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The Physical Metrology programme maintains and develops the NMS facilities associated with electrical, time and optical metrology. Along with other NMS Knowledge Base programmes, it aims to support wealth creation by enabling businesses to make accurate and traceable measurements, and supports measurements in the healthcare and environmental sectors intended to improve the quality of life.
The programme is divided into 7 technical themes:
1. Electrical and electromagnetic capability
2. Optical and photonic capability
3. Time and length capability
4. Energy, environment and climate change
5. Communications
6. Displays and imaging
7. Health and exposure
This theme underpins all electrical metrology, providing facilities and expertise to ensure that UK firms are able to meet the latest international and European standards. The parameters covered include low frequency voltage, impedance and power measurements; guided wave impedance, attenuation, power and noise measurements; and terahertz power and wavelength.
This theme provides realisation and dissemination of scales and standards for optical and photonic metrology, plus development activities necessary to update or increase the flexibility of the existing infrastructure.
The development and operation of the UK’s national timescale UTC(NPL) is part of this theme, along with related clock and time transfer applications. The dissemination of the metre is undertaken through the frequency calibration of lasers and the verification of interferometers.
Given the high potential impact of climate change, the need for reliable data is gradually being appreciated in the appropriate international bodies. One project in this theme aims to give the UK a leading role in improving the quality and traceability of earth observation data used in climate change studies.
Another project in this theme aims to assist the use of renewable energy sources by developing techniques for advanced electrical measurements of the power from wind and wave generators.
This theme responds to challenges associated with digital communications. In wireless communications there is a need to characterise the small and smart antennas that are now coming into use. Other work addresses waveform distortion in high bandwidth photonic communication. Another project has a longer term vision to address the metrological issues in quantum data cryptography.
The increasing use of displays to present information is creating a growing industry. A project in this theme aims to develop high-quality measurements of the characteristics of displays, and link them to human perception, with a view to ensuring comfort and safety.
The imaging project will seek to support the field of laser machining by developing traceable adaptive optics (AO) metrology.
Public confidence in wireless communications depends on the belief that it is safe. One project in this theme aims to ensure that employees and the public are not harmed by exposure to electromagnetic fields, and enables industry to test compliance with the EU Physical Agents (EMF) Directive.
Other work in this theme contributes to the discipline of tissue optics, by aiming to provide the traceability needed in optical coherence tomography (OCT).
