of an electron beam on a tungsten target. The radiation emitted wiU

be stable if the number and energy of the electrons striking the target are both constant, which imphes simultaneous stabilization of the tube current

and the appHed high potential (5 to 150 kV and 100 to 300 kV for the BIPM

tubes). This potential is supplied by an electrostatic generator; by adding

a supplementary regulating device, we have reduced its already small fluctuations to a few parts in a hundred thousand. With respect to the current,

instead of adjusting the filament heating directly, we have done it more

closely by using an error signal from the fluctuations of tube current. In

this way it is possible to achieve a stability in the neighborhood of a ten- thousandth.

Figure 2 shows the 150-kV x-ray tube and the BIPM air-wall ionization

chambers. The quantity usually determined is the exposure rate. It is therefore necessary to measure the ionization current resulting from the

collection of ions. This current is very small, of the order of a few picoamperes or a few tens of picoamperes. It is measured by the Townsend

method: the ionization current charges a capacitor of capacitance C; the

potential difference AU, proportional to the time of irradiation At, appears

across the terminals. The measurement consists of determining the time At

which corresponds to collection of the charge CAU. With the aid of a device

developed and constructed at the BIPM since 1963, we have achieved a precision of the order of a ten-thousandth in the measurement of these very

small currents. This precision allows us to carry out studies of phenomena

(see below) causing small variations of the ionization.

It has been stated much earlier that to obtain the exposure, various

correction factors must be applied to the results of ionization measurements: it is necessary, for example, to take account of the attenuation of

the photons by the air in the chamber, of the parasitic ionization due to scattered photons, etc. The BIPM has worked on improving the accuracy

of the determination of these factors on which the measurement of exposure depends strongly. Thus the attenuation by air is measured by placing

200
Figure 2. Measurement of exposure in a beam of x rays. A: x-ray tube (capable of being

oriented so that either of the chambers B and C can be irradiated); B: standard chamber

for soft X rays (plate spacing 7 cm, collector potential 1500 V); C: standard chamber for x rays of intermediate energy (plate spacing 18 cm, collector potential 4000 V).

an evacuated pipe between the tube and the chamber. Studies on two of

these factors have been pubhshed. One of them [2] concerns the recombination of ions, a phenomenon which depends upon the appHed electric

field. Whatever field is used for the measurements, the collection of ions is incomplete (99.8 to 99.9% under usual conditions) and an extrapolation of

the results to an infinite field is necessary. We have succeeded in determining experimentally the part which should be attributed to each of two

types of recombination (initial recombination and volume recombination);

this permits making a valid extrapolation for obtaining the saturation current.Another experimental study has been devoted to the influence of

water vapor on the ionization produced in an air-wall chamber [3]. An air- wall chamber was placed in an airtight tank. A closed circuit connected to

this tank comprised a pump producing gas circulation by compressing a

flexible tube, a drying or humidifying device, and a dew-point hygrometer.

Drying was obtained by use of a trap immersed in a mixture of methanol

and dry ice; in this way no chemically foreign substance could pollute the

air used in the chamber. If one takes account of the effect of water vapor on

a) the liberation of electrons by photons, or b) the ionization produced by

the electrons, and if one assumes that in these two cases the air and water

201
vapor play entirely independent roles, a linear variation of ionization cur- rent as a function of water vapor content is predicted. The experimental

results are very different from these predictions in the range of low humidity. Since the hypothesis of independent roles is very questionable as con- cerns b), the observed disagreement can be interpreted as due to a nonlinear variation of mean energy fV needed to produce a pair of ions, as a function of the proportion of water vapor contained in the air (fig. 3).

1

^ ^humid air ^dry air

10 20 30 40 50

Relative humidity at 21 °C

60 70 80 90 1 1 1 1 *^

0,998

0,996

o\ft)

~~

' ~"—"— —A_

0,994

0,992

' ~ ___o ° oB

Figure 3. Variations of the mean energy P'^ necessary for production of a pair of ions in air as

a function of relative humidity.

Curve A corresponds to theoretical predictions, curve B is derived from experimental

results.

International Comparisons ofExposure Standards

Direct international comparisons have been made at the BIPM since

1966 for several qualities of soft x rays (10-50 kV) between the standard

chamber of the BIPM and some national exposure standards (United States

of America, Canada, Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary) [4]. The differences

(0.5% at the most) are generally compatible with the estimated uncertainties. We have nevertheless observed systematic differences between standards of small dimensions (4-cm plate separation) and standards of larger

dimensions (plate separations of 6 to 12 cm) (fig. 4). This can be attributed

to inaccurate corrections for the small standards, notably the correction for

scattered photons (at 10 kV) and that for insufficient plate separation (at 50

kV)." The tracking down of systematic errors is one of the interests in this

type of comparison and the principal preoccupation of the BIPM.

•'As we have seen earlier, if the plates are not sufficiently separated, we must make a correction since the trajectories of some electrons will not be fully used. This correction becomes

more important when the radiation becomes more penetrating, for it then liberates more electrons of high energy, having long paths.

202
X national lab.

1,000

0,995

B.I.RM.

O

®

®

t

A

AA

t t t t

10 kV

) N.B.S.

I A R.I.V.

30 kV 50 kV 50 kV

(b) (a)

(• B.I.RM.

B^O N.R.C.

f® O.M.H.

Figure 4. Some results of international comparisons in the field of low-energy x rays. The

figure gives the exposure rates X measured at tiie BIPM by the standards of different national laboratories, the BIPM standard being taken as reference. A: standards of small dimensions; B: standards of large dimensions. The figure shows a difference between the groups A and B. This difference is accentuated when the radiation becomes more penetrating (the .50 kV radiation (a) is made more penetrating than the .50 kV radiation (b) of the same energy by interposing in the path of tiie beam, a supplementary disk of aluminum, 3 mm thick, which stops the low-energy photons).

Measurement of Gamma Radiation

The y radiation from ""Co plays a particularly important role in

dosimetry, both because it is used very much in medicine and because it forms a sort of link between the low and medium energies (< 1 MeV) and

the high energies (1 to 50 MeV). Measurements at high energy are frequently based on calibrations made with y radiation from *"'Co. For this

reason, the BIPM has chosen to give priority to measurements of this radiation.

673-106 O - 75 - 15 203
Figure 5. Schematic section of the cavity chamber with graphite walls, at the BIPM. A: beam

of y rays irradiating the entire chamber — this radiation liberates, in the graphite, electrons which ionize the air in the cavity; B: graphite collecting electrode (potential ~ 0); C:

graphite walls at a potential of 80 V; the electric field ( — 40 000 V • m"') thus created

between B and C allows collection of the ions produced in the cavity. The ions of one sign (+

in the case of the figure) terminate on electrode B: the charge they carry is measured by the device D. The chamber is cyhndrical: its circular faces are perpendicular to the axis A of

the beam; the cavity volume is about 6.8 cm^.

204
Problems Posed by the Determination of

Exposurefor the y Radiation of^^Co

A source of ''"Co emits photons of 1.17 and 1.33 MeV. The paths of

electrons liberated by these photons can attain several metres in at- mospheric air. In this case, exposure measurement with an air-wall

chamber at atmospheric pressure poses many problems. One can try to avoid them by increasing the pressure to reduce the chamber dimensions,

but then other difficulties appear (loss by recombination of ions can reach

10 percent if the pressure is of the order of 10 atmospheres). A different

method would consist of utilizing a magnetic field created by a coil having

the same axis as the photon beam: with a flux density of 0.25 T, the electrons can be kept in a cylinder of approximately 10-cm diameter [5]. Unfortunately, this scheme permits the reduction of only the transverse

dimensions (perpendicular to the beam axis) of the air-wall chamber. No

solution using an air-wall chamber proves to be satisfactory. That is why

the BIPM has chosen for its exposure standard a cavity chamber with graphite walls (fig. 5) in which several millimetres of graphite replaces several

metres of air and is sufficient to assure "electron equilibrium."

This substitution of graphite for air brings a modification of the electron production which must first be considered. Moreover, one no longer

operates in a simple medium: it is by virtue of the energy dissipated in one medium (air) by the electrons liberated in another medium (graphite) that

there are ions to be measured. This results in a correction (called stopping

power^ because the dissipation of energy of electrons in air is different

from what it would be in graphite. The lack of accuracy (about 0.5%) of this

correction constitutes the principal defect of cavity chambers.

The Installation at the BIPM, and the Exposure Measurements

Although several millimetres of lead suffices for protection against x

rays of intermediate energy, a thickness of some 20 centimetres is needed

when it is a question of the radiation emitted by a ''"Co source having an activity of several hundred curies such as those used for exposure measurements.** The BIPM therefore started by studying and having constructed

^ For electrons of a given energy, the quotient dEjdl is caDed the stopping power S of a substance, where dE is the energy lost by an electron of energy E in traversing an element of path

of length dl in the substance considered. The electric charge due to ions produced in the air

must be divided by / which is the mean value of (S/p) air/(S/p)Braphite, where p represents the mass density of the corresponding substance.

» At 1 m from a source of 500 Ci, the exposure rate is about 10 R/min (which corresponds approximately to an ionization current of 250 pA for a cavity chamber). After penetrating

25 cm of lead, this exposure rate is reduced to less than 2 mR/h, which is less than the official

permissable dose.

205
(1965) a lead "castle" capable of holding up to six radioactive sources. Figure 6 shows schematically the essentials of this device which was

designed to reduce to a minimum the radiation scattered into the beam

defined by the collimator. This castle received two sources of 1 Ci in 1966

and one of 480 Ci (specific activity 400 Ci/g) in 1968.'' This last source is currently used for exposure measurements.

The determination of exposure by use of a cavity chamber raises a certain number of problems. Some have been mentioned above, but those are not the only ones: in particular, if one proposes to characterize the y-ray

beam by means of the exposure which would exist in air in the absence of

the chamber, it is necessary to know quantitatively the perturbation that

the presence of the measuring instrument has on the quantity which one

wishes to measure. This effect is usually studied by increasing the wall

thickness of the chamber (above the 3 mm which is necessary to assure

electron equilibrium) and extrapolating to zero thickness the variation observed in the ionization current as a function of wall thickness. By this

procedure one measures in fact the superposed effects of several

phenomena produced in the walls (photon attenuation and production of

scattered photons of which some are in turn absorbed and contribute to the

measured ionization) and the extrapolation is applied to the variation of a

Figure 6. Schematic section of the lead castle for intense radioactive sources. Any of the sources contained in the barrel B can be chosen, then raised with the aid of an electric jack

V to the source chamber C. The port H (lead glass) allows observation that the chosen

source is correctly centered on the axis of the collimator D which limits the useful beam F. (To simplify the figure, many details, for example the device for rotating the barrel B, have

been omitted.)

^ These sources were given to the BIPM, those of 1 Ci by the National Research Council

(Canada), that of 480 Ci by the National Bureau of Standards (U.S.A.).

206
sum whose different terms do not vary in the same manner with thickness.

This is why we have tried to study these phenomena separately at the

BIPM. For example, if we place a graphite disk either on the source side of

the collimator aperture, or next to the chamber, the attenuation of photons

stays the same but the ionization current is a httle larger in the second

case, the difference corresponding to the contribution from scattered

photons, In a general way, the BIPM has attacked the problem of the

cavity chamber from a new angle by trying to approach as closely as possible the conditions of the theoretical analysis [1]. For this reason, we have

chosen a flat cylindrical cavity (fig. 5). Among the problems to be resolved, one of the most difficult is the following: how to take account of the non- uniformity of the radiation field in which are placed the chamber walls

which produce the electrons, and in particular the nonuniformity of this

field parallel to the beam axis, which becomes important if the cavity size

is increased or if the chamber is closer to the source. This last problem has

been studied theoretically [6] and experimentally by varying the source- chamber distance. Unfortunately, the role of the side walls of the chamber

can not be analyzed validly in a simple way'^ and this probably increases

the uncertainty of the determination of exposure by 0.3 percent. As for the

reproducibility of measurement, it is excellent since the long-term standard

deviation (for the most intense source), calculated for results extending

over a year and a half, is equal to 10"^, allowing for weakening of the source whose half-life is 1926 days.

International Comparisons ofExposure Standards for the ^^^Co y Radiation

International comparisons have taken place at the BIPM between the

standard chamber of the BIPM and some national standards of exposure

(United States of America, Federal Republic of Germany, Netherlands,

Hungary). These standards are also graphite cavity chambers but these

chambers, with one exception, have forms and dimensions differing from

that of the BIPM. Their total wall corrections are determined by the

method indicated earUer. Figure 7 shows a satisfactory agreement, allowing for the uncertainties associated with different chambers.

There do not appear to be any systematic differences due to the

chamber geometries or to the methods of correcting for wall effects. Unfortunately, this type of comparison does not permit uncovering systematic errors involving the ratio /of the stopping powers of air and graphite. These

For a disk of 3.3-mm thickness, the attenuation produces a loss of 3.6 percent and the scattered photons a gain of 2.0 percent.

" The contribution of the side walls represents 14 percent of the total ionization measured. It was determined experimentally with a chamber similar to the standard chamber, but having

side walls as thin as possible (0.5 mm). We added rings successively until electron equilibrium was reached and extrapolated the observed variation to zero thickness.

207
errors are practically the same for all graphite chambers, and therefore are eliminated when one determines the ratio of exposure measured by two of

them.

1,01

^ X national lab./^ B.I.PM.

1,00

0,99

0

NBS PTB RIV OMH

Figure 7. International comparison of exposure standards for the radiation from ""Co. The

figure gives the exposure rates X measured at the BIPM by the standards of different national laboratories, the BIPM standard being taken as reference. The error bars represent

the estimates of systematic uncertainty (the random uncertainties are negligible).

Comparison ofActivity and Exposure Measurements

The systematic errors which have just been noted can, on the contrary, be brought out when one compares, for a given cobalt source, measure- ments of two quantities of different kinds such as activity and exposure.

Two photons (1.17 and 1.33 MeV) are emitted at each disintegration of an atom of ^"Co. The activity is the number of disintegrations per unit time; it thus permits knowledge of the incident energy of the photons crossing unit area per unit time at a given distance from the source. A known fraction'^

of this energy is transferred to the electrons liberated into the medium.

This fraction is the coefficient of energy transfer, which is easily calculated from the probabilities of photoelectric and Compton interactions.

208
which we assume to be air. Knowing that a mean energy W is needed to produce a pair of ions in air, the corresponding ionization, and thus the ex- posure, is easily deduced.

For this activity-exposure comparison, we use one of the two 1-curie sources (say 3.7 X 10'" s"'). Ahhough it corresponds to a small exposure

rate, this activity is much too high to be measured directly. Measurement

of the activity Ag of this source S was carried out by an original method

utilizing a second source G of the same geometry, but having a much lower

activity, Ag~2 mCi [7], as an intermediary. This method involves two

steps: a) a relative measurement, the ratio /? ^y^sMc of the activities of the

two sources; and b) an absolute measurement of the activity Aq. Measurement a) is made with a scintillation counter system. The sources G and S

are placed at distances Dq~1 m and Dg = 23 m from the diaphragm limiting the useful beam so that the number of photons incident per unit time at the diaphragm is practically the same for the two sources; this eliminates

many of the systematic errors.** The ratio R is given, to within a few cor- rections, by the ratio of the squares of the distances, Dg^lDc^, multiplied by

the ratio of the pulse count rates, NglN,^. Measurement b) made by the 47r/3-

y coincidence counting method, consists in determining the activities Am

of a series of m very weak sources (about 0.2 ^lCi) obtained in the following

way: the source G is dissolved in nitric acid and the solution is diluted in a known ratio, the sources m comprise small quantities of this diluted solution, each containing a fraction 1/F(~ 10"*) of the source G. Aq is then the

mean value of the products FA,,,, and Ag is the product RAq; this value Ag

which one finally reaches is known with a good accuracy (better than 0.2%)

despite all the intermediate steps brought into play.'''

In comparing the measured exposure rate at a given distance from the source S to the calculated exposure rate based on the value Ag, a difference

of 0.8 percent is found. This difference can arise either from the inaccuracy

of the exposure measurement (due mainly to the ratio / of the stopping

powers of air and graphite), or from the value of W{mea.n energy needed to produce a pair of ions) which had been used in the calculation of exposure

rate from activity. It is therefore necessary to carry on the efforts to improve the accuracy of such constants as /and W.

The detector is a crystal of sodium iodide in which part of the energy dissipated by the electrons liberated by the y-ray photons appears in the form of luminous energy: one observes

flashes in the crystal, called scintillations, which are transformed into pulses of electric volt- age by means of a photomultiplier. An electronic device allows counting these pulses, whose

total number is proportional to that of the y-ray photons striking the crystal.

Note that without other precautions, the number of photons would be reduced by about 14 percent in the case of the source S, by the additional 22 metres of air. To avoid this important

correction, the beam passes down an evacuated pipe.

^The validity of this result is confirmed by the excellent agreement (0.02%) between the two

values of the activity of a single source, one obtained by this method, the other by determining

the power emitted by the source (calorimetric measurement at the National Bureau of Standards) [8].

209
Figure 8. Measurement of exposure and absorbed dose in graphite, for y radiation from ^°Co. A: standard cavity chamber for exposure measurements; B: graphite phantom whose front cover is shown in the foreground with the cavity chamber D used for measurement of ab- sorbed dose.

Absorbed Dose

In 1973, the BIPM commenced measurements of another quantity

which is fundamental in dosimetry: absorbed dose, the energy dissipated

per unit mass in a volume element of the material under consideration. The

CCEMRI has chosen graphite as the reference material, the standard of

absorbed dose being implicitly represented by a graphite cylinder of given

dimensions (the name "phantom" assigned to this cylinder originates from

medical reasons, for it simulates a human body with respect to the energy

given it by radiation).

The BIPM uses the ionization method (fig. 8), as for the measurement

of exposure. If the energy Wis known, the ionization produced permits calculation of the dose absorbed in the air of the cavity and from this is derived the dose absorbed in the graphite with the help of the ratio of

stopping powers of graphite and air. The determination of this ratio is more

complex in this case since the electrons are no longer liberated by only 1.17

and 1.33 MeV photons: in fact, the deeper the beam penetrates into the

phantom, the more it is enriched in scattered photons in proportion to its impoverishment in photons of 1.17 and 1.33 MeV. The photon spectrum

has been calculated for the BIPM phantom by the Monte Carlo method,

210
simulating 25 000 photon "histories" with the aid of the IBM 1130 calculator at the BIPM. Another problem to be resolved is that of the thickness of

the chamber, whose cavity can not be likened to an elementary volume. It will be very fruitful to compare in the near future, the ionometric absorbeddose standard of the BIPM with the standards of national laboratories, in

particular with those which use the calorimetric method for measuring the

energy imparted by the radiation.

Bibliography

[1] Allisy, A., Contribution a la mesure de Texposition produite par les photons einis parle

""Co. Metrologia 3,41-51 (1967), and Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 1, (1966-1967).

[2] Niatel, M.-T., An experimental study of ion recombination in parallel-plate free-air ionization chambers, Phys. Med. Biol. 12, pp. 555-563 (1967), and Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 1,(1966-1967).

[3] Niatel, M,-T., Etude experimentale de Tinfluence de la vapeur d'eau sur I'ionisation produite dans I'air, C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris 268-B, pp. 1650-1653 (1969), and Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 2, article 22 (1968-1970).

[4] Boutillon, M., Henry, W. H., and Lamperti, P. J., Comparison of exposure standards in the 10-50 kV x-ray region, Metrologia 5, pp. 1-11 (1969), and Recueil de Travaux du

B.I.P.M. 2, article 21 (1968-1970).

[5] Allisy, A. and Boutillon, M., Sur I'utilisation d'un champ d'induction magnetique dans

les mesures d'exposition de rayons X et y, C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris 260, pp. 6576-6579

(1965).

[6] Boutillon, M., and Niatel, M.-T., A study of a graphite cavity chamber for absolute exposure measurements of ^"Co gamma rays, Metrologia 9, pp. 139-146 (1973), and Recueil

de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 4, article 16 (1973-1974).

[7] Roux, A.-M., A method of measuring the activity of a 1 Ci ''"Co source, Metrologia 10,

99-102 (1974), and Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 4, article 17 (1973-1974).

[8] Roux, A.-M., Comparison of activity and power measurements of a 1 Ci ''"Co source, Metrologia 10, 103-104 (1974), and Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 4, article 18 (1973-

1974).

211

CHAPTER XI

NEUTRON MEASUREMENTS

Generalities

Neutrons and protons, which are the constituents of atomic nuclei and

thus of matter, resemble each other strongly in some respects. Neutrons,

however, have no electric charge and thus they can pass without significant

perturbation through the cloud of electrons which surrounds the nuclei of

atoms. They can therefore easily penetrate matter without ionizing the

atoms, and reach to the nuclei, causing nuclear reactions. These properties

play an essential role in the production, detection, and utilization of

neutrons. In particular, certain nuclear reactions which they produce

release a very large amount of energy. It is especially the utilization of this

energy on a large scale which brought about the urgent need for exact

neutron measurements.

Neutron Sources

By bombarding light elements such as beryllium, boron, and lithium

with helium nuclei {a particles), one can produce neutrons (n) by reactions

denoted (a,n), for example:

IBe + |He^»iC+ion,

or according to the usual notation,^ "Be(a,n)i2C. Let us note in passing that

it was this reaction which led J. Chadwick, in 1932, to the historic discovery

of the neutron. Thus a mixture of beryllium and an a-particle emitter, such

as radium or americium, provides a convenient (a,n) neutron source. Most nuclei are capable of emitting a neutron when struck by a sufficiently energetic y photon. For this (7,n) reaction to take place, the energy

of the photon must be equal to or greater than the binding energy of the

' This notation indicates, in order, the target nucleus (^Be), the incident particle (a), the

ejected particle (n), and the final nucleus ('-C). The subscript, often omitted, indicates the number of protons (atomic number); the superscript is the sum of the numbers of protons and

neutrons (mass number).

213
neutron; this energy is generally between 6 and 8 MeV, except for beryllium (1.6 MeV) and deuterium (2.2 MeV):

9Be + y

^

«Be + Jn

^

2 |He +Vi

?H + 7^ IH + Jn.

Thus a capsule of radium surrounded by beryllium constitutes a currently

used (7,n) source, the radium emitting a large number of y-rays of energy

above 1.6 MeV. However the most used and most intense neutron sources

at present are nuclear reactors.

Neutrons produced by (a,n) and (y,n) sources or by nuclear reactors

generally have a broad energy spectrum. In order to produce a beam of fast

monoenergetic neutrons, charged particle accelerators are needed. Some

of the reactions used with charged particle accelerators are:

2H(d,n)3He, 3H(p,n)3He, 3H(d,n)4He,

^Li(p,n)^e, i2C(d,n)i3N, »B(a,n)i4N, etc.^

Detection ofNeutrons

Since the neutron does not ionize the atoms it encounters, the usual

methods of detection are not applicable and one must have recourse to other effects. The interaction of free neutrons with the matter they traverse

is shown by their scattering and absorption. The scattering (elastic and inelastic collisions) slows the neutrons which transfer energy to the nuclei

they encounter; the nuclei can acquire, by recoil, enough energy to produce ions. The absorption of neutrons causes nuclear transformations.

Essentially three types of detection are seen: a) by collision, particularly by

elastic collision of fast neutrons with protons; the kinetic energy of the

neutrons is partially converted to recoil energy of protons which can then

be measured through ionization produced or by light emitted; b) by counting light particles (p, d, a, ...) produced in the course of a nuclear reaction;

c) by analysis of resulting products (chemical analysis, analysis by the

radioactivity produced, etc.).

Neutron Measurements

When a beam of neutrons is incident on a target (a body containing a

large number of atoms of a certain kind), only a small fraction of the incident neutrons passes sufficiently close to target atoms for the reaction

under study to take place. The beam is characterized by its flux density <E>,

-p = 'H = proton (hydrogen nucleus): d = -H = deuteron (deuterium nucleus): 'H = triton

(tritium nucleus); a = ^He (nucleus of helium-4); ^He = (nucleus of helium-3).

214
the number of neutrons crossing a unit area per unit time. If the target contains a total number of nuclei and if each of these nuclei presents an area

cr to the beam, the mean number of times per second that a nucleus interacts with a neutron is equal to the product N'^cr and is called the reaction rate. The quantity cr, called the cross section for this reaction, must not

be confused with the (very small) geometric cross section of the nuclei or of

the neutron; it is a fictitious area which in fact measures the probability of occurrence of the reaction under consideration.

The measurement of cross sections holds a very important position in

the field of neutron measurements and requires the determination of

neutron flux density (there is however one exception: the cross section

multiplied by the number of nuclei per unit volume in an absorber gives the

attenuation coefficient; this latter can be determined by measurements of

transmission through a sheet of material, which requires only the measure- ment of a ratio of flux densities).

Furthermore, precise measurements of flux density are also necessary

for standardizing detectors used in various fields (nuclear physics, neutron

dosimetry, protection against ionizing radiation, industry, etc.). This quantity has been judged sufficiently important for the BIPM to undertake a program in this area. The BIPM has for this purpose two types of neutron

sources which will be described in the following sections, along with the

methods used to measure neutron flux density.

Measurement of the Emission Rate of a Neutron Source by the

Manganous Sulfate Bath Method

Here we are concerned with neutron sources of the types (a,n) or (7,n)

which use long half-life radioactive emitters such as radium (1600 years) or americium (433 years). The emission rate of such a source is defined by the

number of neutrons emitted per second (into all directions). Figure 1 gives

the dimensions and compositions of four neutron sources of this kind possessed by the BIPM.

Measurements of emission rate of these neutron sources are carried

out by a classical method of total absorption of the neutrons in a concentrated aqueous solution of manganous sulfate. The fast neutrons emitted by

the source are first slowed down, primarily by scattering by hydrogen; they

then have a high probabihty of being captured when they are in thermal

equihbrium with the medium (thermal neutrons). The dimensions of the

spheres which contain the manganous sulfate solution are chosen according to the energy spectrum of the neutrons emitted by the source to be

measured, to be large enough to reduce the loss of neutrons from the

sphere to an acceptable value; for (a,n) sources whose spectrum extends

up to a maximum energy of 12 MeV, the sphere has a diameter of 1 m and

215
Reaction

type

Radio;

nuclide

a or Y and

Gcti vity

(in Ci)

Capsule

material

Neutron

emission

rate

(in 10^ s-\

Oct. 1969)

Source

construction

scale

2 cm

Be ( a , n

:

226

Ra

0,2

mone I

l68% NI,

29% Cu,

2% Fe,

1% Mn)

monel

3,27

Be + Ra

Be I y , n

)

Re ( (V, ni

Be I a , n,

226

Ra

0,5

0, 448

mone 1

241

Am

stainless

steel

241

Am

0,1

stainless

steel = 0,22

Figure 1. The BIPM neutron sources.

216
the neutron loss is of the order of 1 percent; for the Ra-Be (7,n) source,

whose spectrum extends up to a maximum energy of 700 keV, a 50 cm

diameter sphere is used and the loss of neutrons is negligible. If a neutron

is captured by a nucleus of ^^Mn, the nucleus is transformed into ^^Fe, ac- cording to the scheme:

55Mn + n ^

'^^Mn 5«Fe*

^

^«Fe

where the asterisk indicates an excited state. If a neutron is captured by a hydrogen nucleus, a deuteron (stable) is formed. Capture by other atomic

nuclei present in the solution is much less frequent.

The disintegration scheme of ^^Mn is represented in figure 2. The

emission rate for neutrons from the source Q is equal to the sum of the capture rates for neutrons in the solution and in the source (self-absorption),

and of the rate of escape of neutrons from the solution. One thus has

where is the number of neutrons captured per second by the manganese nuclei in the solution, /is the ratio of the number of neutrons captured by manganese nuclei to the number of neutrons captured by the

totality of elements contained in the solution {f ~ 0.5), A: is a correction factor to allow for systematic errors due to the absorption of neutrons (especially slow ones) in the source due to the presence of the bath, to the abFigure 2. Disintegration scheme for ^•^Mn. The nucleus transforms itself by emission of a ^-

particle (oblique arrows) into ^Te in an excited state: the latter then loses its excess energy

by emitting a photon of y radiation (vertical arrows). The horizontal lines correspond to the

energy levels of the nuclei.

217
sorption of fast neutrons by oxygen and sulfur in the solution, to impurities

in the solution, and to the escape of neutrons from the manganese bath {k =

1.04).

For irradiation to saturation, that is to say for an irradiation time t long

in comparison to the half-life of '''*Mn {T112 =2.6 hours), as many neutrons

are being captured by the "''"'Mn as there are •^'^Mn nuclei disintegrating, and

the disintegration rate Q' at the moment the source is withdrawn from

the solution (time f' = 0), is equal to ^Mn- In practice, the source is withdrawn at the end of a time t ~\6\\, and at time ^' = 0 we have:

<?'Mn (0 = <?Mn ( 1 - 6 "^0 = 0.9865 (?Mn

where A = ln 2/ri/2 = 0.2688 h-i.

In order to measure the relative activity of the irradiated solution, y- rays emitted by the ''"Fe* are counted by means of a scintillation detector

(sodium iodide crystal) immersed in the bath in place of the source. This

relative measurement of activity is completed by an absolute calibration:

after the bath has lost its activity, a quantity of active ^"Mn solution, whose

specific activity has been previously determined by the method of 477/3-7

coincidence counting is added to the bath. We then have

source)/ (Psolution) <

where Psource designates the counting rate obtained in the irradiated manganese bath, and Psoiution is the rate obtained after adding a solution of activity A to the bath.

For measurement of Ra-Be (y,n) sources, we have also set up a variant

of the manganese bath method. It involves measuring the activity of the

manganous sulfate solution outside the sphere in which the solution is continuously irradiated by the source to be measured. A pump circulates the

solution in a closed circuit (flow of 6 htres per minute) between the sphere

and an enclosure 10 metres away (fig. 3). This enclosure is protected from

y-rays from the source by a 40-cm thick concrete wall and by a lead shield

with wall thickness of 10 cm; in this shielded location the measurements of

the activity of the irradiated solution are made. This new technique, called

the circulation method, lends itself particularly well to the measurement of

relatively low intensity neutron sources.

Comparative Measurements of Neutron Sources

It is planned that the neutron sources belonging to the BIPM remain

there permanently. National laboratories which desire to have their own

sources compared can send them to the BIPM; the BIPM can however or- ganize international comparisons using sources furnished by other laboratories, as in the following example.

218
Figure 3. Measurement of the emission rate of a neutron source by the metliod of circulation of a manganous sulfate solution. A: sphere (d = 50 cm) containing the solution; B: (y,n) source; C: stirrers; D: circulation pump; E: counting beaker placed 10 m from the sphere;

F: sodium iodide crystal; G: photomultipUer; H: lead shield (wall thickness : 10 cm); I: concrete wall (thickness : 40 cm).

Standard Ra-Re (a,n) Source No. 200-1 of the

National Research Council ofCanada

Measurements of the emission rate of this source, made by the manganese bath method from January 1962 to March 1965 by 10 participating

laboratories [1], gave a 3 percent maximum spread among the results. The

total uncertainty estimated by the participants varied between ±0.7 and±

1.7 percent (fig. 4). The manganese bath method, adopted by most of these

laboratories, is considered to be the method capable of the best precision

in measuring the emission rate of a neutron source.

Standard Ra-Be (a,n) andRa-Be (y,n) Sources ofthe BIPM

The standard Ra-Be (a;,n) source (fig. 1) has been measured periodically at the BIPM since December 1963, by the manganese bath method;

the consistency of the measurements is' very satisfactory. Currently, the

reproducibility of measurement is 0.1 percent, while the accuracy of the

emission rate of the source is 1 percent. The principal sources of error are

573-106 O - 75 - 16 219
Participating

laboratory

3,1 3,2 —hNeutron emission rote

f- 3,3 3,4-10^S-^

ETL

LKO

CENS

IMM

SRE

BCMN

BIPM

-OAEET

NRC

NBS

NPL

mean value

-O

I—

o

1%

I 1

Figure 4. Results of measurements of emission rate of the Ra-Be (a,n) neutron source No.

200-1 of the NRC, normaUzed to reference cross sections and to January 1962. The laboratories are listed in the order of the dates of measurement (January 1962 to February 1965). The measurement by the NPL dates from June 1959. The bars indicate the total uncertainties estimated by the participants.

the uncertainties in the capture cross sections for thermal and fast

neutrons, and in the correction factors.

As for the standard Ra-Be (7,n) source (fig. 1), the emission factor has

been determined with an accuracy of 0.5 percent. In fact, the Ra-Be (y,n) sources have the advantage over the Ra-Be (a,n) sources of not needing

correction for absorption by the (n,p) and (n,a) reactions with oxygen and

sulfur, the upper neutron energy limit of 700 keV being below the threshold

for these reactions.

220
Measurement of the Flux Density of a Source

of Fast Monoenergetic Neutrons

The BIPM has undertaken the study of a neutron source using the

reaction 2H(d,n)^He. This source, which emits relatively monoenergetic

fast neutrons of 2.5 MeV, can in fact be studied with rather modest experimental facilities; the source also emits, in association with the neutrons,

charged ^He particles which can be detected in order to measure the

neutron flux density in a given direction by the associated particle method.

The principle of this measurement method is the following: the emission of each neutron corresponds to the emission of a ^He particle in the opposite direction in the center-of-mass system;^ in other words, in the system

of the center-of-mass, the number of ^He particles emitted per unit solid

angle in a given direction must be equal to the number of neutrons emitted

per unit solid angle in the opposite direction. It is therefore possible to measure the neutron flux density in a given direction either by counting the

^He particles (with an efficiency of 100%) by means of a surface-barrier

semiconductor detector, or by the counting of neutrons by means of a scintillation counter (hydrogenous scintillator) whose efficiency has been measured. These two relatively independent methods can be used simultaneously to compare the results obtained.

Let us designate by 4>He the number of neutrons measured by counting

the ^He particles in the solid angle Cl^ covered by the neutron detector. If

kiie and are the factors for converting solid angles from the laboratory

system (SI) to the center-of-mass system (ft'), for ^He particles and

neutrons respectively, and if A'^He is the total number of ^He particles

counted with the use of the semiconductor detector which covers the solid

angle Ctue^ we can write:

^^n~ ^n^^'n^ ^^He~ ^He ^ Hei

fine

On the other hand, if represents the number of neutrons emitted in

Sin and A^n the number of neutrons counted by the hydrogen scintillation

counter of efficiency e, we can write

^n = (NJe)f.

The factor / takes account of effects such as: neutron scattering,

anisotropy of the source, emission of neutrons by secondary sources, etc. We determine the efficiency e in the course of the same series of measurements, by counting, in addition to A^He and A^n, the coincidences of ^He par-

' The center-of-mass system is the reference system in which the center of mass of all the particles participating in the reaction is taken as the origin. This system is not at rest relative to the

laboratory frame-of-reference, but it has the advantage of making the formulas particularly

simple for calculating speeds and angles.

221
Figure 5. Diagram of experimental arrangement for measurement of the flux density of a -H(d.n)'He neutron source; comparison of the two methods (direct detection and associated

particle). A; beam of accelerated deuterons (100 keV); B: aperture, d = 12 mm; C: vacuum chamber of magnetic analyzer; D: magnetic field; E: aperture. d=10 mm; F: quadrupole electrostatic lens; G: aperture, d = 5 mm; H: target (neutron source) of deuterated titanium; J; semiconductor detector for ^He particles; K: hydrogenous scintillator, neutron detector; L: distance of 1.2 m. The ensemble B to G serves to eUminate molecular ions from the beam and to concentrate the deuterons on the target by magnetic separation. When an angle of 90° is chosen for observation of ^He particles, the neutron detector must be located at 77° to count the neutrons associated with these particles.

222
tides and neutrons. Finally, it is a matter of comparing the two quantities

4>He and $n which should be equal.

Figure 5 shows the experimental arrangement which includes an electrostatic accelerator (150 kV, 2mA). Experiments have been carried out

[2,3] with a beam of 100 keV deuterons and a target current of 2 /liA (emission rate of the source ~ 10^ s"'), observing the ^He particles at 150°, 120°,

and 90° (in the laboratory reference system). The flux densities of neutrons

of 2.76 MeV, 2.67 MeV, and 2.53 MeV have been measured by each of the

two detectors with an uncertainty of ±2 percent. In comparing the values

of $He and we have been able to determine that when the target is perpendicular to the direction of the incident deuteron beam (observation of

'^He particles at 150° and 120°), there has been a satisfactory agreement

between and on the contrary, a disagreement has appeared (<!>„ >

4>He) when the target is inclined at 45° (differences of + 4.2 percent for the

observation of ^He particles at 90° and of + 3.1 percent for observation at

120°); none of the interpretations considered until now to explain this discrepancy has been satisfactory.

To compare measurements of neutron flux density among various

laboratories, the use of rather simple and rugged, but relatively insensitive,

transfer instruments is anticipated. The participation of the BIPM in such

comparisons being highly desirable, a considerable increase in the emission rate of the '^H(d,n)''He neutron source has become indispensable. With

an incident deuteron energy of 140 keV and a target current of 200 ^lA (target cooled by a jet of nitrogen whose temperature is slightly below 0 °C), it has been possible to increase the maximum emission rate for neutrons

from this source to 4 X 10^ s"' in the solid angle 477 steradian [2].

The results obtained with the lower emission rate, although not yet

satisfactory, seem to indicate that the absolute measurement of a ^H(d,n)^He neutron source by the associated particle method does not pose

insoluble problems. The future should show if the precision and consistency of these measurements can be increased enough that the results can be

comparable to those of measurements of the same source by a neutron

slowing-down method.

223
Bibliography

[1] Naggiar, V., Rapport sur la comparaison internationale de la mesure du taux d'emission

de la source de neutrons Ra-Be (a,n) du Conseil National de Recherches No. 200-1 par

la methode de ralentissement des neutrons dans une solution de sulfate de manganese

(fevrier 1967), Recueil de Travaux du B.I.P.M. 1 , 48 pages (1966-1967).

[2] Huynh, V. D., Lafaye, L., and Breonce, P., dans Proces-Verbaux C.I.P.M. 40, pp. 75-82

(1972).

[3] Naggiar, V., Lafaye, L., and Breonce, P., Distribution angulaire d'une source de

neutrons D(d,n)^He en cible epaisse pour deutons de 100 keV, Nucl. Instr. and Meth.

41, pp. 77-83(1966).

224
Appendix 1

Convention of the Metre'

(May 20, 1875)

His Excellency the President of the French Republic, His Majesty the

Emperor of Germany, His Majesty the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, His

Majesty the King of the Belgians, His Majesty the Emperor of Brazil, His

Excellency the President of the Argentine Confederation, His Majesty the

King of Denmark, His Majesty the King of Spain, His Excellency the President of the United States of America, His Majesty the King of Italy, His

Excellency the President of the Repubhc of Peru, His Majesty the King of

Portugal and the Algarves, His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, His

Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, His Excellency the President of

the Swiss Confederation, His Majesty the Emperor of the Ottomans, and

His Excellency the President of the Repubhc of Venezuela, desiring international uniformity and precision in standards of weight and measure, have

resolved to conclude a convention to this effect, and have named as their

plenipotentiaries the following:

His Excellency the President of the United States of America: Mr.

Ehhu Benjamin Washburne, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister

Plenipotentiary of the United States at Paris;

His Majesty the Emperor of Germany: His Highness Prince Hohenlohe Schillingsfiirst, Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia,

and of the Order of St. Hubert of Bavaria, &c., &c., &c., his Ambassador

Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Paris;

His Majesty the Emperor of Austria-Hungary: His Excellency Count

Apponyi, his current Chamberlain and Privy Counselor, Knight of the Golden Fleece, Grand Cross of the Royal Order of St. Stephen of Hungary, and

of the Imperial Order of Leopold, &c., &c., &c., his Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Paris;

His Majesty the King of the Belgians: Baron Beyens, Grand Officer of

his Order of Leopold, Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, &c., &c., &c.,

his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Paris;

His Majesty the Emperor of Brazil: Mr. Marcos Antonio d'Araujo,

Viscount d'ltajuba. Grandee of the Empire, member of His Majesty's

Council, Commander of his Order of Christ, Grand Officer of the Legion of

' Articles preceded by the sign have been modified, or supplemented, by the International Convention of 1921 (see p. 230).

225
Honor. &c., &c., &c., his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Paris;

His Excellency the President of the Argentine Confederation: Mr. Bal- carce. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the Argentine

Confederation at Paris;

His Majesty the King of Denmark: Count de Moltke-Hvitfeldt, Grand

Cross of the Order of Dannebrog, and decorated with the Cross of Honor of

the same order. Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, &c., &c., &c., his

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Paris;

His Majesty the King of Spain: His Excellency Don Mariano Roca de

Togores, Marquis de MoHns, Viscount de Rocamora, Grandee of Spain of

the First Class, Knight of the Renowned Order of the Golden Fleece, Grand

Cross of the Legion of Honor, &c., &c., &c.. Director of the Royal Spanish

Academy, his Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Paris; and

General Ibaiiez, Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic,

&c., &c.. Director General of the Geographical and Statistical Institute of

Spain, Member of the Academy of Sciences;

His Excellency the President of the French Republic: The Duke

Decazes, deputy to the National Assembly, Commander of the Order of the

Legion of Honor, &c., &c., &c.. Minister of Foreign Affairs;

the Viscount de Meaux, deputy to the National Assembly, Minister of

Agriculture and of Commerce; and

Mr. Dumas, Perpetual Secretary to the Academy of Sciences, Grand

Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor;

His Majesty the King of Italy: The Chevalier Constantin Nigra, Knight

of the Grand Cross of his Orders of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, and of the

Crown of Italy, Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, &c., &c., &c., his

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Paris;

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Peru: Mr. Pedro Galvez. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Peru at Paris;

and Mr. Francisco de Rivero, formerly Envoy Extraordinary and Minister

Plenipotentiary of Peru;

His Majesty the King of Portugal and of the Algarves: Mr. Jose da

Silva Mendes Leal, Peer of the Realm, Grand Cross of the Order of Saint

James, Knight of the Order of the Tower and Sword of Portugal, &c., &c.,

&c., his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Paris;

His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias: Mr. Gregory Okouneff,

Knight of the Russian Orders of St. Anne of the first class, of St. Stanislaus

of the first class, of St. Vladimir of the third. Commander of the Legion of

Honor, current Counselor of State, Counselor of the Embassy of Russia at Paris;

His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway: Baron Adelsward,

Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star of Sweden, and of St. Olaf of

Norway, Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, &c., &c., &c., his Envoy

Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Paris;

226
His Excellency the President of the Swiss Confederation: Mr. Jean

Conrad Kern, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the

Swiss Confederation at Paris;

His Majesty the Emperor of the Ottomans: Husny Bey, LieutenantColonel of Staff, wearer of a fourth-class decoration of the Imperial Order

of Osmania, of a fifth-class decoration of the Order of Medjidie, Officer of

the Legion of Honor, &c., &c., &c.;

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Venezuela: Doctor

Eliseo Acosta,

Who, after having exhibited their full powers, which were found to be

in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles:

Article L

The high contracting parties engage to establish stnd maintain, at their

common expense, a scientific and permanent international bureau of

weights and measures, the location of which shall be at Paris.

Article 2.

The French Government shall take all the necessary measures to

facilitate the purchase, or, if expedient, the construction, of a building

which shall be especially devoted to this purpose, subject to the conditions,

stated in the regulations which are subjoined to this convention.

Article 3.

The operation of the international bureau shall be under the exclusive

direction and supervision of an international committee for weights and

measures, which latter shall be under the control of a general conference on weights and measures, to be composed of the delegates of all the contracting governments.

Article 4.

The general conference on weights and measures shall be presided over by the president for the time being of the Paris Academy of Sciences.

Article 5.

The organization of the bureau, as well as the formation and the

powers of the international committee, and of the general conference on

weights and measures, are established by the regulations subjoined to this

convention.

227
Article 6.

The international bureau of weights and measures shall be charged

with the following duties:

1st. All comparisons and verifications of the new prototypes of the

metre and kilogram.

2d. The custody of the international prototypes.

3d. The periodic comparison of the national standards with the international prototypes and with their test copies,^ as well as comparisons of

the standard thermometers.

4th. The comparison of the prototypes with the fundamental standards of non-metric weights and measures used in different countries for

scientific purposes.

5th. The sealing and comparison of geodetic measuring-bars.

6th. The comparison of standards and scales of precision, the verification of which may be requested by governments or by scientific societies, or even by constructors or men of science.

Article 7.

The persons composing the bureau shall be a director, two assistants,

and the necessary number of employees.

When the comparisons of the new prototypes shall have been finished,

and when these prototypes shall have been distributed among the different

states, the number of persons composing the bureau shall be reduced so far as may be deemed expedient.

The governments of the high contracting parties will be informed by

the international committee of the appointment of the persons composing

this bureau.

Article 8.

The international prototypes of the metre and of the kilogram, together

with the test copies- of the same, shall be deposited in the bureau, and ac- cess to them shall be allowed to the international committee only.

Article 9.

The entire expense of the construction and outfit of the international

bureau of weights and measures, together with the annual cost of its maintenance and the expenses of the committee, shall be defrayed by contributions from the contracting states, the amount of which shall be computed

in proportion to the actual population of each.

'-' Editor's note: Modern terminology is "check standards."

228
Article 10.

The amounts representing the contributions of each of the contracting

states shall be paid at the beginning of each year, through the ministry of

foreign affairs of France, into the Caisse de depots et consignations at Paris,

whence they may be drawn as occasion may require, upon the order of the

director of the bureau.

Article 11.

Those governments which may take advantage of the privilege, open

to every state, of acceding to this convention, shall be required to pay a contribution, the amount of which shall be fixed by the committee on the

basis established in article 9, and which shall be devoted to the improvement of the scientific apparatus of the bureau.

Article 12.

The high contracting parties reserve to themselves the power of introducing into the present convention, by common consent, any modifications the propriety of which may have been shown by experience.

Article 13.

At the expiration of 12 years this convention may be abrogated by any

one of the high contracting parties, so far as it is concerned.

Any government which may avail itself of the right of terminating this

convention, so far as it is concerned, shall be required to give notice of its intentions one year in advance, and by so doing shall renounce all rights of

joint ownership in the international prototypes and in the bureau.

Article 14.

This Convention shall be ratified according to the constitutional laws

of each state, and the ratifications shall be exchanged in Paris within 6

months, or sooner, if possible. It shall take effect on the first day of January

1876.

In testimony whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have attached

their signatures and have hereunto affixed their seals of arms. Done at Paris, May 20, 1875. (The seals and signatures of the

plenipotentiaries follow.)

229
This Convention was modified slightly by the international Convention

signed at Sevres on October 6, 1921.

Article 7 became:

After the Committee shall have proceeded with the work of coordinating the measures relative to electric units and when the general conference

shall have so decided by a unanimous vote, the Bureau will have charge of

the establishment and keeping of the standards of the electric units and

their test copies and also of comparing with those standards, the national

or other standards of precision.

The Bureau is also charged with the duty of making the determinations relative to physical constants, a more accurate knowledge of which

may be useful in increasing precision and further insuring uniformity in the

provinces to which the above mentioned units belong (Article 6 and 1st

paragraph of Article 7).

It is finally charged with the duty of coordinating similar determinations effected in other institutions.

In Article 8, the words "of the metre and of the kilogram" were

deleted.

Article 11 was supplemented as follows:

Any state may adhere to this convention by giving notice thereof to the

French Government which shall notify all the participant states and the

Chairman of the International Committee for Weights and Measures.

Any new accession to the Convention of May 20, 1875, will necessarily

involve adherence to this Convention.

Regulations are annexed to the Convention of 1875; they have the

same force and value as the Convention itself. These regulations, which

were modified in 1907, 1921, and 1960, estabhsh in particular: — Requirements on construction, equipment, and operation of the

BIPM (buildings, instruments, budgetary rules). — The role of the CGPM (dissemination and improvement of the

metric system, ratification of fundamental metrological determinations, election to the CIPM), the voting rules and the distribution of

financial expenses among the States. — The composition, renewal procedures, and operation of the

CIPM as well as its mission (direction of the work and operations of

the BIPM, nomination of the director and some assistants,

estabhshment of the budget, setting calibration fees, surveillance of

the prototypes, annual report to the Governments). — The conditions for access to the place of deposit of the prototypes and of publication (in French) of reports and work of the BIPM

and CIPM.

230
Appendix 2

Member States of the Metre Convention

1875 Signatories

PortU"

Ar};eiitiiia

Auslria-HuiiKary p

Bel);iuni

Brazil Denmark

France

Spain

Sweden and Norway

Svvllzerland Turkey

Germany V.SA.

''^'y Venezuela Peru*

Austria

Bel);ium

Brazil'

Member States as of January 1, 1975

(43 States) and Dates of Adherence

Argentina 1875

Australia 1947

'1875 1875 1954

Bulgaria jgjj Cameroon 1971 Canada 1907

Chile 19Q8

Czechoslovakia 1922 Denmark 1875

Dominican Republic 1954

Efjypt 1952

Finland 1921

France I875 German Democratic Republic 1875 Germany (Fed. Rep. of) 1875 Hungary I875

India 1957

Indonesia 1960

Ireland 1926

'laly

^ 1875

Japan 1885

Korea (Rep. of) 1959

Mexico 1890

ilhilriM in 1456

' Brazil ralifii-.l il> IH75 acllu-r r in 1 ami «illi.ir,.« in 1<>32.

231
NothorlaiuI> (The) 1929

Norway 187.5

Pakistan 197.3

Poland 1925

Porlu"'aI 1875

Hoiiian ia 188.3

Spain 1875

S)>nth Africa 1964

Swrdrii 1875

t.JT\ H/A 1 1(111(1 1875

1 Hull clll < 1 1912

Turltcy ^ 193.3

U.S.S.R. 1875

United Kiiif;ilorii 1884

U.S.A. 1875

Uruf;uay 1908

Venezuela' 1960

1879

'Turkfv.dll 1875 ^-ifiiialon. 4\ilh<irevfc in 1889.

* Si^Iiiaiitrv ill 1875. adherence nul iiiaiiilaiiieii in I9U6.

232
Appendix 3

Members and Officers of the CIPM,

and Directors of the BiPM

from 1875 to 1975

(in chronological order)

Members of the CIPM

One hundred and ten noted scientists have served on the CIPM since its incepti

Bo^scha. J.. Delll. The Netherlands' 1875

Broeh, 0. J.. Christiana, Norway 1875-1889

Chisholm, H. W., London. Great Britain' 1875

Foerster, W., Berlin, Germany 1875-1921

Govi, G., Turin. Italy 1875-1889

Herr, J., Vienna. Austria 1875-1884

Hilgard, J. E., Washington, D.C.. U.S.A. 1875-1887

Hirsch, A., Neuchatel, Switzerland 1875-1901

Husny-Bey, Constantinople, Turkey 1875-1883

Ibanez, C, Madrid. Spain 1875-1891

Morin, A., Paris, France 1875-1880

Stas, J.-S, Brussels. Belgium 1875-1891

Wild, H., St. Petersburg, Russia 1875-1895

Wrede, Baron de, Stockliolni Sweden 1873-1885

Gould, B.-A., Cordova. Argentina 1879-1884

Krusper, E. de. Pest, Hungary 1879-1894

Dumas, J.-B., Paris, France 1880-1884

Aguiar, A. de, Lisbon, Portugal 1884-1887

Bertrand, J., Paris, France 1884-1900

Christie. W.-H.. Greenwich. Great Britain 1885-1891

Oppolzer. Th. von. Vienna. Austria 1885-1886

Thalen, R., Uppsala, Sweden 1885-1900

Gould. B.-A., Cambridge, U.S.A. 1887-1896

Lang. V. von, Vienna, Austria 1887-1921

Macedo, H. de, Lisbon, Portugal 1887-1901

Amdsten, A.. Christiana, Norway 1889-1913

Brioschi, J., Rome, Italy 1889-1895

Chaney, H.-J., London, Great Britain 1891-1906

Arrillaga. F. de P., Madrid, Spain 1894-1920

Bodola. L. de, Budapest, Hungary 1894-1929

Hepiles. Sl.-C. Bucharest. Romania 1894-1922

Ferraris, G., Turin, Italy 1895-1897

Mendeleyev, D., St. Petersburg, Russia 1895-1901

' Thf Nerh«>riaii(l> and Great Britain not having >i^'iieri the Metre ('(nnenlinii in 1875. J. B<>s>rha ar (1 11. ^. <:hi>h<ilni revif£ne<l fn.ni tlie CIPM,

233
Blaserna. P., Rome, Italy Michelson, A. A., Chieajjo, U.S.A. Comu. A., Paris, France

Hasselberf;, K.-B., Stockholm, Sweden

E};oroff, N., St. PetersbuTf;, Russia

Gaulier, R., Geneva, Switzerland

Mascarl, E., Paris, France

Slralton, S. W., Boston, U.S.A.

Gill, Sir David, London, Great Britain Tanakadate, A., Tokyo, Japan

Darboux, J.-G., Paris, France

Appell, P.. Paris, France MacMahon, P.A., London, Great Britain

Pasquier, E., Louvain, Bel(;ium

Volterra, V., Rome, Italy

Rosters, W., Berlin, Germany

Torres y Quevedo, L., Madrid, Spain

Isaachsen, D., Oslo, Norway

Fredholm, E.-L, Stockholm, Sweden

Karfjatchin. C. Belgrade, Yiifjoslavia Konovalov, D.. Leninjjrad, U.S.S.R. Cabrera, B., Madrid, Spain

Johansen, E. S., Copenhagen, Denmark

MacLenan, J. C, Toronto, Canada

Posejpal, v., Pra(;ue. Czechoslovakia

Chatelain, M., Lelingrad. U.S.S.R.

Statescu, C, Bucharest. Romania

Zeeman, P., Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Sears, J. E., Teddington-London, United Kingdom

Janet, P., Paris, France Nagaoka, H., Tokyo, Japan

Kennelly. A. E., Cambridge. U.S.A.

Ros, M. G., Zurich, Switzerland Dehalu, M., Liege, Belgiimi

Rauszer, Z., Varsovy, Poland

Fabry, C, Paris, France

Siegbahn, M., Uppsala, Sweden

de Broglie, L., Paris, France

Cassinis, G., Milan, Italy

Crittenden, E. C, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. de Haas, W. J., Leyden, The Netherlands

Isnardi, T., Buenos Aires, Argentina

Field, R. H., Ottawa, Canada

Kouznetsov, A., Moscow, U.S.S.R. Danjon, A., Paris, France Vieweg, R., Braunschweig, Germany (Fed. Rep. of) Yamauti, Z., Tokyo, Japan

de Boer, J., Amsterdam, The Netherlands*

Nussberger, J., Prague, Czechoslovakia

Astin, A. v.. Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Barrell, H., Teddington-London, United Kingdom

Bourdoim, G. D., Moscow, U.S.S.R. Esserman, N. A.. Chippendale-Sydney, Australia

Otero, J. M., Madrid, Spain*

1897

1897 1900

1900

1901 1901

190;i 1905- 1907

1907- 1909

1919. 1919

1919

1919

1921

1921 1922

1923

1923

1927

1928-

1928- 1928

1928

1929

1929-

1929-

1930' 1931. 1931

1933-

1933-

1936- 1936

1937-

1939- 1946-

1946- 1946- 1946-

1948-

1951-

1951- 1952-

1952- 1952- 1953-

1953-

1954- 1954

1954

1954

1954

•1918 1904

•1902 1921

1919

1931 1908

1931 1914

1931

1917

1930

1929

1926

1940

1950

1929

1940

1927

1965

1929

1941 1952

•1935

•1935 1948

1958

1943

1954

1937

1948

1939

1954

1952

•1945 1945

1959

1951 1964

1954

1951 1966

1954

1954

1964

1965

1967

1970

1969

1966

1966

1962

•Present Member of Ihe CIPM (January 197S)

234
StuUa-Gotz, J., Vienna, Austria 1954-

Vaisala, Y., Turku. Finland 1954-1971

Howlett, L. E., Ottawa, Canada 1955-1969

Krishnan, K, S., New Delhi, India 1958-1961

Sandoval Vailarta, M., Mexico City, Mexico* 1960-

Lehany, F. J., Chippendale-Sydney, Australia* 1963-

Kichlu, P. K., New Delhi, India 1964-1966

Mare'chal, A., Paris, France* 1964-

Siegbahn, K., Uppsala, Sweden* 1964-

Kersten, M., Braunschweij;, Germany (Fed. Rep. of) 1965-1970

Dunworth. J. V., Teddington-London, United Kingdom* 1966-

Niewodniczanski, H., Krakow, Poland 1966-1968

Novikov, 1. 1., Moscow, U.S.S.R. 1966-1969

Cinlra do Prado. 1... Sao Paulo. Brazil* 1967- Tomonaga, Y.. Tokyo. Japan 1967-1973

Verma, A. R., New Delhi. India* 1967- Branscomb. L. M., Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 1969-1972

Honti. P., Budapest. Hungary* 1969-

Issaev, B. M.. Moscow. U.S.S.R.* 1969-

Preston-Thomas. H., Ottawa. Canada* 1969-

Djakov, E., Sofia, Bulgaria* 1970-

Stille, U.. Braunschweig. Germany* (Fed. Rep. of) 1970-

Perlstain, A., Wabem-Beme, Switzerland* 1971- Ambler, E., Washington, D.C., U.S.A.* 1972-

Sakurai. Y., Tokyo. Japan* 1974-

Chairmen of the CIPM

Ibanez, C.

Foerster, W.

Gautier, R.^

Volterra. V. Zeeman. P.^

Sears. J. E.' Danjon. A. Vieweg. R.

Howlett, L. E.

Otero, J. M.

1875-1891 1891-1920

1920- 1921

1921- 1940

1940-1943

1946-1954

1954-1960

1960-1964

1964-1968

1968-

Vice-Chairmen of the CIPM

Crittenden, E. C. 1952-1954

Vieweg, R. 1954-1960

Howlett, L. E. 1960-1964

Otero. J. M. 1964-1968

Dunworth, J. V. 1968-

t

'i

!(

5

' ad interim

' ad interim from 1946 to 1948

573-106 O - 75 - 17 235
Secretaries of the CIPM

Hirsch, A. Blasema, P.

Hepiles, Sl.-C/ Bodola. L. de

Isaachsen, D.

Cabrera. B. Dehalu. M.

CassiIli^. C.

<le Boer, J.

1875-1901

1901-1918

1918-1922

1923-1926

1927-1933

1933-1941 1916-I9S2

1952-1962

1962-

Directors of the BIPM

Govi.G. [Italian] 1875-1877

Pemet.J.[SHiss]^ 1877-1879

Broch,0.-J. [Norwegian] 1879-1889

BenouJ.-R. [French] 1889-1915

Guillaume, Ch.-Ed. [Swiss] 1915-1936

Perard, A. [French] 1936-1951

Volet, G. [Swiss] 1951-1961

Terrien, J. [French] 1962-

* aii inlerim from 1918 lo 1920

* ad interim

236

c3o

a> •a

'c

CD

c I

*5) - O Eo .t I

COcOo

0)Q.

CDC

0)E

CDc

CDO

TDO

C2. OO

COco

CD D

CD>

if> CDoo3m

CDE

CD DC

CO Q

CD "O

"DC

CD

COco

0) "D

CD>

U2

CDO

cn

CO -

CD CD CO o TM >^ ? o

CO -Q E >- 3 «c

CO

13 o

CO3 _ 3 Q. < < O

CD

CD

k_U

(D T3

szoc

(D

CO i:t

CO LU

CO3

CT

CDCor

COQ.oc

CD

c

CD a

CDE » E E ^ I

C5Z

LU

ocQE

T3c

>%

T3O

o J3E

CD

CD mb arcj

CD

o

o

c

CD TO Q CO 'o

-pu

g CD JO E SI 3 o C c

OJ Id LL Q.

CO

CD>o<

x:oc

CD

CDO

CD

Cgo

CDCOo

"P

CO •Dc

2.

Jo

CDgE2

73E3

Q.

Q.o

(J)

O

CD CD CO

lo 1^ cn

CD

0)

CDCg

15cc

TO ii

CD •a

c

c

o

CD=

E

E 8 ^

0) CD

a,

£

r

o ^ C

o

c 2 o ^ <o' C3) ,N -

.9 "(0 Id 2?

£

o 1 o Q. E T- P CD X

ro Q- -

ro ^ ra 8 g < O -Q

:eoo

O ^

CD *: 05

CO

o

CD

O

CD CD

CD

CD "5 £ 3

(D

O

£

E

C 3

CD

U ^ CD

Q, ^ S -S

•a CO -Cc

CD

D.

C\J

CD

-$

CDC

(D

CD

oj -QCo

co

COc2 Q.

CD i £ CD

E

CD

CD ^

j;- CD

C3) I s O "D

Q.C

00 CD

in

CO3

D)3<O

CD

CD^O

CD D^Oc

CD

CDEo

CD T3g3o

CO

CO< E

CO

CD £O

0)g3E

CD

CO

CD

— "a o

CD

CDo

CD a

CO

CDaaCDEo

53 i> U- H Ooo

k_o

CD X33O

CD

a3Ec

CD O

CO

CO

COE

-Q ° E ^

CD CD

m

-Q -S IIO o

CD n3O ^ i i 2 TM S

LL Q. -D

CO in C3)

CO

CD>

x:o

XI

CJc

CDE

CDoE

238
"U

"DC

CO ^

f~

TO3

C7

0)o

k_0) "DCo .—. EE

O)

00

E

u

C

w

ra CL

E

D.O

00

00e

CDo2

Q.

TOC

.o

13

a>o

CO

CO

CD

CO

cuCO

CO

caE

CD

E

Q.

O

E

o

o -

l2

CO

COoc^ 1_CD ^ a' O -Q

CO OO

CD00

>,

CDO

COC

CO

co

CO Na>

en

CD

CD

LD

CO

(J)

CP>. - 1

_ <^

CO 1- O CD o E

i: CDO

0) QOO

O ^

CD "

CD

CO

CD>,

"cO oao

o

a>

CO

LU

ICO CM

!c= a.

CO

0)5 ci> o -

"CO CNJ CO 7

-S

o

o0 ^ 1 i

<0 ^ 0)O i_ D B

CO oc

CO

co

CO

Q.O

?5

O i

CO N. C

si

Soc

"6co

Q.

CO

Qi

CDO

o -S

"DC3O

(b co

CD

CD 1 5 2 o 3 O

CD •c

CO

CO "6

0) -c

CD I E

Q. CD

-C ^ O ^ ^ E

CD 3 C8 o

CD CO

CO

CDQ.

CD

O

Q CD

CD

"O

CO

CO •=s

CO

o

CO

0) CD ^ a> § ?

CDC

O)

CDEogc

(D

CD

<DO

CD

(D m ° S I o

CD CO £

CD

O

c

O

CD

CO ^

0)

O

O ^ o

0)3

Q.

CO

1- CO

CD aj

00COcooc

CDEok_o

OJ

CDCDO

x:c

<D

0)

Q. < E

(0 o DC

Lij EC

Ij =)

UJ

O

§1o « O Q. O) CD

CDO

J= <D " *^

CO §

CD °

i_ c^ O) O C -I o

CDO CD C O

CD iCO 00

CD

O

CO CJ)

CDQ.

O) ^ E a> »l^ _oDO 8 £

Q.

—

CD

C

a ilCD ^ >

.y -co h ^ O CO

o

x:5

0)

<u -„ p CD £ CI) CD (- 0 COo o §E : CD

CDIIE c

CO Ci= — CD O "cD £ J

CD

o

g

C

o

TM

-£=

£

g

s

o a;

COO

— 0

TW

CO CL 00 E

1- CD o Ico c

CD <

CO (D CO

.2 "D

CD CD 0 t C 0 CD O N I io o 0 X Q £ CO

Q.o

CO

O 2 S

CO

c

-cP CO

o

"5

Cr

CD0

cj

c =; 2 2 W CD C CI O ^ " -C - - C3) « Q- t 0) CD

P O)

.5,

C -pL CD "

COi i

CDQ.

c

E

io "O 0 C

CD ^ m w c 0E

-c "o

i: CD CD o c <p 0 0 0

CO

p 0 C

i; 0

c; a- 0 c 0 O ^ ? 0 0 Q c;

239
COEw

CE

CD Q

co

<D TD

"DC

CO

tr> coo>

CO

CO

CDO

CO 05

CO

—

I) OJ

COo ^CO 1 - E c >- D CO

E CD

S5

CO CO CO

CO 0) CO

CO 2 S5 O) p CO 5 o

o

;r CO

CO

CO

iS

f

"3 -9 o - " i

CD 0) o \- ^ QJ S ^

CO

E

03 D.

.^8 o

Q.

—

C 3

QJ

o

tu

E

a 2

oj -g- o o

<D

o 2i

£ o)£n ^ ° s ^ ^ s a T3 -2

0) QJO

>- CO CO

(0T "D QJ -n CO > 2 ^ E t3J ro CO

CO

o 3 CO

cr t~~ QJ CM

(O ))

CO >i. s „

QJ QJ

0) ^

O) "o

OJ O 0) >

-Q

QJ Q) £ QJ I S' £ "D O 0)

QJ TD E

CO

"5. E

o

c

QJO

OJC

CO

_QJCOO

lOOE

COc

>. noE

Qj

QJ _ _QJCO c o

QJ CO

QJ 0) 5 n ^ to

oc

CO

CO

CO

QJ

u.Q.O

\_

OJ

o SI o a — CO

OJ

o

o

E

to 0 -D 1 ^ S c: D. CO

C3) to C 1-QJ

QJ ^5O

CO

E

O) CO

QJ QJ C

QJ

QJ

QJ -D

H

O

LUtrH<

trm

D.

c

Q)

_

QJ0

C31 QJ TD

OJ DCOC

QJO

QJ

OJE

COcg

QJ

Q.

00

O

2? 5

0)

0)O)

0) o3

|m

0)

O

OJ .5 cj

E

O

— QJ

QJ ^ ^ % 5 ^ t S. CD

QJ OJ ^ £ S 'oj

O C"

11 0

OJ ¥' £ CD

QJ QJ

Q. ^ E TM

QJ

£

E

£ CO , oE

cn 2

O)

O CD <ii 1^ X3 C\J QJ

QJc

QJ

C

:^

OJ

gj£

O

1^5

QJ

g

O ^ »- >, I— O -Q

CO

g 3 QJ

'qj 2

QJ QJ 5 QJ 2 E

QJ QJ QJ Q. -a

QlOo

LO

COc

CO>3

CT

CDcO

QJ Q

QJ

QJO)

QJ •D

QJ ^ « QJ

E

QJ ,^ OJ J3 . ^ Qi ^ CD g • ?

QJ ^ I^ : ^ O

QJ

C

_ > °

QJ

OJO

TD Q)

QJ ^ CJ

CO

—

a °

QJ CO

CO QJ > 5

QJ OJ

Q.O

COOJ " 3 U

a> CO o c £% * CO

•o

£

E

o

Q) (D O 1^ C3

Q)

OJ

o

OJ3

0) ^ 5

Q. CO OJ

o

loleE <ij

C

o x>

b CO

CO Id

o as

E

E

CJ)

c CO QJ

CO cn

o

g

les

pui

E

hos

o

lolecu cule a

word

g

QJO

atom

E QJ QJ tan

o

o

o -C

m-m

CO CD

ole ed

of

sub ICUl

E

CO

gra due mole

ed

o

_aj i_

c

CO

w

call

re

cal

aid

in

amou lal

toi o QJ g

_j

c

g

c cr

QJ to CD QJ

CO

O CO

CD

E 0)

What of

ato LL

signal grams

oo

C3J

QJO

OJ

CDO

(DCD

II ocI E O 3 — C

1- CO

II 5 - II 2 ^ o 5 X uj

II £o

to

E

E

_ CD CD o

CJ) D)

E

LL LU o o O CQ < CO

240
oEo<cocg

(0

(0EEoO

rococ

CD CD

II

oo

CO -tr

Q.O 0) O

C:5 3

15c

>,XO

CM

~

M CO oa c\j o TQ. c o E <— 0) o £ c

to D.<

D.D

CD -C

CDo

CD

CO

[/) CO

co

CO O

t/3 E -o O Q) — o

a>

(/> Q.

0) CO is 01 c -Q

=jE

CO ^ CD

cn

CD

(/> CD 1^ E b

.y

X

E ^ o c

CO <D CO

tn CD i_ C > CD

E IS ^

_CD CO (D I 'I o 0

J2

P£O

E

a

CDO

CD CD „ 0 ;^ c\j

CD

c

o1 &

CO CD

0)

coeCDo

O ^0) E" cO CD E E

CO

gj CD -c c

o

CD ^ E o S °

.CO 5 c cooc.oc

li

Q. 0 E c —

TO ^>,

CDc

CD

CJ i (0

(D ^ fC ~ 00 O CD O

CD

~E

Q.E

CO

CODoo

CO Icoci_ > 5 2: O 00 ^ 00 oo

00

CDo

J3

CO •D

CO oc

CO

CDEM

CO3g

CO >

-aQ

w

<D a> 1 = > oi

CD

E

£ 2

C/5

E

CO 3

(D

—

O)

O

CO -D O 0

"to 0 y 0 o „ 0

lU CO _ CO

CO T- c —

00

00

CD T3c

CDCO

0)g>0

COa0c0g0ac

CDO

"CO Eo0a

CO

t

co

COcEEoO

COcg

toc

ac

CDOcg

toc0

"5o

c:" o

CO : E "C c_ t-0 £CO -t; 0 _CD ^ £ w Q. ^

CO

c

o 0

CO CO

£ 2 E 0 Q. o 0 0 0 E q: -D

CD ^ ^ Q. 2 O

COac0o

CO0ac

COocc0E

COco

XI

CD O

CD

CD

_0c0

CD>3

IT0Co0Q0DC

COog0c 0DC

CDO0C0

T30

Q.OoCO0E

CD

CD

=^ CJ "D0 o S 0)

_ca 0

T3c

COo0 -Q0 c = g ^ 1 2 0 g D CO 0 I

h- CL I I

(J (3 O O

00

O ^ ^ j= CD ±;

55 o> ^

vL

O '5

m 0 O ° CM

tl

O 0 CO 0 O £ o

CD ^ 05 o 0E o

CO

.c .2

Co 3 3 CO g CD I o ^1O

.CO 0

CD

S

CD

-5

c

Q 3 S0

CD "D ^ CD §10 C C 0 K Ci

E

o

g 0 -C < .CD Q. Q. 0- O

CD30!N -tC3- 0 0

CO -i:

c

TJ ^ O

241

Appendix 5

Worldwide Expansion of the Metric System

In 1875, at the time of founding the BIPM, the Metric System had been

adopted or introduced into some 30 countries. In 1975, almost all the countries in the world had adopted it or had started a metric reform based on

the SI, thus leaving a hope that the world will be 100 percent metric at the

end of the 20th century. (See fig. 1 on next page.)

243
Tongo

Borbodos, Jomoico, Nauru

(G>

(Fl

(E)

(Dl

Irelond, Singopo'e

(C) United Kingdom

Ethiopio, Nepol

Saudi Arabio Kuwoil

Iroq Greece

India Sudon Chino (Republic of) Jordon

Albanio, Jgpori Viei-Nom (Dem. Rep. of) Koieo (Rep. of) Koreo (Dem. Rep. of), Israel Egypt Lebonon, Syr.o

Iron Turkey Chioo (People's Republic) Libyo

Afghonislon

Indonesio, Morocco, Thoiland

Hoiti. Mnd'io (opt.)l Polond

U S.S.R. Panona

Kbmef Republic Viet-Nom (Rep. of)

(B) Denmork. Iceland, San Morino Ph j lippines

Angolo, Guineo-Bissou, Mozambique

Guinea

Poroguoy. lU, S.S.R. (opr.)I Madagascor [United Kingdom (opl.)l Tunisio Cameroon

[Japan (opt.))

Finland

(A) Cobo

Cosio Rico

Seychelles Sweden

Mauritius

Liectilenstein, Norway

Hungary

Yugoslavio Germany, Austria, Czechoslovokia

Bolivia, Switzerland

lU.S A. (opt. II Ecuador Romania

Argentina

Broiil, Peru, Uruguoy

Italy Mexico, Venezuela

Colombio. Monoco

Portugol

Spoin, Dominican Republic

Chile

Algeria

Belgium, Lu; mbourg, Netherlands

1790 1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1975

Figure 1. Expansion of the Metric System throughout the world since its creation in 1795. The

dates are those of the adoption or introduction of the Metric System in various countries

and not those of its complete usage, this often not occurring until after a more or less long

delay. A: Central African Republic. Congo (Rep. of the). Ivory Coast, Dahomey. Gabon,

Upper Volta, MaH, Mauritania, Niger, Chad; B: Guatemala. Honduras. Malta, Nicaragua,

El Salvador, Zaire; C: South Africa. Kenya, Uganda, Pal^rstan. Tanzania: D: Bahrain, Botsvifana. New Zealand, Rhodesia. Swaziland: E: Australia. Canada. Gibraltar, Papua and

New Guinea, Sri Lanlca, Trinidad and Tobago, Zambia; F: Bermuda, Guyana (Rep. of), Malaysia, Nigeria; G: Cyprus, Fiji, Ghana, Somalia,

opt: Adoption for optional use.

244
Appendix 6

Publications of the Metre Convention Organs

The scientific and metrological work accomplished during the last

century by the CGPM, the CIPM, its Consultative Committees, and the

BIPM is recorded in the following publications which constitute important

documentation on scientific metrology.

1. Comptes rendus des seances de la Conference Generale des Poids et Mesures (14 volumes from 1889 to 1971).

Reports on the work of the CIPM, its Consultative Committees, and

the BIPM; general administrative and financial decisions concerning the

operation of the BIPM; discussion and adoption of metrological resolutions

of international import. (The transactions of the first nine CGPM's are also

published in collection 4.)

2. Proces-verbaux des seances du Comite International des Poids et Mesures (65 volumes from 1875 to 1973).

Administration of the BIPM and orientation of its work; detailed re- port of the director on the activity of the BIPM; examination of reports of

the Consultative Committees, results of various international comparisons,

and proposals to ue submitted to the CGPM.

3. Consultative Committees (The transactions of each meeting of a Consultative Committee are given in a publication.)

Report of the Consultative Committee (and possibly of its Working

Groups) presented to the CIPM; reports on international comparisons carried out at the BIPM or under the auspices of the CIPM; communications

on the principal metrological work carried out in the world's specialized

laboratories. (Before 1960, these transactions were published as appendices to the Proces-Verbaux du C.I. P.M. The 7 Consultative Committees

have held 51 meetings: CCE (13), CCP (7), CCT (10), CCDM (5), CCDS (7), ecu (4), CCEMRI (5 from 1959 to 1964; since 1969, this Consultative Committee has comprised four independent Sections which have held seven

meetings: Section I (2), Section II (2), Section III (2), Section IV (1)).

4. Travaux et Memoires du Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (22

volumes from 1881 to 1966).

Detailed descriptions of the principal work and metrological studies

245
carried out at the BIPM since its founding. (Publication stopped in 1966

and replaced by the following one.)

5. Recueil de Travaux du Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (4

volumes from 1966 to 1974).

Collection of articles published by the physicists and metrologists of

the BIPM in scientific and technical journals or in the form of internal reports.

6. Certain documents pubhshed in the preceding collections are also

published separately: Recents progres du Systeme metrique, Echelle International Pratique de Temperature, Systeme International d' Unites.

7. Annual Reports

Reports from the CIPM office to the Governments on the administrative and financial situation of the BIPM.

All the preceding publications are edited under the care of the BIPM.

The journal Metrologia, founded in 1965 and edited under the

auspices of the CIPM, publishes articles on the work of scientific metrology carried out in the world; periodically, information is given on the activities of the Metre Convention organs under the heading "News from the

BIPM."

246
Appendix 7

Abbreviations Used in This Volume

AAEC

AECL

AEET

AIEA

ASMW

BCMN

BIPM

CCDM

CCDS

CCE

CCEMRI

CCP

CCPR

CCT

ecu

CENS

CGPM

CIPM

CNAM

DAMW

ETL

lEN

IKO

Australian Atomic Energy Commission, Lucas Heights,

Austraha

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River, Canada

Atomic Energy EstabHshment (formerly Bhabha Atomic

Research Center), Trombay, India

International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria

Amt fur Standardisierung, Messwesen und Warenpriifung (formerly DAMW), BerHn, German Democratic

Republic

Bureau Central de Mesures Nucleaires (Euratom), Geel,

Belgium

International Bureau of Weights and Measures, Sevres,

France

Consultative Committee for the Definition of the Metre

Consultative Committee for the Definition of the Second

Consultative Committee for Electricity

Consultative Committee for the Standards of Measurement of Ionizing Radiations

Consultative Committee for Photometry (now CCPR)

Consultative Committee for Photometry and Radiometry

(formerly CCP)

Consultative Committee for Thermometry

Consultative Committee for Units

Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette,

France

General Conference for Weights and Measures

International Committee for Weights and Measures

Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers, Paris, France

Deutsches Amt fiir Messwesen und Warenpriifung (now

ASMW), Berlin, German Democratic Republic

Electrotechnical Laboratory, Tokyo, Japan

Istituto Elettrotecnico Nazionale Galileo Ferraris, Turin,

Italy

Institut voor Kernphysik Onderzoek, Amsterdam,

Netherlands

247
TMM ivienaeieyev insiiiuie oi ivieiroiogy, L<eningraa, u.o.o.rv. TPT^ Ir 1 k5 liilci iid.iiuiid.1 r id-CiiCdi 1 ciiipci diui c oCaic

Doris j\.iuric iNucicar ociencc insiiiuie, vinca, lugoC 1 O 17 1 O Slct Vld, loo Tct'll'Ilt'/^ ^ 1 1 Ofl riT'fi f\t ^ Q n 1

1" Q "R mO T t Q 1 \7 IblllULU OUpcllUlc Ul kJctlllLd, l\UIIlC, iid.iy

TTIPAr iiiiciiiaiiuiid-j u jiiuii ui 1 Ulc diiii /vppiicci v--iiciiusiry

TTTPAP inierndiiondi union oi rure dnu rvppiiea r nysics

J unid (_ic Ejiicrg4ci IN ucicdi, ividuriQ, opdin

T CF J-idUUi dlUll C \_<ClllIdl U. J-jlCCLllClLC y^llUW J-jV-^IXZj^, 1 dllb.

France

T TTF j-jduui diuii c v^ciiiidi uco iiitiusincb Ejicciiimicb mjiiiiciiy

i-jvjjZj ^, r uiiLdidy dUA ixobcs, r I diicc

iNDo i>iaiiuiidi jjUicdu OI oLdii(j.dru.s, jjuuiuer i^oj, vraiiiicrsDurg,

IVTPT i^dllonal i nysicai L-dDoraiory, leaaingion, iidigiana

i^diiuiidi r iiyoiL/di ivcoCdXdi Ljduuidiuiy, x iciuiid, outiiii

/viricd

i> dLiuiidi ixcocdi K.II v^umicii, \_/Lid w d, diidcid

NRT M 1 ^ dLiuiidi xicocdi i^ii -I—iciuLfi dnji y \jl Li (jujg y , i Lii^yu, j dpdii

NSL i 1 ClLlUlldl O I CLIlvidl i-<diJlJl dLUl j \ll\J W i i d tlLllldl iTlCdo til C

IIICIIL J-idUUl dLUl y , iiiVlLj^, V-'llippcllLIdlC, iVUSlldild

wrszd^us ivicicsugyi mvdidi ^i^idiioiidi v^iiicc oi ivicds

til Co^ , JJ uudpco 1 1 11 tiiigdi y PTR -T iiy siKduscii- 1 cciiiiisciic Duiicicsdiisidii, jjiduiiscnweig,

H O /~l £k Y* O 1 l-t A 1 1 r\ It ^ /~\r 1 ziirm O n it' r cuerdi rvepuDiic ui vjcriiidny

PTR 1 iiy siKdiiscii- 1 cciiiiisciic ixcicfisdiisidii (^loriiiciiy vrcr

xiidn iidiioridi LidDordioryj

RTV llljlva lllollllil VUUl UC V Ul|\.S^Cll/t*JIlli,HCld5 ULXCt^llL^

IN cinciidnas

IIILCI IldLlUlldl OyslClII UI UlllLs

UVVVR Ustav pro Vyzkum, Vyrobu a Vyuziti Radioisotopu (Institute for Research, Production, and Application of

Radioisotopes), Prague, Czechoslovakia

U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1975 O - 573-106

248
I

I
^