The Rydberg constant and proton size from atomic hydrogen.

At the core of the "proton radius puzzle" is a four-standard deviation discrepancy between the proton root-mean-square charge radii (rp) determined from the regular hydrogen (H) and the muonic hydrogen (µp) atoms. Using a cryogenic beam of H atoms, we measured the 2S-4P transition frequency in H, yielding the values of the Rydberg constant R∞ = 10973731.568076(96) per meterand rp = 0.8335(95) femtometer. Our rp value is 3.3 combined standard deviations smaller than the previous H world data, but in good agreement with the µp value. We motivate an asymmetric fit function, which eliminates line shifts from quantum interference of neighboring atomic resonances.

Precision measurement of the hydrogen 1S-2S frequency via a 920-km fiber link.

We have measured the frequency of the extremely narrow 1S-2S two-photon transition in atomic hydrogen using a remote cesium fountain clock with the help of a 920 km stabilized optical fiber. With an improved detection method we obtain f(1S-2S)=2466 061 413 187 018 (11) Hz with a relative uncertainty of 4.5×10(-15), confirming our previous measurement obtained with a local cesium clock [C. G. Parthey et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 203001 (2011)]. Combining these results with older measurements, we constrain the linear combinations of Lorentz boost symmetry violation parameters c((TX))=(3.1±1.9)×10(-11) and 0.92c((TY))+0.40c((TZ))=(2.6±5.3)×10(-11) in the standard model extension framework [D. Colladay, V. A. Kostelecký, Phys. Rev. D. 58, 116002 (1998)].

Improved measurement of the hydrogen 1S-2S transition frequency.

We have measured the 1S-2S transition frequency in atomic hydrogen via two-photon spectroscopy on a 5.8 K atomic beam. We obtain f(1S-2S) = 2,466,061,413,187,035 (10)  Hz for the hyperfine centroid, in agreement with, but 3.3 times better than the previous result [M. Fischer et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 230802 (2004)]. The improvement to a fractional frequency uncertainty of 4.2 × 10(-15) arises mainly from an improved stability of the spectroscopy laser, and a better determination of the main systematic uncertainties, namely, the second order Doppler and ac and dc Stark shifts. The probe laser frequency was phase coherently linked to the mobile cesium fountain clock FOM via a frequency comb.