| Issue |
Ann. Phys. Fr.
Volume 32, Number 2-3, 2007
COLOQ'1010th conference on lasers and quantum optics
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 175 - 178 | |
| Section | Short contributions | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/anphys:2008036 | |
| Published online | 23 May 2008 | |
Towards an optical measurement of the Boltzmann constant at the 10-5 level
1
LPL, Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, UMR 7538 C.N.R.S., Université Paris 13, 99 avenue J.-B. Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
2
Institut National de Métrologie, CNAM-INM, 292 rue St Martin, 75141 Paris Cedex 03, France
Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Abstract
We present a new method for direct determination of the Boltzmann constant by laser spectroscopy. The principle consists in recording the linear absorption in a vapour of an atomic or molecular line at a controlled temperature around 273.15 K. By eliminating the pressure broadening, we deduced the pure Doppler width which gives a first optical measurement of the Boltzmann constant kB. The present determination should be significantly improved in the near future and contribute to a new definition of kelvin.
© EDP Sciences, 2008