Why I did not receive the Nobel prize

The deviation of the electron’s g-factor from the Dirac value of 2 is one of the starting points of quantum electrodynamics (QED). In the 1970s, we started an experiment at the University of Bonn to determine its precise value using the ion storage technique – in competition with a similar experiment by Hans Dehmelt at the University of Washington. Although our group was the first to obtain an experimental value, its precision was not sufficient to be considered a stringent test of QED. In contrast, Dehmelt‘s experiment resulted in the most accurate property of any elementary particle, and for good reason the 1989 Nobel Prize was awarded to Dehmelt.

In my talk, I will point out what our limitations were and how we later improved our technique to obtain g-factor values of the electron bound in hydrogen-like ions as a significant test of QED in strong electric fields.

The title of the talk is a variation of a talk given on the day of my retirement, indicating that, in retrospect, one may have a look back at some parts of one´s scientific work where learning from failures may lead to significant results even when they do not lead to the Nobel Prize.