«Standard on the table» – a new reality in the context of global transformations of the International system of units

Abstract

The paper discusses issues related to new approaches in determining the basic units of the SI system, such as the unit of mass – kilogram. They are justified by global transformations of the International System of metrological support. In the first part of the article, the author shows in historical retrospect the trends and strategies dominated in this sphere of human activity. The reasons and grounds that led to the revision of the International System of Units and the redefinition of a number of basic units, such as the kilogram, Kelvin, Ampere, are analyzed. Difficult questions are formulated concerning the fact that the basic SI units today have become defined through fixed values of fundamental physical constants. In the second part, the prospects for the study of metrological support system of the Russian Federation in the field of mass measurements are analyzed in order to select the most progressive vector of its further development within the redefinition of the basic SI units. The author offers his vision of the future metrological support system in the mass measurements. Special emphasis is placed on the idea of creating a so-called «Standard on the table» to replace the primary standard of the kilogram. The article shows the main stages of theoretical and practical research work carried out in this direction, including in the D. I. Mendeleyev Institute for Metrology (VNIIM). It is emphasized that in the scientific community of the Russian Federation there is a colossal heuristic potential and a solid material base to expect new progressive approaches and solutions in the field of metrological support.