Peter McDowall

• Pressure metrology
• Kibble balance
• Atomic, molecular and optical physics

• PhD (Physics), University of Otago 2014

Peter is a Senior Scientist and technical lead of MSL’s Pressure standards team. Since joining the Mass and Related Quantities team in 2019, he has developed expertise in pressure measurement using a pressure balance, including contributing to MSL’s primary realisation of the Pascal.

Peter helped design and build the new high pressure calibration facility and represents New Zealand as an active member of the CIPM’s Consultative Committee for Mass (CCM) Working Group on Pressure and Vacuum. He is also part of the team developing a twin pressure balance for use as a force comparator on the MSL Kibble balance.

Peter is a technical expert for many IANZ accredited pressure laboratories in New Zealand.

P. D. McDowall, Temperature inhomogeneity in the MSL primary pressure standard during operation, Proceedings of the 2023 CCM & IMEKO TC16 7th International Conference on Pressure and Vacuum Metrology.

S. Chai, J. Fekete, P. D. McDowall, S. Coop, T. Lindballe, and M. F. Andersen, Survival resonances in an atom-optics system driven by temporally and spatially periodic dissipation, Phys. Rev. A, 97, 033616 (2018).

P. D. McDowall, T. Grünzweig, A. Hilliard, and M. F. Andersen, An atomic beam source for fast loading of a magneto-optical trap under high vacuum, Rev. Sci. Instrum.83 055102 (2012).

P. D. McDowall, A. Hilliard, M. McGovern, T. Grünzweig, and M. F. Andersen, A fidelity treatment of near-resonant states in the atom-optics kicked rotor, New J. Phys.11 123021 (2009).

P. D. McDowall and M. F. Andersen, Acousto-optic modulator based frequency stabilized diode laser system for atom trapping, Rev. Sci. Instrum.80, 053101 (2009).

• Member of Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities (CCM) Working Group for Pressure and Vacuum
• Member of Technical Committee for Pressure and Vacuum Measurement (IMEKO TC16)
• Member of Metrology Society of Australasia (MSA)