Developing the UK Measurement Strategy

NPL supported the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in the writing of the UK Measurement Strategy, published by the UK Government in 2022, and including contributions from the other measurement laboratories in the National Measurement System. It describes how the UK will capitalise on its world-leading national measurement system in order to:

• Enable scientific discovery by providing the basis for determining uncertainty.

• Accelerate innovation by providing confidence in the performance of emerging technologies.
• Allow trade to be equitable by ensuring compliance with standards and regulations.

Professor Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, noted that “measurement is essential for the smooth running of our everyday lives.”

Representing NPL at the Houses of Parliament

Filipe Richheimer, Higher Research Scientist, attended STEM for Britain, an annual exhibition of posters by early-career research scientists, run by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee and hosted in the Houses of Parliament. He presented his research in nanoscale metrology to accelerate the uptake of next generation solar panels, and therefore helping to decarbonise energy generation. Filipe said: “I am really excited to be representing NPL at the Houses of Parliament. It’s great that researchers at the beginning of their career have the opportunity to promote their work at the highest level.” Photo: Fleur Anderson, MP for Putney, Southfields and Roehampton and Filipe.

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Collaborating with other Public Sector Research Establishments

Alan Brewin, Science and Engineering Director was elected as Chair of the National Laboratory Alliance, a collaborative group of Public Sector Research Establishments which helps strengthen government science capability and further the effectiveness of members.

Read Alan's profile

Promoting the importance of metrology

Senior Fellow, Professor Graham Machin FREng, an acknowledged world leader in Thermometry and founding member of the UK body temperature measurement group was invited to join the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. During his 5 year tenure, he aims to promote the important role of NPL and metrology, and how they benefit the economy and quality of life in the UK. 

Building the skills and capability for the future UK quantum industry

The NPL Quantum Programme promotes the UK as a driving force for global standardisation and the continued development of new test and evaluation capabilities across the spectrum of quantum technologies.  

NPL enabled the skills the UK quantum industry will need for the future by developing: 

• 3 joint appointments with UK universities 
• 2 apprentices 
• Funding 11 PhD students

Quantum capabilities  

Creating new ways to measure electrical properties of 2D materials 

Gokhan Bakan, Senior Research Scientist, explains what Hall Effect measurement is and how it can be used to investigate the electrical properties of materials, particularly 2D materials in various environments. This has impact in the semiconductor, photovoltaic and touch-sensor industries. 

Electrical transport measurements in variable environments

Appointed to key positions in the UK’s quantum landscape

JT Janssen, Chief Scientist, and Olga Kazakova, Fellow, were appointed to key positions in the UK-wide Materials for Quantum Network programme, which was launched to complement the National Quantum Technology Programme.

Scientific highlights

Radiofrequency (RF) magnetometers are sensors that measure and map the strength of the magnetic fields of atoms due to the amplitude of the atomic coherence oscillations. We improved the beam power, stabilisation and control of RF field distribution, enabling the development of sensor calibration and detection of material defects in a manufacturing situation.   

Quantum noise models are critical for error mitigation and correction in quantum computing. By using techniques from uncertainty quantification and trustworthy AI, we were able to arrive at a minimal noise model that can accurately model experimental results and providing uncertainty. This work is essential to the evaluation the performance of quantum computers. 

Advancing materials science for detecting defects in quantum circuit

NPL scientists, in collaboration with international experts, developed a new method for revealing the structure and chemistry of surface spins causing defects in quantum circuits. This allows us to investigate the impact of chemical treatments and establish processes that reduce the amount of defects detected. This is an essential step in the progress toward large-scale quantum computing.  

Shaping the realisation of novel ferroelectric memory with the University of Manchester 

Demonstrating the existence of ferroelectric behaviour in bi-layer Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) shows a potential avenue towards room temperature electronic and optoelectronic semiconductor devices with built-in ferroelectric memory functions. The research, carried out by NPL and the University of Manchester, was published in Nature Nanotechnology. 

Awarded IoP President’s Medal for leadership 

Professor Sir Peter Knight, Distinguished Visitor and Chair of the NPL Quantum Metrology Institute, was awarded IOP’s 2022 President’s Medal for his leadership and championing of the value of physics and quantum technology to society, nationally and internationally.

Awarded a career development fellowship from EPSRC

Dr Sebastian de Graaf, Senior Research Scientist, was awarded a quantum technologies career development fellowship from EPSRC. He will lead a project to develop a novel instrument essential for understanding the quality of materials used in quantum circuits and computers.