Detecting non-relativistic cosmic neutrinos by capture on tritium: phenomenology and physics potential

We study the physics potential of the detection of the Cosmic Neutrino Background via neutrino capture on tritium, taking the proposed PTOLEMY experiment as a case study. With the projected energy resolution of Δ ∼ 0.15 eV, the experiment will be sensitive to neutrino masses with degenerate spectrum...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cosmology and astroparticle physics 2014-08, Vol.2014 (8), p.38-38
Main Authors: Long, Andrew J., Lunardini, Cecilia, Sabancilar, Eray
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ASYMMETRY
BETA DECAY
CAPTURE
COSMIC NEUTRINOS
ELECTRON SPECTRA
ENERGY RESOLUTION
EV RANGE
LIFETIME
MASS
NEUTRINO DETECTION
ORIGIN
OSCILLATIONS
PEAKS
POTENTIALS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SIGNALS
TRITIUM
TRITIUM TARGET
UNIVERSE
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Summary:We study the physics potential of the detection of the Cosmic Neutrino Background via neutrino capture on tritium, taking the proposed PTOLEMY experiment as a case study. With the projected energy resolution of Δ ∼ 0.15 eV, the experiment will be sensitive to neutrino masses with degenerate spectrum, m{sub 1} ≅ m{sub 2} ≅ m{sub 3} = m{sub ν} ∼> 0.1 eV. These neutrinos are non-relativistic today; detecting them would be a unique opportunity to probe this unexplored kinematical regime. The signature of neutrino capture is a peak in the electron spectrum that is displaced by 2 m{sub ν} above the beta decay endpoint. The signal would exceed the background from beta decay if the energy resolution is Δ ∼
ISSN:1475-7516
1475-7516
DOI:10.1088/1475-7516/2014/08/038