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Ashtari Esfahani A, Böser S, Buzinsky N, Carmona-Benitez MC, Claessens C, de Viveiros L, Doe PJ, Fertl M, Formaggio JA, Gaison JK, Gladstone L, Grando M, Guigue M, Hartse J, Heeger KM, Huyan X, Johnston J, Jones AM, Kazkaz K, LaRoque BH, Li M, Lindman A, Machado E, Marsteller A, Matthé C, Mohiuddin R, Monreal B, Mueller R, Nikkel JA, Novitski E, Oblath NS, Peña JI, Pettus W, Reimann R, Robertson RGH, Rosa De Jesús D, Rybka G, Saldaña L, Schram M, Slocum PL, Stachurska J, Sun YH, Surukuchi PT, Tedeschi JR, Telles AB, Thomas F, Thomas M, Thorne LA, Thümmler T, Tvrznikova L, Van De Pontseele W, VanDevender BA, Weintroub J, Weiss TE, Wendler T, Young A, Zayas E, Ziegler A. Tritium Beta Spectrum Measurement and Neutrino Mass Limit from Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy. Phys Rev Lett 2023; 131:102502. [PMID: 37739382 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.131.102502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
The absolute scale of the neutrino mass plays a critical role in physics at every scale, from the subatomic to the cosmological. Measurements of the tritium end-point spectrum have provided the most precise direct limit on the neutrino mass scale. In this Letter, we present advances by Project 8 to the cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy (CRES) technique culminating in the first frequency-based neutrino mass limit. With only a cm^{3}-scale physical detection volume, a limit of m_{β}<155 eV/c^{2} (152 eV/c^{2}) is extracted from the background-free measurement of the continuous tritium beta spectrum in a Bayesian (frequentist) analysis. Using ^{83m}Kr calibration data, a resolution of 1.66±0.19 eV (FWHM) is measured, the detector response model is validated, and the efficiency is characterized over the multi-keV tritium analysis window. These measurements establish the potential of CRES for a high-sensitivity next-generation direct neutrino mass experiment featuring low background and high resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Ashtari Esfahani
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - S Böser
- Institute for Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - N Buzinsky
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - M C Carmona-Benitez
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - C Claessens
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Institute for Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - L de Viveiros
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - P J Doe
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - M Fertl
- Institute for Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - J A Formaggio
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J K Gaison
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - L Gladstone
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - M Grando
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - M Guigue
- Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, CNRS/IN2P3, 75005 Paris, France
| | - J Hartse
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - K M Heeger
- Wright Laboratory and Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - X Huyan
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - J Johnston
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - A M Jones
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - K Kazkaz
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - B H LaRoque
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - M Li
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - A Lindman
- Institute for Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - E Machado
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - A Marsteller
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - C Matthé
- Institute for Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - R Mohiuddin
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - B Monreal
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - R Mueller
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - J A Nikkel
- Wright Laboratory and Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - E Novitski
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - N S Oblath
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - J I Peña
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - W Pettus
- Center for Exploration of Energy and Matter and Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
| | - R Reimann
- Institute for Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - R G H Robertson
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - D Rosa De Jesús
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - G Rybka
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - L Saldaña
- Wright Laboratory and Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - M Schram
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - P L Slocum
- Wright Laboratory and Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - J Stachurska
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Y-H Sun
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - P T Surukuchi
- Wright Laboratory and Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - J R Tedeschi
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - A B Telles
- Wright Laboratory and Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - F Thomas
- Institute for Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - M Thomas
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - L A Thorne
- Institute for Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - T Thümmler
- Institute of Astroparticle Physics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - L Tvrznikova
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - W Van De Pontseele
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - B A VanDevender
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, USA
| | - J Weintroub
- Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - T E Weiss
- Wright Laboratory and Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - T Wendler
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - A Young
- Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - E Zayas
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - A Ziegler
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
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Byron W, Harrington H, Taylor RJ, DeGraw W, Buzinsky N, Dodson B, Fertl M, García A, Garvey G, Graner B, Guigue M, Hayen L, Huyan X, Khaw KS, Knutsen K, McClain D, Melconian D, Müller P, Novitski E, Oblath NS, Robertson RGH, Rybka G, Savard G, Smith E, Stancil DD, Sternberg M, Storm DW, Swanson HE, Tedeschi JR, VanDevender BA, Wietfeldt FE, Young AR, Zhu X. First Observation of Cyclotron Radiation from MeV-Scale e^{±} following Nuclear β Decay. Phys Rev Lett 2023; 131:082502. [PMID: 37683153 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.131.082502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
We present an apparatus for detection of cyclotron radiation yielding a frequency-based β^{±} kinetic energy determination in the 5 keV to 2.1 MeV range, characteristic of nuclear β decays. The cyclotron frequency of the radiating β particles in a magnetic field is used to determine the β energy precisely. Our work establishes the foundation to apply the cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy (CRES) technique, developed by the Project 8 Collaboration, far beyond the 18-keV tritium endpoint region. We report initial measurements of β^{-}'s from ^{6}He and β^{+}'s from ^{19}Ne decays to demonstrate the broadband response of our detection system and assess potential systematic uncertainties for β spectroscopy over the full (MeV) energy range. To our knowledge, this is the first direct observation of cyclotron radiation from individual highly relativistic β's in a waveguide. This work establishes the application of CRES to a variety of nuclei, opening its reach to searches for new physics beyond the TeV scale via precision β-decay measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Byron
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - H Harrington
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - R J Taylor
- Physics Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA
- The Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - W DeGraw
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - N Buzinsky
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - B Dodson
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - M Fertl
- Institute for Physics, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - A García
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - G Garvey
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - B Graner
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - M Guigue
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - L Hayen
- Physics Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA
- The Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - X Huyan
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - K S Khaw
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - K Knutsen
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - D McClain
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
- Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - D Melconian
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
- Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - P Müller
- Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
| | - E Novitski
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - N S Oblath
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - R G H Robertson
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - G Rybka
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - G Savard
- Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
| | - E Smith
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - D D Stancil
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA
| | - M Sternberg
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - D W Storm
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - H E Swanson
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - J R Tedeschi
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - B A VanDevender
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - F E Wietfeldt
- Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA
| | - A R Young
- Physics Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA
- The Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - X Zhu
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
- Center for Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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