Physics Experimental Notebook

Contract

• Input: experiment setup, measurements, calibration data.
• Output: digital notebook entry + FAIR checklist.
• Side effects: none.
• Dependencies: none.
• Stop condition: entry complete; FAIR checklist filled.
• Risk: low.
• Boundary: produces documentation artifacts; no changes to equipment.

Experimental Physics Notebook

Build an experimental lab notebook — structured, reproducible, FAIR-compliant — that another physicist could use to reproduce the measurement.

When to use

• A measurement has been made.
• Data must be preserved for publication or collaboration.
• A reviewer asks for raw data or calibration details.

Process

1. Experiment description

State:

• Physical system — apparatus, conditions (T, P, B, etc.), scale.
• Measured quantity — with units and expected magnitude.
• Purpose — hypothesis tested or parameter extracted.
• References — theory / prior measurement.

Completion criterion: all elements present.

2. Setup and calibration

Document:

• Apparatus — instruments with model numbers, settings.
• Calibration procedure — standard source, method, date, result.
• Traceability — chain to a national/international standard if applicable.
• Calibration uncertainty — propagated into the final result.

Completion criterion: calibration documented with traceability and uncertainty.

3. Measurements

Record:

• Raw data — time stamps, conditions, instrument readings.
• Data format — file format (CSV, HDF5, ROOT) with schema description.
• Sampling rate / integration time — with justification.
• Environment conditions — during measurement (temperature, humidity, magnetic field, vibration).

Completion criterion: raw data linked; format described.

4. Error analysis

Distinguish:

• Statistical errors — variance of repeated measurements.
• Systematic errors — calibration errors, instrument bias, environmental effects.
• Combined uncertainty — root-sum-square or full covariance matrix.
• Sensitivity analysis — how does the result change with key parameter perturbation?

Completion criterion: statistical and systematic errors quantified; combined uncertainty reported.

5. FAIR checklist

• Findable — metadata (title, authors, date, keywords) in a repository (Zenodo, OSF, institutional).
• Accessible — open access policy; file formats (CSV, HDF5) with open specifications.
• Interoperable — metadata uses standard vocabularies (e.g. Dublin Core, DataCite, FAIRsharing).
• Reusable — licence (CC0 / MIT), code for analysis linked, version control (Git tag / DOI).

Completion criterion: checklist filled; DOI or Git tag assigned.

6. Deliver

Markdown entry with: description, setup, calibration, measurements, error analysis, FAIR checklist, and linked data. The entry should be readable by another physicist without the original experimenter.

Completion criterion: entry saved; all links active; FAIR checklist complete.