Field-Deployable Pressure Standard Based on a Compact Dual-Cavity Refractometer

Abstract

The next-generation pressure standard is moving toward optical-based, field-deployable systems. However, most existing optical refractometry pressure standards rely on bulky ultra-low expansion (ULE) cavities and complex feedback locking, limiting their portability and on-site applicability. Here, we present a miniaturized, transportable optical pressure manometer based on a dual-channel Fabry-Perot cavity machined from a single block of common fused silica. By employing a differential measurement between an evacuated reference cavity and a gas-exposed measurement cavity, common-mode errors such as thermal expansion and pressure-induced deformation are largely canceled, enabling the use of low-cost fused silica to achieve performance comparable to ULE. Radio-frequency scanning with Lorentzian fitting replaces conventional feedback locking, simplifying the optical design and improving robustness. Calibrated against a piston manometer, the device demonstrates a measurement repeatability of 3.4~ppm and a total uncertainty of \(u = \sqrt{(10.6\times10^{-6}p)^2 + (5.4~\mathrm{mPa})^2}\). The system can resolve periodic pressure fluctuations originating from the piston manometer and exhibits superior response speed. With its small footprint, portability, and independence from external frequency references, this fused-silica dual-cavity manometer offers a practical route toward on-site, quantum-traceable pressure calibration.