showing 27 related works from this author
LC circuit mediated sympathetic cooling of a proton via image currents
2021
Abstract Efficient cooling of trapped charged particles is essential in many fundamental physics experiments, for high-precision metrology, and for quantum technology. Until now, ion-ion coupling for sympathetic cooling or quantum state control has been limited to ion species with accessible optical transitions or has required close-range Coulomb interactions. To overcome this limitation and further develop scalable quantum control techniques, there has been a sustained desire to extend laser-cooling techniques to particles in macroscopically separated traps, opening quantum control techniques to previously inaccessible particles such as highly charged ions, molecular ions, and antimatter p…
Direct limits on the interaction of antiprotons with axion-like dark matter
2019
Astrophysical observations indicate that there is roughly five times more dark matter in the Universe than ordinary baryonic matter, with an even larger amount of the Universe's energy content due to dark energy. So far, the microscopic properties of these dark components have remained shrouded in mystery. In addition, even the five percent of ordinary matter in our Universe has yet to be understood, since the Standard Model of particle physics lacks any consistent explanation for the predominance of matter over antimatter. Inspired by these central problems of modern physics, we present here a direct search for interactions of antimatter with dark matter, and place direct constraints on th…
Qvalue and half-life of double-electron capture in184Os
2012
The observation of neutrinoless double-beta transitionswould reveal physics beyond the Standard Model, asit would establish neutrinos to be Majorana particles,which implies a violation of the lepton number conserva-tion. Experiments searching for these transitions have fo-cused on the detection of neutrinoless double-beta decay(0 ) rather than neutrinoless double-electron capture(0). One reason among others is in general the sig-ni cantly shorter half-life of the 0 process. However,in the case of neutrinoless double-electron capture, thetransition is expected to be resonantly enhanced if theinitial and the nal state of the transition are degeneratein energy [1{3].In this work, we inves…
A test of charge-parity-time invariance at the atto-electronvolt scale
2017
We developed a novel fast measurement procedure for cyclotron frequency comparisons of two individual particles in a Penning trap, which enabled us to compare the charge-to-mass ratio of the proton and the antiproton with a fractional precision of 69 parts per trillion. To date this is the most precise test of charge-parity-time invariance using baryons. Our measurements were performed at cyclotron frequencies of about 30 MHz, which means that charge-parity-time symmetry holds at the atto-electronvolt scale.
Direct mass measurements of cadmium and palladium isotopes and their double-βtransitionQvalues
2012
The Q-value of the double-electron capture in Cd-108 has been determined to be (272.04 +/- 0.55) keV in a direct measurement with the double-Penning trap mass spectrometer TRIGA-TRAP. Based on this result a resonant enhancement of the decay rate of Cd-108 is excluded. We have confirmed the double-beta transition Q-values of Cd-106 and Pd-110 recently measured with the Penning-trap mass spectrometers SHIPTRAP and ISOLTRAP, respectively. Furthermore, the atomic masses of the involved nuclides Cd-106, Cd-108, Cd-110, Pd-106, Pd-108 and Pd-110 have been directly linked to the atomic mass standard.
Sixfold improved single particle measurement of the magnetic moment of the antiproton
2017
Our current understanding of the Universe comes, among others, from particle physics and cosmology. In particle physics an almost perfect symmetry between matter and antimatter exists. On cosmological scales, however, a striking matter/antimatter imbalance is observed. This contradiction inspires comparisons of the fundamental properties of particles and antiparticles with high precision. Here we report on a measurement of the g-factor of the antiproton with a fractional precision of 0.8 parts per million at 95% confidence level. Our value /2=2.7928465(23) outperforms the previous best measurement by a factor of 6. The result is consistent with our proton g-factor measurement gp/2=2.7928473…
A reservoir trap for antiprotons
2015
We have developed techniques to extract arbitrary fractions of antiprotons from an accumulated reservoir, and to inject them into a Penning-trap system for high-precision measurements. In our trap-system antiproton storage times > 1.08 years are estimated. The device is fail-safe against power-cuts of up to 10 hours. This makes our planned comparisons of the fundamental properties of protons and antiprotons independent from accelerator cycles, and will enable us to perform experiments during long accelerator shutdown periods when background magnetic noise is low. The demonstrated scheme has the potential to be applied in many other precision Penning trap experiments dealing with exotic p…
Improved limit on the directly measured antiproton lifetime
2017
Continuous monitoring of a cloud of antiprotons stored in a Penning trap for 405 days enables us to set an improved limit on the directly measured antiproton lifetime. From our measurements we extract a storage time of $3.15\times {10}^{8}$ equivalent antiproton-seconds, resulting in a lower lifetime limit of ${\tau }_{\bar{{\rm{p}}}}\gt 10.2\,{\rm{a}}$ with a confidence level of $68 \% $. This result improves the limit on charge-parity-time violation in antiproton decays based on direct observation by a factor of 7.
High-precision comparison of the antiproton-to-proton charge-to-mass ratio
2015
Invariance under the charge, parity, time-reversal (CPT) transformation$^{1}$ is one of the fundamental symmetries of the standard model of particle physics. This CPT invariance implies that the fundamental properties of antiparticles and their matter-conjugates are identical, apart from signs. There is a deep link between CPT invariance and Lorentz symmetry—that is, the laws of nature seem to be invariant under the symmetry transformation of spacetime—although it is model dependent$^{2}$. A number of high-precision CPT and Lorentz invariance tests—using a co-magnetometer, a torsion pendulum and a maser, among others—have been performed$^{3}$, but only a few direct high-precision CPT tests …
TRIGA-SPEC: A setup for mass spectrometry and laser spectroscopy at the research reactor TRIGA Mainz
2008
The research reactor TRIGA Mainz is an ideal facility to provide neutron-rich nuclides with production rates sufficiently large for mass spectrometric and laser spectroscopic studies. Within the TRIGA-SPEC project, a Penning trap as well as a beam line for collinear laser spectroscopy are being installed. Several new developments will ensure high sensitivity of the trap setup enabling mass measurements even on a single ion. Besides neutron-rich fission products produced in the reactor, also heavy nuclides such as 235-U or 252-Cf can be investigated for the first time with an off-line ion source. The data provided by the mass measurements will be of interest for astrophysical calculations on…
Double-trap measurement of the proton magnetic moment at 0.3 parts per billion precision
2017
Precise knowledge of the fundamental properties of the proton is essential for our understanding of atomic structure as well as for precise tests of fundamental symmetries. We report on a direct high-precision measurement of the magnetic moment μp of the proton in units of the nuclear magneton μN. The result, μp = 2.79284734462 (±0.00000000082) μN, has a fractional precision of 0.3 parts per billion, improves the previous best measurement by a factor of 11, and is consistent with the currently accepted value. This was achieved with the use of an optimized double–Penning trap technique. Provided a similar measurement of the antiproton magnetic moment can be performed, this result will enable…
Towards an Improved Measurement of the Proton Magnetic Moment
2017
The BASE collaboration performed the most precise measurement of the proton magnetic moment. By applying the so-called double Penning-trap method with a single proton a fractional precision of 3.3 parts-per-billion was reached. This article describes the primary limitations of the last measurement and discusses improvements to reach the sub-parts-per-billion level.
Measurement of ultra-low heating rates of a single antiproton in a cryogenic Penning trap
2019
Physical review letters 122(4), 043201 (2019). doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.043201
Sympathetic cooling of protons and antiprotons with a common endcap Penning trap.
2017
We present an experiment to sympathetically cool protons and antiprotons in a Penning trap by resonantly coupling the particles to laser cooled beryllium ions using a common endcap technique. Our analysis shows that preparation of (anti)protons at mK temperatures on timescales of tens of seconds is feasible. Successful implementation of the technique will have immediate and significant impact on high-precision comparisons of the fundamental properties of protons and antiprotons. This in turn will provide some of the most stringent tests of the fundamental symmetries of the Standard Model.
Observation of individual spin quantum transitions of a single antiproton
2017
We report on the detection of individual spin quantum transitions of a single trapped antiproton in a Penning trap. The spin-state determination, which is based on the unambiguous detection of axial frequency shifts in presence of a strong magnetic bottle, reaches a fidelity of 92.1% . Spin-state initialization with >99.9% fidelity and an average initialization time of 24 min are demonstrated. This is a major step towards an antiproton magnetic moment measurement with a relative uncertainty on the part-per-billion level. We report on the detection of individual spin quantum transitions of a single trapped antiproton in a Penning trap. The spin-state determination, which is based on the unam…
Highly sensitive superconducting circuits at ∼700 kHz with tunable quality factors for image-current detection of single trapped antiprotons
2016
We developed highly-sensitive image-current detection systems based on superconducting toroidal coils and ultra-low noise amplifiers for non-destructive measurements of the axial frequencies (550$\sim$800$\,$kHz) of single antiprotons stored in a cryogenic multi-Penning-trap system. The unloaded superconducting tuned circuits show quality factors of up to 500$\,$000, which corresponds to a factor of 10 improvement compared to our previously used solenoidal designs. Connected to ultra-low noise amplifiers and the trap system, signal-to-noise-ratios of 30$\,$dB at quality factors of > 20$\,$000 are achieved. In addition, we have developed a superconducting switch which allows continuous tu…
Constraints on the Coupling between Axionlike Dark Matter and Photons Using an Antiproton Superconducting Tuned Detection Circuit in a Cryogenic Penn…
2021
We constrain the coupling between axionlike particles (ALPs) and photons, measured with the superconducting resonant detection circuit of a cryogenic Penning trap. By searching the noise spectrum of our fixed-frequency resonant circuit for peaks caused by dark matter ALPs converting into photons in the strong magnetic field of the Penning-trap magnet, we are able to constrain the coupling of ALPs with masses around $2.7906-2.7914\,\textrm{neV/c}^2$ to $g_{a\gamma}< 1 \times 10^{-11}\,\textrm{GeV}^{-1}$. This is more than one order of magnitude lower than the best laboratory haloscope and approximately 5 times lower than the CERN axion solar telescope (CAST), setting limits in a mass and cou…
Direct high-precision measurement of the magnetic moment of the proton
2014
The spin-magnetic moment of the proton $\mu_p$ is a fundamental property of this particle. So far $\mu_p$ has only been measured indirectly, analysing the spectrum of an atomic hydrogen maser in a magnetic field. Here, we report the direct high-precision measurement of the magnetic moment of a single proton using the double Penning-trap technique. We drive proton-spin quantum jumps by a magnetic radio-frequency field in a Penning trap with a homogeneous magnetic field. The induced spin-transitions are detected in a second trap with a strong superimposed magnetic inhomogeneity. This enables the measurement of the spin-flip probability as a function of the drive frequency. In each measurement…
Superconducting Solenoid System with Adjustable Shielding Factor for Precision Measurements of the Properties of the Antiproton
2019
Physical review applied 12(4), 044012 (2019). doi:10.1103/PhysRevApplied.12.044012
Position-sensitive ion detection in precision Penning trap mass spectrometry
2009
A commercial, position-sensitive ion detector was used for the first time for the time-of-flight ion-cyclotron resonance detection technique in Penning trap mass spectrometry. In this work, the characteristics of the detector and its implementation in a Penning trap mass spectrometer will be presented. In addition, simulations and experimental studies concerning the observation of ions ejected from a Penning trap are described. This will allow for a precise monitoring of the state of ion motion in the trap.
Mass measurements on stable nuclides in the rare-earth region with the Penning-trap mass spectrometer RIGA-TRAP
2011
The masses of 15 stable nuclides in the rare-earth region have been measured with the Penning-trap mass spectrometer TRIGA-TRAP. This is the first series of absolute mass measurements linking these nuclides to the atomic-mass standard $^{12}\mathrm{C}$. Previously, nuclear reaction studies almost exclusively determined the literature values of these masses in the Atomic-Mass Evaluation. The TRIGA-TRAP results show deviations on the order of 3--4 standard deviations from the latest published values of the Atomic-Mass Evaluation 2003 for some cases. However, the binding-energy differences that are important for nuclear structure studies have been confirmed and improved. The new masses are dis…
Sympathetic cooling of a trapped proton mediated by an LC circuit
2021
Efficient cooling of trapped charged particles is essential to many fundamental physics experiments1,2, to high-precision metrology3,4 and to quantum technology5,6. Until now, sympathetic cooling has required close-range Coulomb interactions7,8, but there has been a sustained desire to bring laser-cooling techniques to particles in macroscopically separated traps5,9,10, extending quantum control techniques to previously inaccessible particles such as highly charged ions, molecular ions and antimatter. Here we demonstrate sympathetic cooling of a single proton using laser-cooled Be+ ions in spatially separated Penning traps. The traps are connected by a superconducting LC circuit that enable…
Targets on superhydrophobic surfaces for laser ablation ion sources
2012
Target preparation techniques for a laser ablation ion source at the Penning-trap mass spectrometer TRIGA-TRAP have been investigated with regard to future experiments with actinides. To be able to perform mass measurements on these nuclides considering their limited availability, an efficient target preparation technique is mandatory. Here, we report on a new approach for target production using backings, which are pretreated in a way that a superhydrophobic surface is formed. This resulted in improved targets with a more homogeneous distribution of the target material compared to standard techniques with unmodified backings. It was demonstrated that the use of these new targets in a laser…
Millicharged dark matter detection with ion traps
2022
We propose the use of trapped ions for detection of millicharged dark matter. Millicharged particles will scatter off the ions, giving a signal either in individual events or in the overall heating rate of the ions. Ion traps have several properties which make them ideal detectors for such a signal. First, ion traps have demonstrated significant isolation of the ions from the environment, greatly reducing the background heating and event rates. Second, ion traps can have low thresholds for detection of energy deposition, down to $\sim \text{neV}$. Third, since the ions are charged, they naturally have large cross sections for scattering with the millicharged particles, further enhanced by t…
Demonstration of the double Penning Trap technique with a single proton
2013
Spin flips of a single proton were driven in a Penning trap with a homogeneous magnetic field. For the spin-state analysis the proton was transported into a second Penning trap with a superimposed magnetic bottle, and the continuous Stern-Gerlach effect was applied. This first demonstration of the double Penning trap technique with a single proton suggests that the antiproton magnetic moment measurement can potentially be improved by three orders of magnitude or more. Spin flips of a single proton were driven in a Penning trap with a homogeneous magnetic field. For the spin-state analysis the proton was transported into a second Penning trap with a superimposed magnetic bottle, and the cont…
Direct high-precision mass measurements onAm241,243,Pu244, andCf249
2014
The absolute masses of four long-lived transuranium nuclides, $^{241,243}\mathrm{Am}$, $^{244}\mathrm{Pu}$, $^{244}\mathrm{Pu}$, and $^{249}\mathrm{Cf}$, in the vicinity of the deformed $N=152$ neutron shell closure have been measured directly with the Penning-trap mass spectrometer TRIGA-TRAP. Our measurements confirm the AME2012 mass values of $^{241,243}\mathrm{Am}$ and $^{244}\mathrm{Pu}$ within one standard deviation, which were indirectly determined, by decay spectroscopy studies. In the case of the $^{249}\mathrm{Cf}$ mass, a discrepancy of more than three standard deviations has been observed, affecting absolute masses even in the superheavy element region. The implementation of the…
A parts-per-billion measurement of the antiproton magnetic moment
2017
The magnetic moment of the antiproton is measured at the parts-per-billion level, improving on previous measurements by a factor of about 350. Comparing the fundamental properties of normal-matter particles with their antimatter counterparts tests charge–parity–time (CPT) invariance, which is an important part of the standard model of particle physics. Many properties have been measured to the parts-per-billion level of uncertainty, but the magnetic moment of the antiproton has not. Christian Smorra and colleagues have now done so, and report that it is −2.7928473441 ± 0.0000000042 in units of the nuclear magneton. This is consistent with the magnetic moment of the proton, 2.792847350 ± 0.0…