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It took seven years of work, but National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers say their system is nearly precise enough to help update some of the crucial underpinnings of science -- including the 54-year-old definition of the Kelvin, the international unit of temperature.

The institute's Johnson noise thermometry, or JNT, system is said to represent a five-fold advance in the state of the art in noise thermometry thanks to its use of a unique quantum voltage source combined with recent reductions in systematic errors and uncertainty. The researchers said it is also simpler and more compact than other leading systems for measuring high temperatures, such as those based on the pressure and volume of gases.

"What's beautiful about our JNT system is that it's so conceptually simple", says project leader Sam Benz. "All the measurements are electrical -- they don't require large volumes of gas and mechanical systems that change in different environmental conditions."

The complex technology is to be presented Monday in Broomfield, Colo., during the Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements.

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