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Title: Single-electron detection and spectroscopy via relativistic cyclotron radiation

Abstract

It has been understood since 1897 that accelerating charges should emit electromagnetic radiation. Cyclotron radiation, the particular form of radiation emitted by an electron orbiting in a magnetic field, was first derived in 1904. Despite the simplicity of this concept, and the enormous utility of electron spectroscopy in nuclear and particle physics, single-electron cyclotron radiation has never been observed directly. Here we demonstrate single-electron detection in a novel radiofrequency spectrometer. We observe the cyclotron radiation emitted by individual electrons that are produced with mildly-relativistic energies by a gaseous radioactive source and are magnetically trapped. The relativistic shift in the cyclotron frequency permits a precise electron energy measurement. Precise beta electron spectroscopy from gaseous radiation sources is a key technique in modern efforts to measure the neutrino mass via the tritium decay endpoint, and this work is a proof-of-concept for future neutrino mass experiments using this technique.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1];  [4];  [1];  [5];  [5];  [1];  [4];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [3];  [5];  [4];  [4] more »;  [4];  [5];  [4];  [1];  [6];  [1];  [4] « less
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  2. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA (United States)
  3. Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
  4. Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
  5. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
  6. Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe (Germany)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)
Contributing Org.:
Project 8 Collaboration
OSTI Identifier:
1332971
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1178479; OSTI ID: 1191786
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-104834
Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007; PRLTAO
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0004036; FG02-97ER41020; SC0011091; AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 114; Journal Issue: 16; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; Single electron detection and spectroscopy via relativistic cyclotron radiation

Citation Formats

Asner, D. M., Bradley, R. F., de Viveiros, L., Doe, P. J., Fernandes, J. L., Fertl, M., Finn, E. C., Formaggio, J. A., Furse, D., Jones, A. M., Kofron, J. N., LaRoque, B. H., Leber, M., McBride, E. L., Miller, M. L., Mohanmurthy, P., Monreal, B., Oblath, N. S., Robertson, R. G. H., Rosenberg, L. J., Rybka, G., Rysewyk, D., Sternberg, M. G., Tedeschi, J. R., Thummler, T., VanDevender, B. A., and Woods, N. L. Single-electron detection and spectroscopy via relativistic cyclotron radiation. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.162501.
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Asner, D. M., Bradley, R. F., de Viveiros, L., Doe, P. J., Fernandes, J. L., Fertl, M., Finn, E. C., Formaggio, J. A., Furse, D., Jones, A. M., Kofron, J. N., LaRoque, B. H., Leber, M., McBride, E. L., Miller, M. L., Mohanmurthy, P., Monreal, B., Oblath, N. S., Robertson, R. G. H., Rosenberg, L. J., Rybka, G., Rysewyk, D., Sternberg, M. G., Tedeschi, J. R., Thummler, T., VanDevender, B. A., & Woods, N. L. Single-electron detection and spectroscopy via relativistic cyclotron radiation. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.162501
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Asner, D. M., Bradley, R. F., de Viveiros, L., Doe, P. J., Fernandes, J. L., Fertl, M., Finn, E. C., Formaggio, J. A., Furse, D., Jones, A. M., Kofron, J. N., LaRoque, B. H., Leber, M., McBride, E. L., Miller, M. L., Mohanmurthy, P., Monreal, B., Oblath, N. S., Robertson, R. G. H., Rosenberg, L. J., Rybka, G., Rysewyk, D., Sternberg, M. G., Tedeschi, J. R., Thummler, T., VanDevender, B. A., and Woods, N. L. Mon . "Single-electron detection and spectroscopy via relativistic cyclotron radiation". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.162501. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1332971.
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@article{osti_1332971,
title = {Single-electron detection and spectroscopy via relativistic cyclotron radiation},
author = {Asner, D. M. and Bradley, R. F. and de Viveiros, L. and Doe, P. J. and Fernandes, J. L. and Fertl, M. and Finn, E. C. and Formaggio, J. A. and Furse, D. and Jones, A. M. and Kofron, J. N. and LaRoque, B. H. and Leber, M. and McBride, E. L. and Miller, M. L. and Mohanmurthy, P. and Monreal, B. and Oblath, N. S. and Robertson, R. G. H. and Rosenberg, L. J. and Rybka, G. and Rysewyk, D. and Sternberg, M. G. and Tedeschi, J. R. and Thummler, T. and VanDevender, B. A. and Woods, N. L.},
abstractNote = {It has been understood since 1897 that accelerating charges should emit electromagnetic radiation. Cyclotron radiation, the particular form of radiation emitted by an electron orbiting in a magnetic field, was first derived in 1904. Despite the simplicity of this concept, and the enormous utility of electron spectroscopy in nuclear and particle physics, single-electron cyclotron radiation has never been observed directly. Here we demonstrate single-electron detection in a novel radiofrequency spectrometer. We observe the cyclotron radiation emitted by individual electrons that are produced with mildly-relativistic energies by a gaseous radioactive source and are magnetically trapped. The relativistic shift in the cyclotron frequency permits a precise electron energy measurement. Precise beta electron spectroscopy from gaseous radiation sources is a key technique in modern efforts to measure the neutrino mass via the tritium decay endpoint, and this work is a proof-of-concept for future neutrino mass experiments using this technique.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.162501},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 16,
volume = 114,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Apr 20 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Mon Apr 20 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}
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