Dielectric-constant gas thermometry

Abstract

The principles, techniques and results from dielectric-constant gas thermometry (DCGT) are reviewed. Primary DCGT with helium has been used for measuring T–T90 below the triple point of water (TPW), where T is the thermodynamic temperature and T90 is the temperature on the international temperature scale of 1990 (ITS-90), and, in an inverse regime with T as input quantity, for determining the Boltzmann constant at the TPW. Furthermore, DCGT allows the determination of several important material properties including the polarizability of neon and argon as well as the virial coefficients of helium, neon, and argon. With interpolating DCGT (IDCGT), the ITS-90 has been approximated in the temperature range from 4 K to 25 K. An overview and uncertainty budget for each of these applications of DCGT is provided, accompanied by corroborating evidence from the literature or, for IDCGT, a CIPM key comparison.