Connecting spatial moments and momentum densities

The precision of experimental data and analysis techniques is a key feature of any discovery attempt. A striking example is the proton radius puzzle where the accuracy of the spectroscopy of muonic atoms challenges traditional electron scattering measurements. The present work proposes a novel method for the determination of spatial moments from densities expressed in the momentum space. This method provides a direct access to even, odd, and more generally any real, negative and positive moment with order larger than -3. As an illustration, the application of this method to the electric form factor of the proton is discussed in detail. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.