High precision comparison between a programmable and a pulse-driven Josephson voltage standard

Abstract

Over the last 15 years, research in ac Josephson voltage metrology has focused on two fundamentally different systems: the programmable and the pulse-driven Josephson voltage standards (JVSs). This paper reports the first high precision comparison between the two types of JVS. The METAS programmable voltage standard was moved from Switzerland to the Netherlands to be compared with the Dutch pulse-driven system during four days in November 2010. After a careful investigation of the systematic sources of errors, the comparison was made at a frequency of 500 Hz and an rms amplitude of 104 mV. At that level, the voltage difference measured between the fundamental frequency components of the two standards was −0.18 ± 0.26 µV V−1 (k = 2), showing an excellent agreement between the two systems.