Validation of the probability density function for the calculated radiant power of synchrotron radiation according to the Schwinger formalism

Electron storage rings with appropriate design are primary source standards, the spectral radiant intensity of which can be calculated from measured parameters using the Schwinger equation. PTB uses the electron storage rings BESSY II and MLS for source-based radiometry in the spectral range from the near-infrared to the x-ray region. The uncertainty of the calculated radiant intensity depends on the uncertainty of the measured parameters used for the calculation. Up to now the procedure described in the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM), i.e. the law of propagation of uncertainty, assuming a linear measurement model, was used to determine the combined uncertainty of the calculated spectral intensity, and for the determination of the coverage interval as well. Now it has been tested with a Monte Carlo simulation, according to Supplement 1 to the GUM, whether this procedure is valid for the rather complicated calculation by means of the Schwinger formalism and for different probability distributions of the input parameters. It was found that for typical uncertainties of the input parameters both methods yield similar results.