Konwersatorium im. Leopolda Infelda

The charge radius Rp of the proton has so far been known only with a surprisingly low precision of about 1% from both electron scattering and precision spectroscopy of hydrogen.

We have recently determined Rp by means of laser spectroscopy of the exotic "muonic hydrogen" atom. Here, the muon, which is the 200 times heavier cousin of the electron, orbits the proton with a 200 times smaller Bohr radius. This enhances the sensitivity to the proton's finite size tremendously.

Our new value Rp = 0.84184 (67) fm is ten times more precise than the generally accepted CODATA value, but it differs by 5 standard deviations from it. A lively discussion about possible solutions to the "proton size puzzle" has started.