An experiment for the direct determination of theg-factor of a single proton in a Penning trap

Abstract

A new apparatus has been designed that aims at a direct precision measurement of the g-factor of a single isolated proton or antiproton in a Penning trap. We present a thorough discussion on the trap design and a method for the experimental trap optimization using a single stored proton. A first attempt at the g-factor determination has been made in a section of the trap with a magnetic bottle. The Larmor frequency of the proton has been measured with a relative uncertainty of 1.8 × 10⁻⁶ and the magnetic moment has been determined with a relative uncertainty of 8.9 × 10⁻⁶. A g-factor of 5.585 696(50) has been obtained, which is in excellent agreement with previous measurements and predictions. Future experiments shall drive the spin-flip transition in a section of the trap with a homogeneous magnetic field. This has the potential to improve the precision of the measured g-factor of the proton and the antiproton by several orders of magnitude.