Speaker
Description
Project 8 aims to measure neutrino mass by detecting radiation from single electrons. The operating principle is to observe tritium beta decay in a uniform magnetic field, which causes the emitted electron undergo cyclotron motion and radiate. Measuring the radiation frequency yields the electron's energy spectrum, which in turn encodes the neutrino mass. For the current R&D phase, the detector design is a vessel of gaseous molecular tritium viewed by an antenna array in a 1 T medical MRI magnet. Detection is challenging because an electron emits $<$1 fW at $\sim$26 GHz in this field, motivating antenna operation at very low temperatures. However, the thermal requirements differ significantly for the tritium, introducing a tension between RF transparency and thermal shielding between the source and detector. This motivates the design of insulation that is transparent to the microwave signal. In this talk, I will discuss potential solutions and our progress towards their realization.
| Funding information | This work is supported by the US DOE Office of Nuclear Physics, the US NSF, the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence at the University of Mainz, and internal investments at all institutions. |
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| TIPP2020 abstract resubmission? | No, this is an entirely new submission. |
