Direct Determination of the Boltzmann Constant by an Optical Method
- 18 June 2007
- journal article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review Letters
- Vol. 98 (25) , 250801
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.98.250801
Abstract
We have recorded the Doppler profile of a well-isolated rovibrational line in the nu(2) band of (14)NH(3). Ammonia gas was placed in an absorption cell thermalized by a water-ice bath. By extrapolating to zero pressure, we have deduced the Doppler width which gives a first measurement of the Boltzmann constant k(B) by laser spectroscopy. A relative uncertainty of 2 x 10(-4) has been obtained. The present determination should be significantly improved in the near future and contribute to a new definition of the kelvin.Keywords
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