Characterization measurements of the TRISTAN multi-pixel silicon drift detector

TL;DR

This paper reports on the characterization and commissioning of a multi-pixel silicon drift detector system designed for the KATRIN experiment, aiming to improve sensitivity in sterile neutrino searches via tritium beta-decay.

Contribution

It introduces a new multi-pixel silicon drift detector system and provides detailed characterization data, enhancing the detector's performance for sterile neutrino detection.

Findings

Charge-sharing behavior between pixels characterized.

Successful commissioning of a 47-pixel prototype detector.

Enhanced detector performance for neutrino experiments.

Abstract

Sterile neutrinos are a minimal extension of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. A laboratory-based approach to search for this particle is via tritium beta-decay, where a sterile neutrino would cause a kink-like spectral distortion. The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment extended by a multi-pixel Silicon Drift Detector system has the potential to reach an unprecedented sensitivity to the keV-scale sterile neutrino in a lab-based experiment. The new detector system combines good spectroscopic performance with a high rate capability. In this work, we report about the characterization of charge-sharing between pixels and the commissioning of a 47-pixel prototype detector in a MAC-E filter.