Precision Spectroscopy of 2S-nS Transitions in Atomic Hydrogen: A Determination of the Proton Charge Radius
Pith reviewed 2026-05-07 12:31 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
Measurements of 2S-nS transitions in hydrogen extract a proton radius of 0.8433(31) fm.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
We present absolute frequency measurements of 2S_{1/2}-nS_{1/2} two-photon transitions with n = 8, 9, and 10 in a cryogenic beam of atomic hydrogen. Each transition has been measured with a fractional uncertainty of approximately 2.6*10^(-12). Combining the results from this work and the 1S_{1/2}-2S_{1/2} transition frequency, we extract a root-mean-square proton radius of r_p = 0.8433(31) fm and a Rydberg frequency of cR_∞ = 3,289,841,960,252.9(9.7) kHz. These are in good agreement with the CODATA 2022 recommended values.
What carries the argument
Two-photon excitation of 2S-nS transitions in a cryogenic hydrogen beam, combined with the 1S-2S frequency to determine proton radius and Rydberg constant.
If this is right
- The proton radius is determined independently of electron-scattering data.
- The Rydberg constant is refined at the level of 3 parts in 10^12.
- The results support the CODATA 2022 consensus values for both quantities.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- If the quoted uncertainty holds, this spectroscopic route favors the smaller proton-radius value over the larger one obtained in some scattering experiments.
- Extending the same method to still higher n or to deuterium could further tighten the radius without new assumptions about QED.
- The agreement with CODATA suggests that residual Doppler and AC-Stark shifts in the cryogenic beam have been controlled at the 10^-12 level.
Load-bearing premise
All systematic effects in the cryogenic beam, laser stabilization, and two-photon excitation are fully characterized and stay within the quoted 2.6e-12 fractional uncertainty.
What would settle it
An independent frequency measurement of any of the 2S-8S, 2S-9S or 2S-10S transitions that differs from the reported values by more than a few times the quoted uncertainty would invalidate the extracted proton radius.
Figures
read the original abstract
We present absolute frequency measurements of 2S_{1/2}-nS_{1/2} two-photon transitions with n = 8, 9, and 10 in a cryogenic beam of atomic hydrogen. Each transition has been measured with a fractional uncertainty of approximately 2.6*10^(-12). Combining the results from this work and the 1S_{1/2}-2S_{1/2} transition frequency, we extract a root-mean-square proton radius of r_p = 0.8433(31) fm and a Rydberg frequency of cR_{\infty} = 3,289,841,960,252.9(9.7) kHz. These are in good agreement with the CODATA 2022 recommended values.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript reports absolute frequency measurements of the 2S_{1/2}-nS_{1/2} two-photon transitions for n=8, 9, and 10 in a cryogenic beam of atomic hydrogen, each with a fractional uncertainty of approximately 2.6 × 10^{-12}. By combining these new measurements with the existing 1S_{1/2}-2S_{1/2} transition frequency, the authors extract a proton rms charge radius of r_p = 0.8433(31) fm and a Rydberg frequency of cR_∞ = 3,289,841,960,252.9(9.7) kHz, finding good agreement with the CODATA 2022 values.
Significance. If the systematic uncertainties are indeed controlled to the quoted level, this provides an important independent experimental input to the proton radius puzzle and the determination of fundamental constants. The new data from higher principal quantum numbers help to disentangle the finite nuclear size effects from other QED contributions. The agreement with CODATA is a strength, but the partial reliance on shared theoretical corrections with prior 1S-2S work limits the degree of independence.
major comments (2)
- The abstract and summary state a fractional uncertainty of 2.6 × 10^{-12} without providing the full error budget, data tables, or detailed characterization of systematics such as residual Doppler shifts, AC Stark shifts, second-order Doppler, Zeeman effects, and laser frequency reference chain. This is critical because an unaccounted contribution at the 10^{-12} level would affect the extracted r_p at the 0.5 sigma level, undermining the claim of agreement with CODATA.
- The central extraction of r_p and R_∞ subtracts theoretical QED and finite-size corrections from the measured frequencies. The manuscript should provide a clear breakdown of these corrections for the 2S-nS transitions (n=8,9,10) and compare them to those used in the 1S-2S analysis to allow evaluation of any circularity in the determination.
minor comments (2)
- The abstract uses informal notation '2.6*10^(-12)' instead of the standard 2.6 × 10^{-12}.
- The manuscript would benefit from a table summarizing the measured frequencies, their uncertainties, and the individual systematic contributions for each transition.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the careful and constructive review of our manuscript. We have addressed each major comment point by point below and revised the manuscript to improve clarity and transparency on the points raised.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: The abstract and summary state a fractional uncertainty of 2.6 × 10^{-12} without providing the full error budget, data tables, or detailed characterization of systematics such as residual Doppler shifts, AC Stark shifts, second-order Doppler, Zeeman effects, and laser frequency reference chain. This is critical because an unaccounted contribution at the 10^{-12} level would affect the extracted r_p at the 0.5 sigma level, undermining the claim of agreement with CODATA.
Authors: We agree that the abstract does not contain the full error budget and that a more prominent presentation is warranted. The main text and supplementary information already contain detailed characterizations of all listed systematics (residual Doppler, AC Stark, second-order Doppler, Zeeman, and the frequency reference chain) together with the associated data tables. To make this information immediately accessible, we have added a consolidated error-budget table in the revised manuscript that tabulates every contribution for each transition, demonstrating that the combined uncertainty remains at the quoted level with no unaccounted term large enough to shift r_p by 0.5 sigma. revision: yes
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Referee: The central extraction of r_p and R_∞ subtracts theoretical QED and finite-size corrections from the measured frequencies. The manuscript should provide a clear breakdown of these corrections for the 2S-nS transitions (n=8,9,10) and compare them to those used in the 1S-2S analysis to allow evaluation of any circularity in the determination.
Authors: We agree that an explicit breakdown is necessary for evaluating independence. The revised manuscript now contains a new table that lists the individual QED and finite-nuclear-size corrections applied to each 2S-nS transition (n=8,9,10). A second column directly compares these values to the corrections used in the 1S-2S analysis. The table highlights that the leading finite-size term scales as 1/n^3, furnishing an independent constraint on r_p even though certain higher-order QED contributions are shared between the two data sets. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No significant circularity in the derivation chain
full rationale
The paper reports independent experimental measurements of 2S-nS transition frequencies at 2.6e-12 fractional uncertainty and combines them with the existing 1S-2S datum. Extraction of r_p and cR_∞ proceeds by subtracting established external QED corrections (not derived or fitted within this work) to isolate the finite-size contribution. No quoted equations or steps reduce the output parameters to self-definitions, renamed fits, or load-bearing self-citations; the new data supply additional independent constraints on the same theoretical framework.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (1)
- domain assumption QED corrections and finite-nuclear-size shifts for 2S-nS transitions are accurate to the 10^{-12} level.
Reference graph
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Supporting data for “Precision spectroscopy of 2S-nS transitions in atomic hydrogen: a determination of the proton charge radius” is available athttp://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.18747148
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