Abstract
The Spanish Metrology Institute and the Research Group TERMOCAL of the University of Valladolid are involved in a European project for which the main target is the determination of the Boltzmann constant k B. We have set-up an acoustic gas thermometer, which consists of a stainless steel spherical resonator, 4 cm nominal radio, in an adiabatic enclosure. The temperature stability and uniformity obtained are about 0.1 mK. This system allows performance of measurements of acoustic and microwave resonance frequencies. Microwave measurements characterize the resonator volume. Both hemispheres, joined by a flange in the equatorial band, can be misaligned up to 50 μm, splitting degenerate microwave modes in suitable triplets. Acoustic radial resonances in helium and argon can be used to compute the zero-density limit at the speed of sound at T TPW. Kinetic theory of gases and hydrodynamics reveals k B from this speed of sound value. In this article, a description of the apparatus and the first results using argon will be presented.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Moldover M.R., Trusler J.P.M., Edwards T.J., Mehl J.B., Davis R.S.: J. Res. Natl. Bur. Stand 93, 85 (1988)
Moldover M.R., Boyes S.J., Meyer C.W., Goodwin A.R.H.: J. Res. Nat. Inst. Stand. Technol. 104, 11 (1999)
Plumb H., Cataland G.: Metrologia 2, 127 (1966)
Moldover M.R., Mehl J.B., Greenspan M.: J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 79, 253 (1986)
Moldover M.R., Trusler J.P.M.: Metrologia 25, 165 (1988)
Trusler J.P.M.: Physical Acoustics and Metrology of Fluids, pp. 253. Adam-Hilger, Bristol (1991)
Ewing M.B., Trusler J.P.M.: J. Chem. Thermodyn. 32, 1229 (2000)
Benedetto G., Gavioso R.M., Spagnolo R., Marcarino P., Merlone A.: Metrologia 41, 74 (2004)
Ewing M.B., McGlashan M.L., Trusler J.P.M.: Metrologia 22, 93 (1986)
Mehl J.B.: J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 78, 782 (1985)
Ledbetter H.M.: Cryogenics 22, 653 (1982)
Hoyt, S.L. (eds): ASME Handbook on Metal Properties. McGraw-Hill, New York (1990)
Ewing M.B., Mehl J.B., Moldover M.R., Trusler J.P.M.: Metrologia 25, 211 (1988)
Mehl J.B., Moldover M.R.: Phys. Rev. A 34, 3341 (1986)
Estela-Uribe J.F., Trusler J.P.M., Chamorro C.R., Segovia J.J., Martín M.C., Villamañán M.A.: J. Chem. Thermodyn. 38, 929 (2006)
Trusler J.P.M., Zahari M.: J. Chem. Thermodyn. 24, 973 (1992)
Estrada-Alexanders A.F., Trusler J.P.M.: J. Chem. Thermodyn. 27, 1075 (1995)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Segovia, J.J., Vega-Maza, D., Martín, M.C. et al. An Apparatus Based on a Spherical Resonator for Measuring the Speed of Sound in Gases and for Determining the Boltzmann Constant. Int J Thermophys 31, 1294–1309 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10765-010-0746-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10765-010-0746-4