Observation of spin flips with a single trapped proton

Phys Rev Lett. 2011 Jun 24;106(25):253001. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.253001. Epub 2011 Jun 20.

Abstract

Radio-frequency induced spin transitions of one individual proton are observed. The spin quantum jumps are detected via the continuous Stern-Gerlach effect, which is used in an experiment with a single proton stored in a cryogenic Penning trap. This is an important milestone towards a direct high-precision measurement of the magnetic moment of the proton and a new test of the matter-antimatter symmetry in the baryon sector.