EU dissemination of the provisional ultra-low-temperature scale, PLTS-2000

Following the introduction of the provisional low-temperature scale from 0.9 mK to I K, PLTS-2000, there is a need for primary and secondary thermometers and fixed points, which can disseminate the scale to users. This paper reports on the progress, within the EU collaborative project 'ULT Dissemination', in the development and evaluation of several devices with associated instrumentation. Principal among them are a current-sensing noise thermometer, a CMN thermometer adapted for industrial use, a Coulomb blockade thermometer, a second-sound thermometer, a He-3 melting pressure thermometer for a direct realisation of the PLTS-2000. A superconductive reference device has also been developed, as a replacement for the NBS SRM-768 which is no longer available. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.