Realisation and dissemination of mass through the consensus value of the kilogram and preparation for the final phase of traceability to independent realisations

Abstract

The National Research Council of Canada's (NRC) Kibble balance contributes to the determination of the Consensus Value of the kilogram through participation in periodic key comparisons. This paper provides an overview of the Consensus Value of the kilogram and the realisation and dissemination of mass within the present phase of traceability through it. Description of NRC's participation in international comparisons used to calculate the Consensus Value is detailed, including methods to operate the Kibble balance, major uncertainties, and the evolution of key supporting measurements. The potential benefits of using a digital twin to optimise Kibble balance experiments and of digital comparisons to evaluate the equivalence of realisation experiments and determine the Consensus Value of the kilogram are also discussed. We offer perspectives on the possible future landscape of mass metrology once the use of individual realisations of the kilogram has been sanctioned and the final phase of dissemination from the Planck constant that began with redefinition of the SI in 2019 is reached.