A measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the positive muon to 0.7 ppm

The goal of the muon g − 2 experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL E821) is to measure the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, $am$, to a precision of 0.35 parts per million (ppm). Since 1997, each experimental result has lowered the total uncertainty relative to the previous, continuing the trail first blazed by physicists at CERN decades earlier. The primary motivation is the comparison of the experimentally-determined value of $am$ to that predicted by the Standard Model; a deviation would indicate new physics of some kind. The determination of $am$ requires precision measurements of two quantities—the anomalous spin precession of the muon, ω_a, and the average magnetic field through which the muons travel, ⟨B⟩. This thesis focuses on an analysis of ω_a for the data set collected in 2000, presenting both the analysis techniques and the evaluation of the associated systematic uncertainties. The final result published by the Muon g − 2 Collaboration for the 2000 data is a^BNL,2000m=11 6592049× 10^-100.7 ppm, which, along with the 1999 result, dominates the current world average: a^expm=11 6592038× 10^-100.7 ppm. As the current Standard Model prediction for $am$ is somewhat uncertain at best, any conclusions must be drawn carefully.