Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics 163, 113-126 (2008)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2008-00814-8

The anomalous magnetic moment of the electron in hydrogenlike ions

A test of bound-state QED: Recent, present and future precision experiments

¹ Department of Physics, Imperial College London, SW7 2, BW London, UK
² Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, Planckstrasse 1, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
³ Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, 55099 Mainz, Germany

Corresponding author: m.vogel@imperial.ac.uk

Abstract

The precise determination of the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron bound in hydrogen-like ions allows for a stringent test of quantum electrodynamics (QED) in the presence of strong electric fields. g-factor measurements on the electron bound in hydrogen-like ions ¹²C⁵⁺ and ¹⁶O⁷⁺, using single ions confined in a Penning trap, have yielded values in agreement with theory on the ppb level. If the QED calculations are considered correct, the results can in turn be used for a determination of fundamental constants like the electron mass m_e, the fine structure constant α or nuclear parameters. We report about present developments towards g-factor measurements also in medium-heavy and heavy highly-charged ions.