Direct Measurement of the Proton Magnetic Moment

Abstract

The proton magnetic moment in nuclear magnetons is measured to be $\mu_p/\mu_N \equiv g/2 = 2.792\,846 \pm 0.000\,007$, a 2.5 ppm (parts per million) uncertainty. The direct determination, using a single proton in a Penning trap, demonstrates the first method that should work as well with an antiproton (\pbar) as with a proton (\p). This opens the way to measuring the \pbar magnetic moment (whose uncertainty has essentially not been reduced for 20 years) at least $10^3$ times more precisely.