KATRIN background due to surface radioimpurities

Fränkle, F. M.; Schaller, A.; Blaum, K.; Bornschein, L.; Drexlin, G.; Glück, F.; Hannen, V.; Harms, F.; Hinz, D.; Johnston, K.; Karthein, J.; Köster, U.; Lokhov, A.; Mertens, S.; Müller, F.; Osipowicz, A.; Ranitzsch, P. C.-O.; Schlösser, K.; Thümmler, T.; Trost, N.; Weinheimer, C.; Wolf, J.

doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2022.102686

Title: KATRIN background due to surface radioimpurities

Abstract

The goal of the KArlsruhe TRItrium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment is the determination of the effective electron antineutrino mass with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV/c² at 90 % C.L.¹. This goal can only be achieved with a very low background level in the order of 10 mcps² in the detector region of interest. A possible background source are α-decays on the inner surface of the KATRIN Main Spectrometer. Rydberg atoms, produced in sputtering processes accompanying the α-decays, are not influenced by electric or magnetic fields and freely propagate inside the vacuum of the Main Spectrometer. Here, they can be ionized by thermal radiation and the released electrons directly contribute to the KATRIN background. Two α-sources, ²²³Ra and ²²⁸Th, were installed at the Main Spectrometer with the purpose of temporarily increasing the background in order to study α-decay induced background processes. In this paper, we present a possible background generation mechanism and measurements performed with these two radioactive sources. Our results show a clear correlation between α-activity on the inner spectrometer surface and background from the volume of the spectrometer. Two key characteristics of the Main Spectrometer background – the dependency on the inner electrode offset potential, and the radial distribution –more »« less

Authors:

Fränkle, F. M. ^[1]; Schaller, A. ^[2];

^[3]; Bornschein, L. ^[1]; Drexlin, G. ^[1]; Glück, F. ^[1]; Hannen, V. ^[4]; Harms, F. ^[1]; Hinz, D. ^[1];

^[5];

^[6];

^[7]; Lokhov, A. ^[8]; Mertens, S. ^[2]; Müller, F. ^[3]; Osipowicz, A. ^[9];

^[4]; Schlösser, K. ^[1];

^[1]; Trost, N. ^[1] more »

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany)
Technical University of Munich (Germany); Max–Planck-Institut für Physik, Munich (Germany)
Max–Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany)
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Germany)
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Meyrin (Switzerland)
Max–Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Meyrin (Switzerland)
Institute Laue-Langevin,, Grenoble (France)
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (Germany); Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow (Russian Federation)
University of Applied Sciences (HFD) Fulda (Germany)

Publication Date:: Mon Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2022

Research Org.:: Massachusetts Insitute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States); University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Oakland, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Science (SC); Helmholtz Association (HGF); Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF); German Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport; Joint Institute for Nuclear Research

OSTI Identifier:: 1976880

Grant/Contract Number:: FG02-94ER40818; FG02-97ER41020; FG02-97ER41033; FG02-97ER41041; SC0004036; SC0011091; AC02-05CH11231; 05A17PM3; 05A17PX3; 05A17VK2; 05A17WO3; VH-NG-1055; CANAM-LM2011019

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Astroparticle Physics

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 138; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0927-6505

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; neutrino mass; beta-spectroscopy; background; radioactive decays

Citation Formats


                    Fränkle, F. M., Schaller, A., Blaum, K., Bornschein, L., Drexlin, G., Glück, F., Hannen, V., Harms, F., Hinz, D., Johnston, K., Karthein, J., Köster, U., Lokhov, A., Mertens, S., Müller, F., Osipowicz, A., Ranitzsch, P. C.-O., Schlösser, K., Thümmler, T., Trost, N., Weinheimer, C., and Wolf, J. KATRIN background due to surface radioimpurities.  United States: N. p., 2022. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2022.102686.

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                    Fränkle, F. M., Schaller, A., Blaum, K., Bornschein, L., Drexlin, G., Glück, F., Hannen, V., Harms, F., Hinz, D., Johnston, K., Karthein, J., Köster, U., Lokhov, A., Mertens, S., Müller, F., Osipowicz, A., Ranitzsch, P. C.-O., Schlösser, K., Thümmler, T., Trost, N., Weinheimer, C., & Wolf, J. KATRIN background due to surface radioimpurities.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2022.102686

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                    Fränkle, F. M., Schaller, A., Blaum, K., Bornschein, L., Drexlin, G., Glück, F., Hannen, V., Harms, F., Hinz, D., Johnston, K., Karthein, J., Köster, U., Lokhov, A., Mertens, S., Müller, F., Osipowicz, A., Ranitzsch, P. C.-O., Schlösser, K., Thümmler, T., Trost, N., Weinheimer, C., and Wolf, J. Mon .  
"KATRIN background due to surface radioimpurities".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2022.102686.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1976880.

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@article{osti_1976880,

  title        = {KATRIN background due to surface radioimpurities},

  author       = {Fränkle, F. M. and Schaller, A. and Blaum, K. and Bornschein, L. and Drexlin, G. and Glück, F. and Hannen, V. and Harms, F. and Hinz, D. and Johnston, K. and Karthein, J. and Köster, U. and Lokhov, A. and Mertens, S. and Müller, F. and Osipowicz, A. and Ranitzsch, P. C.-O. and Schlösser, K. and Thümmler, T. and Trost, N. and Weinheimer, C. and Wolf, J.},

  abstractNote = {The goal of the KArlsruhe TRItrium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment is the determination of the effective electron antineutrino mass with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV/c2 at 90 % C.L.1. This goal can only be achieved with a very low background level in the order of 10 mcps2 in the detector region of interest. A possible background source are α-decays on the inner surface of the KATRIN Main Spectrometer. Rydberg atoms, produced in sputtering processes accompanying the α-decays, are not influenced by electric or magnetic fields and freely propagate inside the vacuum of the Main Spectrometer. Here, they can be ionized by thermal radiation and the released electrons directly contribute to the KATRIN background. Two α-sources, 223Ra and 228Th, were installed at the Main Spectrometer with the purpose of temporarily increasing the background in order to study α-decay induced background processes. In this paper, we present a possible background generation mechanism and measurements performed with these two radioactive sources. Our results show a clear correlation between α-activity on the inner spectrometer surface and background from the volume of the spectrometer. Two key characteristics of the Main Spectrometer background – the dependency on the inner electrode offset potential, and the radial distribution – could be reproduced with this artificially induced background. These findings indicate a high contribution of α-decay induced events to the residual KATRIN background.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.astropartphys.2022.102686},

  journal      = {Astroparticle Physics},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 138,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Mon Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2022},

  month        = {Mon Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2022}

}

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Title: KATRIN background due to surface radioimpurities

Abstract

Citation Formats

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Thirteen Ways to Look at the Correlation Coefficient
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Measurement of the 211 Pb half-life using recoil atoms from 219 Rn decay
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Nuclear Data Sheets for A=219
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journal, August 2018

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Numerical simulation of a low-energy electron electrostatic integral spectrometer with adiabatic magnetic collimation
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