Note on the Magnetic Moment of the Nitrogen Nucleus

Abstract

Three lines of the group $2s2p^4{}_{}{}^4{}_{}{}^{}P-2\mathrm{}{s}^{2}2p^{2}4p{}_{}{}^4{}_{}{}^{}D$ of N I have been examined for hyperfine structure. They were found to be single when examined with a Fabry-Perot interferometer, using a variety of plate separations. The line widths of two of the lines were measured. The absence of hyperfine structure is attributed to the small magnetic moment ($\mu$) of the nitrogen nucleus. It is shown that, by using the results of Goudsmit, the measured line widths lead to an unusually low magnetic moment for the nitrogen nucleus, $\mu \leqq 0.2\frac{\mathrm{eh}}{4\pi \mathrm{Mc}}$. Under certain assumptions about the structure of the nitrogen nucleus, this low value of the magnetic moment leads to the conclusion that the neutron has a magnetic moment in the opposite direction from its mechanical moment and about one proton magneton in magnitude.