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Background Processes in the Electrostatic Spectrometers of the KATRIN Experiment

  • Book
  • © 2014

Overview

Authors:
  1. Susanne Mertens

    1. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA

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  • Nominated as an outstanding Ph.D. thesis by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
  • Outlines how to measure the fundamental neutrino mass scale by means of high-precision ß-spectroscopy
  • Gives a detailed introduction to the KATRIN experiment
  • Describes background processes initiated by trapped electrons in magnetic mirrors and by Penning traps
  • Describes a novel background reduction method using Electron Cyclotron Resonance
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Springer Theses (Springer Theses)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Preamble

    • Susanne Mertens
    Pages 1-2

  3. Introduction to Neutrino Physics

    • Susanne Mertens
    Pages 3-27

  4. Introduction to the KATRIN Experiment

    • Susanne Mertens
    Pages 29-54

  5. Monte Carlo Simulation Package

    • Susanne Mertens
    Pages 55-76

  6. Muon Induced Background

    • Susanne Mertens
    Pages 77-88

  7. Background Due to Penning Traps

    • Susanne Mertens
    Pages 89-101

  8. Background Due to Stored Electrons Following Nuclear Decays

    • Susanne Mertens
    Pages 103-135

  9. Active Background Reduction with Electron Cyclotron Resonance

    • Susanne Mertens
    Pages 137-155

  10. Conclusion

    • Susanne Mertens
    Pages 157-159

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 161-196
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Keywords

About this book

Neutrinos continue to be the most mysterious and, arguably, the most fascinating particles of the Standard Model as their intrinsic properties such as absolute mass scale and CP properties are unknown. The open question of the absolute neutrino mass scale will be addressed with unprecedented accuracy by the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment, currently under construction.  This thesis focusses on the spectrometer part of KATRIN and background processes therein. Various background sources such as small Penning traps, as well as nuclear decays from single radon atoms are fully characterized here for the first time. Most importantly, however, it was possible to reduce the background in the spectrometer by more than five orders of magnitude by eliminating Penning traps and by developing a completely new background reduction method by stochastically heating trapped electrons using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR).  The work beautifully demonstrates that the obstacles and challenges in measuring the absolute mass scale of neutrinos can be met successfully if novel experimental tools (ECR) and novel computing methods (KASSIOPEIA) are combined to allow almost background-free tritium ß-spectroscopy.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA

    Susanne Mertens

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