European Dissemination of the Ultra-low Temperature Scale, PLTS-2000

The first phase of the EU collaborative project on sub-kelvin thermometry, 'ULT Dissemination', is nearing completion, leading to the development of several thermometers and devices, and the instrumentation needed to disseminate the new Provisional Low Temperature Scale, PLTS-2000, to users. Principal among these are a current-sensing noise thermometer (CSNT), a CMN thermometer adapted for industrial use, a Coulomb blockade thermometer, a second-sound acoustic thermometer and a superconductive reference device SRD-1000. Several partners have set up He-3 melting-pressure thermometers to realise the PLTS-2000, and will check it using Pt-NMR, CMN and other thermometers. The scale, which was formally adopted by the Comite International des Poids et Mesures in October 2000, covers the range of temperature from 1 K down to 0.9 mK, and is defined by an equation for the melting pressure of He-3. The SRD employs novel fabrication and detection techniques with up to 10 samples, and is expected to meet the requirement for fixed points below 1 K, formerly filled by the NIST SRM 767 and 768. Other devices included in the project are ruthenium oxide sensors and a self-contained He-3 melting pressure thermometer. This paper reviews the project progress to date and indicates the potential for research, metrological and industrial application of the devices developed.