Tests of Fundamental Physics

Published

July 3, 2023

Author(s)

Eite Tiesinga, Peter Mohr

Abstract

We describe recent developments in tests of quantum-electrodynamics (QED), the theory of the interactions of matter with electromagnetic fields. The tests focus on consistency in the determination of parameters or constants within QED obtained via multiple independent means and, in particular, by comparisons of precision measurements with equivalently accurate theoretical calculations. The most precise tests rely on a combination of the spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen, $g$-factor measurements of a free electron as well as that of an electron bound in a hydrogen-like ion, and finally the mass determination of the ions through atom recoil experiments and mass spectrometry. These experiments determine the dimensionless fine-structure constant and the mass of the electron to about ten significant digits, orders of magnitude better than any other description of nature. We also show that an international system of units (SI) based on fixed values of the Planck constant and the charge of the electron (in addition to the fixed value of the speed of light in vacuum) modifies the interpretation of some of these tests.

Citation

Handbook of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics

Publisher Info

Springer-Verlag, New York, NY

Pub Type

Books

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73893-8_29

Local Download

Keywords

fundamental constants, SI units, QED theory

Citation

Tiesinga, E. and Mohr, P. (2023), Tests of Fundamental Physics, Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, [online], https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73893-8_29, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=925980 (Accessed May 11, 2026)

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