How heavy is a proton ? It might go like a bit of a dazed question , but we can actually figure it out with some sciency hocus pocus . And some researchers have done just that , determine it to be idle than we think .
research worker from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Germany found it was lighter by about one part in 10 billion . The result itself has a preciseness to about 32 parts per trillion . Yep , that ’s somewhat small .
“ We perform the most exact measure of the atomic mass of the proton , ” the researcher write in their paper , which is pre - printed onarXiv . “ Our mensuration is a component of three more precise compare to the current literature value . ”
To make the mensuration , the scientists held a proton in aPenning hole , which involves using magnetic and electric field of honor to keep it trapped . It follows a iteration orbit , and by comparing its velocity to an atom of carbon-12 , they were able-bodied to work out the masses of the proton in atomic unit . That came in at 1.007276446583 atomic social unit .
“ These are very , very exact experiment , and they use very sophisticated method acting , ” Peter Mohr from the Committee on Data for Science and Technology ( CODATA ) , who was not involved in the research , toldNew Scientist .
The experiment was execute inside a 1.5 - liter can , which had its melodic line pumped out and had been cool off to nearly rank zero . To free proton inside the can and in the end trap one , an electron beam was provoke at a plastic target .
apart from just being kind of interesting , there are a number of applications for this enquiry . Physics Worldnotes it could help solve the “ proton radius puzzle ” , namely why the radius of a proton appears pocket-sized than expected . It could also secern us why there ’s more matter than antimatter in the universe .
Do n’t go rive up your old proton measurement textbooks just yet , though . It ’s noted that this result could be simply an observational issue , rather than some new physic . The researchers do n’t yet have a good account for why this measurement dissent from old ones . However , at the moment they are standing by their measurement .
“ In a set of cautiously conducted cross - check measurement we have confirmed a series of other lit note value and were not able to chase any yet uncovered taxonomic effects imposed by our method acting , ” they wrote .
