Precision spectroscopy on 9Be overcomes limitations from nuclear structure.

Many powerful tests of the standard model of particle physics and searches for new physics with precision atomic spectroscopy are hindered by our lack of knowledge of nuclear properties. Ideally, these properties may be derived from precise measurements of the most sensitive and theoretically best-understood observables, often found in hydrogen-like systems. Although these measurements are abundant for the electric properties of nuclei, they are scarce for the magnetic properties, and precise experimental results are limited to the lightest of nuclei1-4. Here we focus on 9Be, which offers the unique possibility to use comparisons between different charge states available for high-precision spectroscopy in Penning traps to test theoretical calculations typically obscured by nuclear structure. In particular, we perform high-precision spectroscopy of the 1s hyperfine and Zeeman structure in hydrogen-like 9Be3+. We determine the effective Zemach radius with an uncertainty of 500 ppm, and the bare nuclear magnetic moment with an uncertainty of 0.6 parts per billion- uncertainties unmatched beyond hydrogen. Moreover, we compare our measurements with the measurements conducted on the three-electron charge state 9Be+ (ref. 5), which enables testing the calculation of multi-electron diamagnetic shielding effects of the nuclear magnetic moment at the parts per billion level. Furthermore, we test the quantum electrodynamics methods used for the calculation of the hyperfine splitting. Our results serve as a crucial benchmark for transferring high-precision results of nuclear magnetic properties across different electronic configurations.

Constraints on the Coupling between Axionlike Dark Matter and Photons Using an Antiproton Superconducting Tuned Detection Circuit in a Cryogenic Penning Trap.

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 neV/c^{2} to g_{aγ}<1×10^{-11} 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 coupling range which is not constrained by astrophysical observations. Our approach can be extended to many other Penning-trap experiments and has the potential to provide broad limits in the low ALP mass range.

Double-trap measurement of the proton magnetic moment at 0.3 parts per billion precision.

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 a test of the fundamental symmetry between matter and antimatter in the baryonic sector at the 10-10 level.

MR spectroscopic findings in a case of Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome.

Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome, considered a mitochondrial disease, combines encephalopathy and liver failure. An 11-year-old boy with Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome underwent conventional MR imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and proton MR spectroscopy. Diffusion-weighted imaging showed cytotoxic edema interpreted as acute-phase encephalopathy. MR spectroscopy revealed a lactate peak in the cortex that appeared abnormal on diffusion-weighted images, possibly representing respiratory deficiency with anaerobic metabolism. MR spectroscopy proved to be more sensitive regarding lactate detection than did neurometabolic examination of serum and CSF. A reduced N-acetylaspartate-creatine ratio was detected in both the cortex that appeared abnormal and the cortex that appeared normal on the diffusion-weighted images, indicating neuronal damage that was widespread, even beyond the boundaries of conventional MR imaging changes.