100 years of mass spectrometry – Measurements of masses in the past and present

par Klaus Blaum (Max Planck Institut for Nuclear Physics, University of Heidelberg)

vendredi 1 févr. 2013, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Paris

Auditorium

Recently, high-precision mass measurements of atoms have reached a new quality as far as accuracy, sensitivity and a wide application is concerned. This is due to the development and the use of efficient storage devices, effective cooling methods, sensitive detection techniques and new methods of calibration. The lecture provides a survey over mass measurements in the past and present. The applications range from tests of Weizsäcker’s mass formula to contributions to the modeling of element formation till the examination of the Standard Model. Questions will be addressed like: “Why is iron much more abundant on earth than all other elements? How are elements formed in the universe? What is the weight of an electron?”