Searches for a sterile-neutrino admixture in detecting tritium decays in a proportional counter: New possibilities
- Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Nuclear Research (Russian Federation)
An experiment aimed at searches for an admixture of a sterile neutrino whosemass is 1 to 8 keV via detecting electrons from tritium decay in a proportional counter is proposed. The admixture in question can be discovered by a specific distortion of the energy spectrum of these electrons. For the above masses, the distortion extends over the whole spectrum; therefore, use can bemade of detectors that have a relatively low energy resolution (about 10 to 15%). A classic proportional counter is a simple and natural choice of detector for the decays of a gaseous tritium. The approach that we propose is novel in two respects. On one hand, the proportional counter used is made as a discrete unit in the form of a fully fused quartz tube. This permits a readout of current signals directly from the anode filament and ensures a high stability in the case of long-term measurements. At the same time, the application of state-of-the-art digital data-acquisition methods will make it possible to perform measurements under conditions of high counting rates—up to 10{sup 6} Hz. As a result, the energy spectrum of electrons from tritium decays that is formed by 10{sup 12} counts could be accumulated within about a month. This data sample would make it possible to set an upper limit in the range of 10{sup −3}–10{sup −5} on a sterile-neutrino admixture at a confidence level of three standard deviations (3σ) for m{sub s} in the range of 1–8 keV, this being one to two orders of magnitude more stringent than present-day limits.
- OSTI ID:
- 22472345
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Atomic Nuclei, Vol. 78, Issue 2; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2015 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1063-7788
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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