Whispering gallery mode resonators for precision temperature metrology applications

In this work, the authors exploited the whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonator properties as a thermometer. The sensor is made of a cylindrical sapphire microwave resonator in the center of a gold-plated copper cavity. Two coaxial cables act as antennas and excite the WGM standing waves in the cylindrical sapphire at selected resonance frequencies in the microwave range. The system affords a high quality factor that enables temperature measurements with a resolution better than 15 µK and a measurement standard uncertainty of 1.2 mK, a value approximately three times better than that achieved in previous works. The developed sensor could be a promising alternative to platinum resistance thermometers, both as a transfer standard in industrial applications and as an interpolating instrument for the dissemination of the kelvin.