The cyclotron resonance of protons and electrons in a magnetic field of 5.7 Tesla produced by a superconducting solenoid has been measured. Protons and electrons were alternately confined in an electrostatic quadrupole trap. The quotient of the cyclotron frequencies provides a first direct determination of the proton-electron mass ratio. The result of MJMe= 1836.1502 (53) agrees with other more precise but indirect determinations of this quantity.
The effects of field imperfections on the cyclotron resonance frequency of charged particles stored in imperfect Penning traps were evaluated. Anharmonicity in the electric potential distribution and the magnetic field misalignment lead to shifted and asymmetrically broadened resonance signals. The frequency shifts were observed experimentally. The corrected cyclotron resonance frequencies are in good agreement with the cyclotron frequency obtained through extrapolation to zero confining voltage.
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