Cryocooled Josephson standards for AC voltage metrology

Abstract

The Josephson effect is worldwide used as a basis for constant reference voltages in national metrological institutes and in calibration laboratories of industry. Research on Josephson voltage standards is aiming at a fundamental change also in the metrology of the volt for AC and arbitrary waveforms: programmable Josephson voltage standards converting a digital code into a quantum-accurate stepwise waveform are already available in primary laboratories and even more advanced standards for converting sub-nanosecond binary coded pulses into any arbitrary signal with quantum accuracy are now actively developed and tested. A new experimental setup based on a two-stage Gifford-McMahon cryocooler has been developed at INRiM for the operation of AC-Josephson voltage standards. Among its distinct features, the possibility of employing both the aforementioned techniques (programmable and pulsed Josephson voltage standards) is particularly interesting. Quantum-based AC voltage sine waves have been synthesized with both programmable and pulse-driven arrays, although their accuracy is still limited by thermal oscillations due to the cryocooler piston motion.