Driven One-Particle Quantum Cyclotron

TL;DR

This paper presents a quantum mechanical analysis of a driven one-particle quantum cyclotron coupled to a thermal reservoir, predicting quantum jump rates and suggesting more precise electron magnetic moment measurements to test fundamental physics.

Contribution

It provides the first quantum calculation for a driven quantum cyclotron with QND coupling to a thermal bath, revealing new predictions for quantum jump rates.

Findings

Quantum jump rates differ sharply from previous predictions.

Potential for tenfold improvement in electron magnetic moment measurement.

Implications for testing the standard model of particle physics.

Abstract

A quantum cyclotron is one trapped electron or positron that occupies only its lowest cyclotron and spin states. A master equation is solved for a driven quantum cyclotron with a QND (quantum nondemolition) coupling to a detection oscillator in thermal equilibrium - the first quantum calculation for this coupled and open system. The predicted rate of cyclotron and spin quantum jumps as a function of drive frequency, for a small coupling between the detection motion and its thermal reservoir, differs sharply from what has been predicted and used for past measurements. The calculation suggests a ten times more precise electron magnetic moment measurement is possible, as needed to investigate current differences between the most precise prediction of the standard model of particle physics, and the most accurate measurement of a property of an elementary particle.