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Title: New Constraint on the Local Relic Neutrino Background Overdensity with the First KATRIN Data Runs

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
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We report on the direct search for cosmic relic neutrinos using data acquired during the first two science campaigns of the KATRIN experiment in 2019. Beta-decay electrons from a high-purity molecular tritium gas source are analyzed by a high-resolution MAC-E filter around the end point at 18.57 keV. The analysis is sensitive to a local relic neutrino overdensity ratio of η<9.7×1010/α (1.1×1011/α) at a 90% (95%) confidence level with α=1 (0.5) for Majorana (Dirac) neutrinos. A fit of the integrated electron spectrum over a narrow interval around the end point accounting for relic neutrino captures in the tritium source reveals no significant overdensity. This work improves the results obtained by the previous neutrino mass experiments at Los Alamos and Troitsk. We furthermore update the projected final sensitivity of the KATRIN experiment to η<1×1010/α at 90% confidence level, by relying on updated operational conditions.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP); Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)
Contributing Organization:
KATRIN Collaboration
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-97ER41020; FG02-94ER40818; SC0004036; FG02-97ER41033; FG02-97ER41041; SC0011091; SC0019304; AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1874403
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1905768; OSTI ID: 1907281; OSTI ID: 1907644; OSTI ID: 1907685
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Vol. 129 Journal Issue: 1; ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
cosmic ray
astroparticle detectors
cosmology
evolution of the universe
extrasolar neutrino astronomy
nucleus-neutrino interactions
particle interactions
neutrinos
neutrino detectors
cosmology
neutrinos
neutrino detectors