A method for determining the transition energies of ${}^{83m}$Kr at the KATRIN experiment

Abstract

The neutrino mass experiment KATRIN uses conversion electrons from the 32.2 keV transition of the nuclear isomer ${}^{83m}$Kr for calibration. Comparing the measured energies to the appropriate literature values allows for an independent evaluation of the energy scale, but the uncertainties in some of the literature values obtained by gamma spectroscopy are a limiting factor. Building upon the already excellent linearity of KATRIN's energy scale, this paper proposes a novel method for determining the ${}^{83m}$Kr transition energies via high-precision electron spectroscopy. Notably, the method makes use of conversion electrons from the 41.6-keV direct transition of ${}^{83m}$Kr to its ground state in addition to conversion electrons from the much more frequent cascade of a 32.2-keV and a 9.4-keV transition. By implementing this method, KATRIN may be able to deliver order-of-magnitude improvements in precision over current ${}^{83m}$Kr transition energy literature values.

11 pages, several edits to improve clarity

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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Direct neutrino-mass measurement based on 259 days of KATRIN data
• KATRIN: Status and Prospects for the Neutrino Mass and Beyond
• Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy of Electrons from Tritium Beta Decay and ${}^{83\mathrm{m}}$Kr Internal Conversion
• First constraints on general neutrino interactions based on KATRIN data