About
The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) is Germany's national metrology institute, founded in 1887 and headquartered in Braunschweig with facilities in Berlin. PTB is Europe's leading authority on quantum metrology, maintaining and improving SI unit standards through quantum physics. Germany's quantum strategy lists PTB as a central institution for quantum sensing, quantum time standards, and metrology infrastructure. PTB operates some of the world's most accurate optical atomic clocks, including ytterbium ion and strontium lattice clocks that have achieved fractional uncertainties below 10-18, which enables a next-generation redefinition of the second. Its quantum sensing research covers precision magnetometers, gravimeters, voltmeters based on the Josephson effect, and resistance standards based on the quantum Hall effect. The quantum Hall resistance standard at PTB defines the unit of electrical resistance, traceable to the fundamental constant e2/h. PTB collaborates closely with NIST in the USA, NPL in the UK, SYRTE in France, and other national metrology institutes through the BIPM and EURAMET frameworks. It participates in European Quantum Flagship projects and coordinates quantum sensing standardisation across Europe, providing calibration and traceability services for companies developing commercial quantum sensors, QKD systems, and quantum computing hardware.
Quantum Specifications
| Quantum Focus | hardware |
