4 ms·

Specific to my knowledge base, timing is critical to applications in inertial sensors (IMUs that guide missiles, AR/VR, smartphone apps, and so much more). To t

Specific to my knowledge base, timing is critical to applications in inertial sensors (IMUs that guide missiles, AR/VR, smartphone apps, and so much more). To that end, here is interesting work that DARPA is doing in developing inertial sensors that can navigate without GPS for significant amounts of time. Critical to that is accurate chip level atomic clocks. https://www.darpa.mil/program/micro-technology-for-positioning-navigation-and-timing https://www.darpa.mil/program/micro-technology-for-positioni... Other uses as other posters mentioned is in traceability of measurements. Improving the means of measurement of the primary standard has downstream impact to secondary standards in metrology labs which ultimately (through transfer standards) would result in better calibrations of production systems. Finally, an interesting thought I have is that in the future this could be an interesting way to figure out your absolute position on Earth. At a conference one of the NIST Boulder folks mentioned that the frequency of clocks in the development pipeline was so precise/stable that it could pick up time dilation effects from moving the clock from a desk to the floor! An instrument like that combined with accurate gravimetery data could be used to map the earth, find concentrations of natural resources, or possibly act as a standalone positioning system. It’s a chicken and egg problem though. I don’t know if we will know all the uses for it until we build it, so instead of saying “why build it?” I think it makes sense to go and just build it :)

throw0101a 6y ago
> […] downstream impact to secondary standards in metrology labs which ultimately (through transfer standards) would result in better calibrations of production systems. What is a "transfer standard"? Can you name an example(s)?
- jhayward 6y ago
  A transfer standard is an artifact that is produced at a standards laboratory to be sent to another laboratory for the purpose of calibration of the 2nd laboratory's processes and equipment. "Measurement Assurance Programs are quality control programs for calibrating a customer's entire measurement system. In a typical MAP, a stable artifact or set of artifacts called transfer standards are first measured by NIST and then sent to a customer's laboratory for a series of measurements. The transfer standards are then returned to NIST for re-measurement, along with the participating laboratory's results. NIST reports its comparative findings to the customer and, when necessary, offers guidance on achieving and maintaining measurement quality. Successful use of a NIST MAP requires that the customer make periodic measurements of in-house check standards to estimate their measurement process uncertainty and to ensure that the measurement process remains in a state of statistical control. Unless a laboratory has a measurement quality assurance program to monitor its own measurement process parameters continuously, there is no value in participating in a MAP. In fact, NIST recommends that its customers establish and use a measurement quality assurance program to monitor their measurement parameters, whether or not they participate in a MAP." [1] https://www.nist.gov/calibrations/policies#:~:text=In%20a%20typical%20MAP%2C%20a,with%20the%20participating%20laboratory's%20results https://www.nist.gov/calibrations/policies#:~:text=In%20a%20....

throw0101a 6y ago

> […] downstream impact to secondary standards in metrology labs which ultimately (through transfer standards) would result in better calibrations of production systems. What is a "transfer standard"? Can you name an example(s)?

jhayward 6y ago
A transfer standard is an artifact that is produced at a standards laboratory to be sent to another laboratory for the purpose of calibration of the 2nd laboratory's processes and equipment. "Measurement Assurance Programs are quality control programs for calibrating a customer's entire measurement system. In a typical MAP, a stable artifact or set of artifacts called transfer standards are first measured by NIST and then sent to a customer's laboratory for a series of measurements. The transfer standards are then returned to NIST for re-measurement, along with the participating laboratory's results. NIST reports its comparative findings to the customer and, when necessary, offers guidance on achieving and maintaining measurement quality. Successful use of a NIST MAP requires that the customer make periodic measurements of in-house check standards to estimate their measurement process uncertainty and to ensure that the measurement process remains in a state of statistical control. Unless a laboratory has a measurement quality assurance program to monitor its own measurement process parameters continuously, there is no value in participating in a MAP. In fact, NIST recommends that its customers establish and use a measurement quality assurance program to monitor their measurement parameters, whether or not they participate in a MAP." [1] https://www.nist.gov/calibrations/policies#:~:text=In%20a%20typical%20MAP%2C%20a,with%20the%20participating%20laboratory's%20results https://www.nist.gov/calibrations/policies#:~:text=In%20a%20....