Mentoring Scheme Award
Metrological Capabilities in the Field of Photometry and Radiometry
Application code: MSA-25-02-01
Organisation 1: Slovak Institute of Metrology (SMÚ), Slovakia
Organisation 2: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany
Practical training and knowledge exchange with experts from PTB
Overview
The four-week partnership exchange between the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and the Slovak Institute of Metrology (SMU) covered the areas of radiometry and photometry and took the form of a placement of the SMU staff member at PTB laboratories. The aim of the mentorship was to strengthen SMU’s professional and metrological capabilities in the field of photometry and radiometry through practical training and knowledge exchange with experts from PTB.
Outcomes and impact
The SMU staff member has obtained highly valuable new knowledge about the technical realisation of the primary standard of spectral irradiance unit in the range from 200 nm to 2500 nm based on a high-temperature blackbody, the source-based dissemination of radiometric units at PTB, the interrelationships with other primary standards (such as the cryogenic absolute radiometer) and methods for transferring the unit of absolute spectral responsivity to other radiation detectors (e.g. filter-based detectors).
The SMU staff member has acquired important practical skills by taking part in the calibration of the client’s lamps using secondary standards – deuterium or halogen lamps – in accordance with the procedures established at the PTB, as well as through a detailed explanation of all the intricacies associated with the transfer of the unit.
Figure 1 The secondary standard used for transferring spectral irradiance unit during the customer’s lamp calibration.
The SMU employee has expanded their knowledge in areas such as solar cells metrology, laser radiometry, single-photon metrology and reflection and transmission through visits to the cutting-edge laboratories at PTB.
The absolute spectral irradiance responsivity for the SMU P15 FOT photometric head, which is an important part of the National Standard of Luminous Intensity, was measured at the TULIP (Tunable Lasers In Photometry) facility. The luminous responsivity was also both calculated on the base of measured absolute spectral irradiance responsivity and measured directly in a photometric laboratory.
Figure 2 Visit to the Clean Room Center, where the TULIP facility is located.
Consequently, the SMU staff member has gained a broad range of knowledge in photometry and radiometry, including practical advice from experienced specialists; has studied professional literature and the results of the latest PTB research; and has received detailed instructions on calculating uncertainties. This acquired knowledge and these practical skills provide an opportunity to review and, possibly, modify the existing calibration and measurement procedures at SMU for radiometry, in particular, for the calibrating UV-A radiometers. It might be possible to implement stability control methods on SMU equipment using a monitor lamp or monitor detector, as well as to introduce new light sources to ensure the calibration of UV radiometers at high radiation intensities.