arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Yongchao Ma.
This paper reports on the status of the Tsinghua tabletop Kibble balance experiment, aiming to deliver a mass calibration instrument for kilogram realizations in accordance with the new International System of Units (SI). Major progress since 2024 in different aspects, i.e., electrical, magnetic, mechanical, and optical, is presented. The primary weighing and velocity measurement results are discussed.
The Kibble balance realizes the kilogram by linking mechanical and electrical quantities via a magnet system. In an improved BIPM-type magnet design by Tsinghua University, an open/close surface was incorporated, facilitating operation. However, an unavoidable mechanical air gap at the splitting plane introduces asymmetry in the magnetic flux density profile, degrading field uniformity. This study proposes a two-step yoke compensation method to restore symmetry by adjusting the upper outer yoke's inner radius and the splitting gap height. Finite element simulations show linear relationships between asymmetry and these parameters, enabling predictive compensation. Experimental results confirm that sequential tuning successfully eliminates asymmetry and recovers the designed uniform field range. The method provides an effective solution for enhancing magnetic field quality in openable Kibble balance magnets.
The magnet-moving measurement scheme in Kibble balances avoids displacing force-sensitive components, such as the weighing cell, and enables a broader magnetic profile measurement range during the velocity phase. However, this mechanism introduces the risk of asymmetry in the $Bl$ measurement due to external magnetic flux, leading to a potential systematic error in the final measurement results. Using the Tsinghua tabletop Kibble balance magnet as a case study, this paper investigates the error mechanism through finite element analysis and experimental investigations. An evaluation method combining external weak-field measurements with attenuation factor analysis is proposed to assess external magnetic flux errors in magnet-moving measurement schemes. The findings demonstrate that selecting an optimal weighing position can reduce the far-end flux effect to the order of $10^{-9}$. In contrast, the near-end flux effect can be quantified by monitoring the magnetic field surrounding the magnet system. In the Tsinghua Kibble balance system, we show that with proper control of external flux sources, the relative error can be reduced below $1 \times 10^{-8}$ without requiring additional magnetic shielding.
With the adoption of the revised International System of Units (SI), the Kibble balance has become a pivotal instrument for mass calibrations against the Planck constant, $h$. One of the major focuses in the Kibble balance community is prioritizing experiments that achieve both high accuracy and compactness. The Tsinghua tabletop Kibble balance experiment seeks to develop a compact, high-precision, user-friendly, cost-effective, and open-hardware apparatus for mass realization, specifically within the kilogram range. This paper reports on the progress of the Tsinghua tabletop Kibble balance project over the past two years. Various aspects of the Tsinghua tabletop system, including electrical, magnetic, mechanical, and optical components, are summarized. Key achievements, such as the construction and characterization of the magnet system, determination of absolute gravitational acceleration, investigation of a capacitor-sensor-based weighing unit, and development of a high-precision current source, are presented to provide a comprehensive understanding of the experiment's status.
Although the so-called magnetic geometrical factor, $Bl$, of a Kibble balance does not appear in the Kibble equations, it offers the precision link between electrical and mechanical quantities and furthers a quasi-quantum traceability path for mass metrology. This feature makes the magnet system, supplying the $Bl$ in Kibble equations, play a core role in Kibble balances. Following the open-hardware idea, we report here on the design, manufacture, assembly, optimization, and finally performance of a compact magnet system for the Tsinghua tabletop Kibble balance. Notably, the magnet system showcased in this study facilitates a straightforward upper levitation of splitting through a streamlined mechanism guide, substantially enhancing the ease of open and close operations. Experimental tests show the realized magnet systems can yield a high $Bl$ value (e.g., 400 Tm for a bifilar coil and 800 Tm for a single coil with a wire gauge of 0.2 mm) meanwhile a low volume/weight (40 kg) thanks to the uniformity improvement of magnetic profiles. Furthermore, important parameters related to systematic effects, such as the current effect, are checked, aiming for a final mass-realization accuracy at the $10^{-8}$ level.
The Kibble balance requires a measurement of the local gravitational acceleration, $g$, with a typical relative measurement uncertainty of $10^{-9}$. In this paper, the determination of $g$ for the Tsinghua tabletop Kibble balance is presented. A polynomial fitting method is proposed for blind transfers of the absolute gravitational acceleration using relative gravimeters, showing agreement with the value obtained by the tide correction within a few parts in $10^{9}$. Horizontal and vertical gravity gradients are extracted by mapping the gravity distribution at different heights. The self-attraction effect of major components in the experiment, as well as some time-varying systematic effects, are modeled. The final determination of the gravitational acceleration at the mass position, with an uncertainty of 5.4 $μ$Gal ($k=2$), is achieved for the Tsinghua tabletop Kibble balance experiment.
The Kibble balance is a precision instrument for realizing the mass unit, the kilogram, in the new international system of units (SI). In recent years, an important trend for Kibble balance experiments is to go tabletop, in which the instrument's size is notably reduced while retaining a measurement accuracy of $10^{-8}$. In this paper, we report a new design of a tabletop Kibble balance to be built at Tsinghua University. The Tsinghua Kibble balance aims to deliver a compact instrument for robust mass calibrations from 10 g to 1 kg with a targeted measurement accuracy of 50 $μ$g or less. Some major features of the Tsinghua Kibble balance system, including the design of a new magnet, one-mode measurement scheme, the spring-compensated magnet moving mechanism, and magnetic shielding considerations, are discussed.
To help researchers conduct a systematic review or meta-analysis as efficiently and transparently as possible, we designed a tool (ASReview) to accelerate the step of screening titles and abstracts. For many tasks - including but not limited to systematic reviews and meta-analyses - the scientific literature needs to be checked systematically. Currently, scholars and practitioners screen thousands of studies by hand to determine which studies to include in their review or meta-analysis. This is error prone and inefficient because of extremely imbalanced data: only a fraction of the screened studies is relevant. The future of systematic reviewing will be an interaction with machine learning algorithms to deal with the enormous increase of available text. We therefore developed an open source machine learning-aided pipeline applying active learning: ASReview. We demonstrate by means of simulation studies that ASReview can yield far more efficient reviewing than manual reviewing, while providing high quality. Furthermore, we describe the options of the free and open source research software and present the results from user experience tests. We invite the community to contribute to open source projects such as our own that provide measurable and reproducible improvements over current practice.