Events

Institutsseminar

Penning-Trap Tests of Fundamental Physics with Few-Electron Ions

Dr. Matthew Bohman
Max Planck Institute of Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg

Abstract:

Low-energy, high-precision experiments play an important role in searching for new physics beyond the Standard Model, testing our most foundational theories, and determining the values of fundamental constants. The Alphatrap Penning-trap apparatus located at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik in Heidelberg enables several of these experiments in which we trap and perform measurements on single, few-electron ions. I will present the results of three avenues of research we are currently pursuing. First, using dedicated, high voltage electron beam ion traps (EBITs) we produce heavy highly charged such as hydrogen-like Sn⁴⁹⁺ and eventually Pb⁸¹⁺. Once trapped, these ions allow us to test quantum electrodynamics (QED) in new regimes and extreme fields via measurements of bound electron g-factors and comparison to theory. Second, we perform similar experiments on hydrogen-like C⁵⁺ where the high precision of the QED theory at low Z allows us to determine the mass of the electron. Finally, we have recently applied the methods of precision Penning-trap experiments to molecular hydrogen ions, namely HD⁺, where we have measured the ground state spin structure to high precision and begun a laser spectroscopy campaign using techniques that can be applied to the anti-hydrogen molecular ion Ħ₂^-.

Institutsseminar

Extreme Astrophysics with Laboratory Electron-ositron Jets

Dr. Eva Los
Oxford University

Abstract:

The Fireball experiment is a laboratory astrophysics experiment based at the High Radiation Materials facility (HiRadMat) at CERN. Fireball is the only experiment worldwide capable of generating relativistic electron-positron plasmas, and is thus uniquely placed to study the role of pair plasmas in extreme astrophysical events such as the generation of gamma-ray bursts, fast radio bursts and the acceleration of cosmic rays. The current focus of Fireball is the study of the microphysical plasma instabilities which have been proposed as drivers of gamma-ray burst afterglows. Two groundbreaking prior campaigns generated the first laboratory relativistic pair plasma and made the first measurements of the growth rate and magnetic field strength of the oblique instability for a relativistic pair plasma. In this talk, preliminary results from the most recent campaign, Fireball 3, will be presented.

Institutsseminar

To Be Announced

Dr. Arseny Mironov
CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris

Spring Meeting of DPG Section “Atome, Moleküle, Quantenoptik und Plasmen”

22nd International Conference on the Physics of Highly Charged Ions (HCI2026)