KATRIN: Status and Prospects for the Neutrino Mass and Beyond

TL;DR

KATRIN is a high-precision experiment measuring the neutrino mass via beta decay spectrum analysis, achieving sub-eV sensitivity and exploring beyond-Standard-Model physics with ongoing and future improvements.

Contribution

This paper reports the current status, recent results, and future prospects of the KATRIN experiment for neutrino mass measurement and beyond-Standard-Model physics.

Findings

Achieved sub-eV sensitivity in neutrino mass measurement

Projected sensitivity of 0.2 eV at 90% confidence after 1000 days

Explores potential for detecting sterile neutrinos and other new physics

Abstract

The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment is designed to measure a high-precision integral spectrum of the endpoint region of T2 beta decay, with the primary goal of probing the absolute mass scale of the neutrino. After a first tritium commissioning campaign in 2018, the experiment has been regularly running since 2019, and in its first two measurement campaigns has already achieved a sub-eV sensitivity. After 1000 days of data-taking, KATRIN's design sensitivity is 0.2 eV at the 90% confidence level. In this white paper we describe the current status of KATRIN; explore prospects for measuring the neutrino mass and other physics observables, including sterile neutrinos and other beyond-Standard-Model hypotheses; and discuss research-and-development projects that may further improve the KATRIN sensitivity.