Precise measurement of deuteron mass raises hopes of solving the nuclear-mass puzzle

Koelemeij, Jeroen C. J.

doi:10.1038/d41586-020-02474-3

NEWS AND VIEWS
02 September 2020

Precise measurement of deuteron mass raises hopes of solving the nuclear-mass puzzle

Contradictory values for the masses of atomic nuclei have cast doubt on the reliability of these widely used quantities. A new mass measurement of the deuteron, the second-simplest atomic nucleus, clarifies the situation.

Jeroen C. J. Koelemeij⁰

Jeroen C. J. Koelemeij
1. Jeroen C. J. Koelemeij is in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081, the Netherlands.
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Precise values for the masses of the nuclei of the simplest atoms, such as hydrogen and helium, are crucial for experiments targeting big unsolved problems in physics. A technique known as Penning-trap mass spectrometry has produced some of the most precise nuclear-mass values obtained so far, but the various results do not seem to be consistent with each other. Writing in Nature, Rau et al.¹ report an astonishingly precise measurement of the mass of the deuteron — the nucleus of a hydrogen isotope called deuterium. Remarkably, this result also deviates widely from previous values. The authors therefore carried out a clever auxiliary measurement revealing that their findings back up those parts of the ‘nuclear-mass puzzle’ that initially seemed to be discrepant.

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Nature 585, 35-36 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02474-3

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Competing Interests

The author is co-founder and shareholder of OPNT bv. (Additional information: OPNT bv is a private company (a term abbreviated in Dutch to 'bv'), which emerged from one of the author's research lines at VU University Amsterdam. The company provides time- and frequency-distribution solutions based on laser precision measurements in fiber-optic telecommunications networks. The author owns significant stock in the company.)