A new facility to realize a nanonewton force standard based on electrostatic methods

A new differential nanoforce facility, based on a disc-pendulum with electrostatic stiffness reduction and an electrostatic force compensation for the measurement of horizontal forces in the range below 1 µN, is presented. First measurements in air over an averaging time of 50 s show a noise level of the facility of 42 pN. The method and the results of measuring the light pressure of a red He–Ne laser with a power of 7 mW (FL = 47 pN) are presented. The force measurement uncertainty of the device is below 5%, for a force to be measured of 1 nN and a measuring duration of 50 s.

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