Penning traps as a versatile tool for precise experiments in fundamental physics

TL;DR

This review discusses the use of Penning traps for precise measurements in fundamental physics, including particle properties, fundamental constants, and tests of the Standard Model, highlighting their versatility and accuracy.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of Penning trap techniques and their applications in fundamental physics, emphasizing recent advancements and unique experimental capabilities.

Findings

Precise measurements of particle masses and magnetic moments confirm CPT symmetry.

Determination of fundamental constants like the fine-structure constant with high accuracy.

Mass measurements of nuclides inform astrophysics and nuclear physics research.

Abstract

This review article describes the trapping of charged particles. The main principles of electromagnetic confinement of various species from elementary particles to heavy atoms are briefly described. The preparation and manipulation with trapped single particles, as well as methods of frequency measurements, providing unprecedented precision, are discussed. Unique applications of Penning traps in fundamental physics are presented. Ultra-precise trap-measurements of masses and magnetic moments of elementary particles (electrons, positrons, protons and antiprotons) confirm CPT-conservation, and allow accurate determination of the fine-structure constant alpha and other fundamental constants. This together with the information on the unitarity of the quark-mixing matrix, derived from the trap-measurements of atomic masses, serves for assessment of the Standard Model of the physics world. Direct mass measurements of nuclides targeted to some advanced problems of astrophysics and nuclear physics are also presented.