Laser spectroscopy of muonic hydrogen

Abstract

Muonic hydrogen (μp) is a very sensitive probe of the proton structure. Laser spectroscopy of two 2S-2P transitions in μp was used to determine both the Lamb shift and the hyperfine splitting of the 2S state in μp. The rms charge radius of the proton, R ch = 0.84087(39) fm, was extracted from the Lamb shift. The Zemach radius of the proton, R Z = 1.082(37) fm, was obtained from the 2S-hyperfine splitting. This article summarizes the previously published findings.

On the carrier of inertia

“…This can be qualitatively understood to manifest, for instance, as a difference in the measured proton charged radius depending on whether an electron or a much heavier muon is circulating the nucleus. [74][75][76] The anomalous increase in the proton-muon binding energy has already been attributed to a change in the surrounding radiation. 77 We reason along the same lines.…”

Lamb shift of energy levels in quantum rings

“…Since the original calculations of the value of the Lamb shift by Bethe and later by Feynman and others, the theory of radiative corrections has been worked out up to a very high precision. The Lamb radiative shift since then has been experimentally investigated for various atomic systems including muonic atoms that provide an ultra-high precision test of the QED [4,5]. The high accuracy of QED predictions for the precise spectroscopy of simple atomic systems allowed the accurate measurements of fundamental physical constants including the Rydberg constant ∞ R from the hydrogen spectrum α from the helium fine structure and the electron mass m e from the g factor of hydrogen-like ions.…”