A Magnetic Levitation Technique for the Simultaneous Comparison of Mass Artifacts in Air and Vacuum

We describe a mass comparison system in which a test mass artifact in air can directly be compared to a standard mass artifact in a vacuum using the same high-precision comparator balance. The system uses a magnetic levitation technique to couple the weighing pan of the comparator balance in a vacuum to the test mass in air. We will discuss motivation, design considerations, and preliminary results.