national metrology institutes

Accuracy records set: Two research groups awarded Helmholtz Prizes | PTB Press Release

June 1, 2026 Office

Although the prefixes ‘nano’, ‘femto’ and ‘atto’ suggest something small, they often conceal significant physics and impressive technology. This year, two research groups have been awarded the Helmholtz Prize for setting accuracy records in their […]

Freeware

MSL Uncertainty Calculator

May 14, 2026 Office

The MSL Uncertainty Calculator is an Excel spreadsheet that provides an uncertainty table suitable for summarising and propagating uncertainties. The total uncertainty is calculated together with the effective degrees of freedom and coverage factor. This […]

NIST Weighs In on the Mystery of the Gravitational Constant | NIST News

April 16, 2026 Office

The time had come to open the envelope, but Stephan Schlamminger, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), wasn’t sure he wanted to know the secret number that lay inside. For […]

Photo of the International Space Station.

Space: The Final Frontier for Standards | NIST News

February 19, 2026 Office

Wrapped snugly in a custom container, seven carefully chosen materials left Earth on Aug. 24, 2025, traveling at 17,500 mph. Nestled at the top of a Falcon 9 rocket, house dust, freeze-dried human liver and […]

Calibration of large gears | PTB News

January 15, 2026 Office

PTB-News 1.2026 PTB’s Wind Energy Competence Center features a large coordinate measuring machine (CMM) that allows us to offer the world’s only calibration services for the large gears used in wind energy systems. With a […]

First Successful Key Comparison of Josephson Voltage Standards for AC Voltage | BIPM News

January 15, 2026 Office

The BIPM and PTB have completed the first key comparison of Josephson voltage standards for AC voltage, marking an important step in strengthening global traceability for electrical measurements. Source: 2026-01-15-First-successful-key-comparison-of-Josephson-voltage-standards-for-AC voltage – BIPM

What Time Is It on Mars? NIST Physicists have the answer.

December 11, 2025 Office

December 1, 2025 Ask someone on Earth for the time and they can give you an exact answer, thanks to our planet’s intricate timekeeping system, built with atomic clocks, GPS satellites and high-speed telecommunications networks. […]

On-wafer metrology for high-frequency circuits | PTB News

September 5, 2025 Office

PTB News 3.2025 – To date, it has not been possible to compare on-wafer measurements because the measuring equipment and laboratory conditions significantly differ from each other and there have not been any reference substrates. […]