arXiv subjects

P. Bos

Publications and source records attributed to P. Bos.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Towards Low-Energy Electron High-Resolution Spectroscopy with Transition-Edge Sensors

We present a study of the energy resolution of transition-edge sensors (TESs) for the detection of electrons in the 100 eV kinetic energy range. The TES is a Ti-Au bilayer with an active area of $(60 \times 60)$ $\mu \text{m}^2$ and a critical temperature of $\sim$ 80 mK. The electron source is based on vertically-aligned multiwall carbon nanotubes located inside the cryostat, with electrons generated via field emission. For electrons in the (92 - 99) eV kinetic energy range, we obtain a Gaussian energy resolution for fully-absorbed electrons of (0.479 $\pm$ 0.041 $\pm$ 0.055) eV. When considering the full-width at half-maximum of the peak, the corresponding resolution is of (1.44 $\pm$ 0.17 $\pm$ 0.27) eV. The former represents an improvement of (46 - 60)% with respect to previous results, and is mainly attributed to the reduction in the TES active area. The latter is instead an improvement of over a factor of 20, and is mainly due to the reduction in the emitting area of the electron source, which significantly suppresses electron back-scattering in proximity of the TES. These results represent a major milestone toward high-precision spectroscopy on low-energy electrons, which is a key objective for the PTOLEMY experiment.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2025

Ultra-high precision high voltage system for PTOLEMY

The PTOLEMY project is prototyping a novel electromagnetic filter for high-precision $\beta$ spectroscopy, with the ultimate and ambitious long-term goal of detecting the cosmic neutrino background through electron capture on tritium bound to graphene. Intermediate small-scale prototypes can achieve competitive sensitivity to the effective neutrino mass, even with reduced energy resolution. To reach an energy resolution better than \SI{500}{meV} at the tritium $\beta$-spectrum endpoint of \SI{18.6}{keV}, and accounting for all uncertainties in the filtering chain, the electrode voltage must be controlled at the level of a few parts per million and monitored in real time. In this work, we present the first results obtained in this effort, using a chain of commercial ultra-high-precision voltage references, read out by precision multimeters and a \emph{field mill} device. The currently available precision on high voltage is, in the conservative case, as low as \SI{0.2}{ppm} per \SI{1}{kV} single board and $\lesssim$ \SI{50}{mV} over the \SI{10}{kV} series, presently limited by field mill read-out noise. However, assuming uncorrelated Gaussian noise extrapolation, the real precision could in principle be as low as \SI{0.05}{ppm} over \SI{20}{kV}.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

KM3NeT front-end and readout electronics system: hardware, firmware and software

The KM3NeT research infrastructure being built at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea will host water-Cherenkov telescopes for the detection of cosmic neutrinos. The neutrino telescopes will consist of large volume three-dimensional grids of optical modules to detect the Cherenkov light from charged particles produced by neutrino-induced interactions. Each optical module houses 31 3-inch photomultiplier tubes, instrumentation for calibration of the photomultiplier signal and positioning of the optical module and all associated electronics boards. By design, the total electrical power consumption of an optical module has been capped at seven watts. This paper presents an overview of the front-end and readout electronics system inside the optical module, which has been designed for a 1~ns synchronization between the clocks of all optical modules in the grid during a life time of at least 20 years.

astro-ph.IM↗