Detector Development for a Sterile Neutrino Search with the KATRIN Experiment

TL;DR

This paper presents the development and testing of a high-rate capable multi-pixel silicon drift detector designed for sterile neutrino searches in the KATRIN experiment, aiming to improve detection sensitivity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel multi-pixel silicon drift detector capable of handling extremely high count rates with excellent energy resolution for the KATRIN sterile neutrino search.

Findings

Successful design and testing of the first seven pixel prototype detectors.

Demonstrated ability to handle rates up to 10^8 cps with <200 eV energy resolution.

Prototype performance meets the requirements for sterile neutrino detection.

Abstract

The KATRIN (Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino) experiment investigates the energetic endpoint of the tritium $\beta$-decay spectrum to determine the effective mass of the electron anti-neutrino with a precision of $200\,\mathrm{meV}$ ($90\,\%$ C.L.) after an effective data taking time of three years. The TRISTAN (tritium $\beta$-decay to search for sterile neutrinos) group aims to detect a sterile neutrino signature by measuring the entire tritium $\beta$-decay spectrum with an upgraded KATRIN system. One of the greatest challenges is to handle the high signal rates generated by the strong activity of the KATRIN tritium source. Therefore, a novel multi-pixel silicon drift detector is being designed, which is able to handle rates up to $10^{8}\,\mathrm{cps}$ with an excellent energy resolution of $<200\,\mathrm{eV}$ (FWHM) at $10\,\mathrm{keV}$. This work gives an overview of the ongoing detector development and test results of the first seven pixel prototype detectors.