An overview of the main results of an international star intercomparison of low-temperature fixed points is given. Between 1997 and 2002, 52 sealed triple-point cells (STPCs) of the thirteen laboratories represented by the authors have been investigated at PTB. The STPCs are used to realise the triple points of hydrogen, neon, oxygen, and argon, respectively, as defining fixed points of the International Temperature Scale of 1990, ITS-90. The melting curves of all STPCs have been measured on the same experimental equipment, adhering strictly to a single measurement program. This protocol enables separation of the effects influencing the melting curves and direct comparison of the thermal behaviour of the STPCs, which are quite different with respect to design, age, gas source, and filling technology. In the paper, emphasis is given to the typical properties of the four fixed-point substances and to the spread of the STPC parameters. Connections between the star intercomparison and completed and on-going international activities, including the CIPM Key Comparisons, are also discussed.
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