Examination of the calorimetric spectrum to determine the neutrino mass in low-energy electron capture decay

R. G. H. Robertson
Phys. Rev. C 91, 035504 – Published 17 March 2015

Abstract

Background: The standard kinematic method for determining neutrino mass from the β decay of tritium or other isotope is to measure the shape of the electron spectrum near the endpoint. A similar distortion of the “visible energy” remaining after electron capture is caused by neutrino mass. There has been a resurgence of interest in using this method with Ho163, driven by technological advances in microcalorimetry. Recent theoretical analyses offer reassurance that there are no significant theoretical uncertainties.

Purpose: The theoretical analyses consider only single vacancy states in the daughter Dy163 atom. It is necessary to consider configurations with more than one vacancy that can be populated owing to the change in nuclear charge.

Method: The shakeup and shake-off theory of Carlson and Nestor is used as a basis for estimating the population of double-vacancy states.

Results: A spectrum of satellites associated with each primary vacancy created by electron capture is presented.

Conclusions: The theory of the calorimetric spectrum is more complicated than has been described heretofore. There are numerous shakeup and shake-off satellites present across the spectrum, and some may be very near the endpoint. The spectrum shape is presently not understood well enough to permit a sensitive determination of the neutrino mass in this way.

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  • Received 29 November 2014
  • Revised 21 February 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.91.035504

©2015 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

R. G. H. Robertson*

  • Department of Physics and Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA

  • *rghr@uw.edu

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Vol. 91, Iss. 3 — March 2015

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