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At exactly $540\mathrm{THz}$, radiant intensity $1/683\mathrm{W}\mathrm{s}{\mathrm{r}}^{-1}$ corresponds to luminous intensity $1\mathrm{cd}$. This convention specifies a direction, rather than the source's total luminous flux. ^[ref]

The lumen is the International System of Units unit of luminous flux: $1\mathrm{lm}=1\mathrm{cd}\mathrm{sr}$. A source with constant luminous intensity $1\mathrm{cd}$ within a cone of solid angle $1\mathrm{sr}$ supplies $1\mathrm{lm}$ into that cone. A source with the same luminous intensity in every direction supplies $4\pi \mathrm{lm}$ over a full sphere. ^[ref]

Luminous intensity is luminous flux per outgoing solid angle, measured in candelas. It is the visually weighted counterpart of radiant intensity. The same total luminous flux concentrated into a narrower cone can give a greater luminous intensity within that cone.^[ref]

NIST Measurement Services: Photometric Calibrations by Yuqin Zong and others describes a concrete experiment (§§3.2–3.3.2): a silicon photodiode, multilayer photometric matching filter, precision aperture, temperature sensor and current-to-voltage converter. A monochromator supplies a small beam; scanning wavelength yields spectral responsivity, and scanning position checks response across the aperture. Finite spectral bandwidth requires correction. The average aperture response converts uniform illumination to illuminance.

On the photometric bench (§§3.4.1, 3.5.3, 3.5.6), align lamp and aperture reference planes, set the lamp's electric current, stabilize, and compare a check lamp with standard photometers. The readout is a voltmeter signal. Subtract the shutter-closed reading (§3.4.4), divide by converter gain to infer electric current, and use calibrated illuminance responsivity $S_A$ to obtain $E_v=i/S_A$. For a distant source, luminous intensity follows from $I_v=E_v{d}^2$, with $d$ between reference planes.

Controls include repeat lamp operations, distance changes to test the inverse-square law, temperature corrections and gain linearity checks. Spectral mismatch correction is source dependent (§3.4.3). Unknown optical spectra, spatial nonuniformity and incorrect reference planes remain limitations.^[ref]