Design of a Miniature Kibble Balance for Kilogram-Scale Mass Calibration -- KBmini

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Authors: Shisong Li, Nanjia Li, Weibo Liu, Elsayed E. E. Qupasie, Wei Zhao, Songling Huang
Cited by: 0

Abstract

Tabletop version Kibble balances are a significant developing trend for mass realizations following the revised International System of Units. A key innovation through the miniaturization of the Kibble balance from a large-scale instrument into a tabletop device is making the quantum-based realization of mass accessible to a wider range of calibration laboratories and industries. This paper presents a tabletop Kibble balance design at Tsinghua University targeting E2-accuracy class mass calibrations from 1 g to 1 kg. For calibrating a mass of 1 kg, for instance, the required relative standard measurement uncertainty must be below 0.27 ppm to meet E2-accuracy class. Major components and features of the proposed system are discussed. A novel method of multi-harmonic excitation is proposed to improve the coil-motion linearity during velocity measurement. We show that injecting odd-order harmonics into the motion-driving current can significantly improve the uniformity of the coil's moving velocity, while the second-order component can address the asymmetry between upward and downward movements. This achieves a flat velocity $Δv/v< 5\%$ over 60% of the motion cycle.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Scientific Measurement and Uncertainty Evaluation Advanced Electrical Measurement Techniques Advanced Measurement and Metrology Techniques

Publication details

Journal / source
arXiv (Cornell University)
Publication date
26 January 2026
Document type
Preprint