Progress in High-Precision Mass Measurements of Light Ions

Abstract

Significant advances in Penning trap measurements of atomic masses and mass ratios of the proton, deuteron, triton, helion, and alpha-particle have occurred in the last five years. These include a measurement of the mass of the deuteron against 12C with 8.5 × 10−12 fractional uncertainty; resolution of vibrational levels of H2+ as mass and the application of a simultaneous measurement technique to the H2+/D+ cyclotron frequency ratio, yielding a deuteron/proton mass ratio at 5 × 10−12; new measurements of HD+/3He+, HD+/T+, and T+/3He+ leading to a tritium beta-decay Q-value with an uncertainty of 22 meV, and atomic masses of the helion and triton at 13 × 10−12; and a new measurement of the mass of the alpha-particle against 12C at 12 × 10−12. Some of these results are in strong disagreement with previous values in the literature. Their impact in determining a precise proton/electron mass ratio and electron atomic mass from spectroscopy of the HD+ molecular ion is also discussed.