A precision 32 keV angular-selective photoelectron source for calibration measurements at the KATRIN experiment

TL;DR

This paper presents an upgraded angular-selective photoelectron source for the KATRIN experiment, enabling precise calibration by providing tunable electron energies up to 32 keV and variable angles, facilitating detailed studies of scattering and transport effects.

Contribution

The paper introduces an upgraded, versatile photoelectron source with enhanced energy and angular control for calibration in the KATRIN neutrino mass experiment.

Findings

Achieved electron energies up to 32 keV with angular selectivity.

Enabled detailed studies of electron scattering and backscattering effects.

Improved calibration capabilities for the KATRIN spectrometer.

Abstract

The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment measures the neutrino mass from a precise measurement of the endpoint region of the kinematic tritium beta-decay spectrum by using a spectrometer combining magnetic adiabatic collimation and electrostatic filtering (MAC-E filter). For calibration purposes, KATRIN uses a monoenergetic angular-selective photoelectron source. We present an upgrade of this source, which was installed in the KATRIN beamline in February 2022. The source allows for a wide range of accessible electron energies up to 32 keV and a variation of the angle with regard to the magnetic field. These features are used for precise measurements of electron scattering effects off tritium molecules in KATRIN's gaseous tritium source, for investigations of angular-dependent backscattering for example at KATRIN's focal-plane detector, and for studies on adiabatic transport in the main spectrometer.