Objective
"This proposal has two objectives. First, I propose to measure the antiproton mass relative to the electron mass with a fractional precision of 0.1 ppb by carrying out sub-Doppler two-photon laser spectroscopy of antiprotonic helium atoms. The antiproton mass would then be better known than the proton mass. The (anti)proton-to-electron mass ratio is regarded as a one of several fundamental physical constants which, like the fine structure constant α, is a dimensionless quantity of nature that can be measured to ppb-scale precision. The experiment would constitute the highest precision confirmation of CPT symmetry involving atoms containing antiprotons. A new buffer gas cooling technique will be used to cool down the atoms to temperature T<1.5 K, thereby reducing the residual Doppler width of the two-photon resonance signals caused by the thermal motion of the atom in the experimental target. A new quasi-cw laser with high peak power and narrow linewidth will be developed. In the later half of the project, high-quality antiproton beam from the new ELENA storage ring constructed at CERN will be used to reach higher precisions of 10^-11
Second, I propose to measure the pion mass to a precision of <10^-8 by carrying out the first laser spectroscopy of pionic helium atoms, where the pion occupies a Rydberg state and the electron the 1s state. This corresponds to a >300-fold improvement in precision compared to the currently known mass, and approaches the fundamental limit imposed by the 26-ns lifetime of the pion. Past measurements of mπ show a bifurcation, i.e. two groups of experimental results near 139.570 and 139.568 MeV/c^2. The laser spectroscopy of pionic helium will provide an unambiguous value for the pion mass. This will improve the limit on the muon neutrino mass obtained from laboratory experiments, and reduce the uncertainty on the Fermi coupling constant. This will be the first time an atom containing a meson has been studied by laser spectroscopy."
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry noble gases
- natural sciences physical sciences theoretical physics particle physics neutrinos
- natural sciences physical sciences optics laser physics
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2012-StG_20111012
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
80539 MUNCHEN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.