SPECIAL RELATIVITY AND THE SINGLE ANTIPROTON - FORTYFOLD IMPROVED COMPARISON OF (P)OVER-BAR AND P CHARGE-TO-MASS RATIOS

The measured ratio of charge-to-mass ratios for the antiproton and proton is 1.000 000 001 50.000 000 001 1. This 1 part in 109 comparison (1 ppb) is possible because a single p» or p is now directly observed while trapped in an open access Penning trap. The comparison is the most accurate mass spectrometry of particles with opposite charge, and is the most sensitive test of CPT invariance for a baryon system. It is 40 times more accurate than our earlier comparison with many trapped antiprotons and protons, and is more than 45 000 times more accurate than earlier comparisons made with other techniques. © 1995 The American Physical Society.