Metrology is one of the four main areas of research at TU Braunschweig. This focus is supported by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, Physics together with regional partners, in particular the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt PTB and the Leibniz-Universität Hannover LUH.
Metrology is the science of measurement. Precise and traceable measurement is indispensable for industry and economy and especially for international trade. The globally valid SI units for all measured quantities were put on a new basis in May 2019. Since then, natural constants and quantum effects based on them have served as new fundamental starting points for all measurements and are the foundation of quantum metrology. The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt PTB with its headquarters in Braunschweig is responsible for the implementation and provision of SI standards in Germany. Since PTB is also an international leader in metrology in many fields, our joint research activities within the Metrologie-Initiative Braunschweig (MIB) can be carried out at the highest international level.
The further development of precise and quantitative measurement methods with known measurement uncertainty is a research area of extreme social relevance. Here are just a few examples: Only the availability of a precise metrological definition of the measurement uncertainty, e.g. of cancer marker tests, enables their use in medical diagnostics. Environmental analysis, too, can only become the basis for political action once its measurement uncertainty in the metrological sense is known (e.g. recommendation on the definition of a nanomaterial by the EU Commission). Only generally accepted measurement methods lead to generally accepted results, which in turn are the basis for the acceptance of social measures.
International agreements on environmental and climate protection and global standards for food safety and health care require globally comparable measurement results. The worldwide harmonization of measurement parameters and methods, as agreed upon internationally within the framework of the "Metre Convention", also lays the foundation for reliable global exchange of goods and services and thus for global trade. Irritations with regard to jointly recognized definitions and conventions immediately lead to economic restrictions, as they impede the mutual approval of products. Only metrological procedures make it possible to establish standards, which, along with patents, are the most important method for safeguarding technical and scientific know-how, but also, for example, for enforcing environmental standards.
The joint research projects in the field of metrology will be organised in the research centre "Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology LENA", which is housed in a new building with new office and laboratory space and will also start operations in 2019. Research on metrology is organised in three areas within the research focus:
In teaching, we offer students in our bachelor and master courses many in-depth courses in the fields of nanotechnology, metrology, sensor technology and metrology. In addition, we offer the master's degree program "Nanoscience and Engineering" and, together with Mechanical Engineering, the master's degree program "Metrology and Analytics", which are open to students from all fields.
The joint research projects in the research area of metrology include
The social relevance of quantum and nanometrology is evident: metrological procedures are the basis for solving urgent global problems. Measurement data, e.g. from earth observation, can be used for socially important monitoring tasks in environmental monitoring, where their reliability gives them the necessary acceptance and impact. Improved medical diagnostics and therapy with the most ubiquitous point-of-care analysis possible or, for example, research into known dementia diseases using innovative, highly sensitive neurological sensor technology - based on nanoscopic quantum sensor technology - are indispensable for ageing societies in terms of both the quality (reliability) and costs of medical care and can put our healthcare system on a completely new footing. The challenges posed by all these new areas will only be mastered thanks to reliable measurement data based on better quantum and nanometrological methods.