arXiv subjects

Susanne Mertens

Publications and source records attributed to Susanne Mertens.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

A novel detector system for KATRIN to search for keV-scale sterile neutrinos

Sterile neutrinos are a minimal extension of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. If their mass is in the kilo-electron-volt regime, they are viable dark matter candidates. One way to search for sterile neutrinos in a laboratory-based experiment is via tritium-beta decay, where the new neutrino mass eigenstate would manifest itself as a kink-like distortion of the $β$-decay spectrum. The objective of the TRISTAN project is to extend the KATRIN setup with a new multi-pixel silicon drift detector system to search for a keV-scale sterile neutrino signal. In this paper we describe the requirements of such a new detector, and present first characterization measurement results obtained with a 7-pixel prototype system.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

keV-Scale Sterile Neutrino Sensitivity Estimation with Time-Of-Flight Spectroscopy in KATRIN using Self-Consistent Approximate Monte Carlo

We investigate the sensitivity of the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN) to keV-scale sterile neutrinos, which are promising dark matter candidates. Since the active-sterile mixing would lead to a second component in the tritium $β$-spectrum with a weak relative intensity of order $\sin^2θ\lesssim 1\times10^{-6}$, additional experimental strategies are required to extract this small signature and to eliminate systematics. A possible strategy is to run the experiment in an alternative time-of-flight (TOF) mode, yielding differential TOF spectra in contrast to the integrating standard mode. In order to estimate the sensitivity from a reduced sample size, a new analysis method, called self-consistent approximate Monte Carlo (SCAMC), has been developed. The simulations show that an ideal TOF mode would be able to achieve a statistical sensitivity of $\sin^2θ\sim 5\times10^{-9}$ at one $σ$, improving the standard mode by approximately a factor two. This relative benefit grows significantly if additional exemplary systematics are considered. A possible implementation of the TOF mode with existing hardware, called gated filtering, is investigated, which, however, comes at the price of a reduced average signal rate.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Detector Development for a Sterile Neutrino Search with the KATRIN Experiment

The KATRIN (Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino) experiment investigates the energetic endpoint of the tritium $β$-decay spectrum to determine the effective mass of the electron anti-neutrino with a precision of $200\,\mathrm{meV}$ ($90\,\%$ C.L.) after an effective data taking time of three years. The TRISTAN (tritium $β$-decay to search for sterile neutrinos) group aims to detect a sterile neutrino signature by measuring the entire tritium $β$-decay spectrum with an upgraded KATRIN system. One of the greatest challenges is to handle the high signal rates generated by the strong activity of the KATRIN tritium source. Therefore, a novel multi-pixel silicon drift detector is being designed, which is able to handle rates up to $10^{8}\,\mathrm{cps}$ with an excellent energy resolution of $<200\,\mathrm{eV}$ (FWHM) at $10\,\mathrm{keV}$. This work gives an overview of the ongoing detector development and test results of the first seven pixel prototype detectors.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

Kassiopeia: A Modern, Extensible C++ Particle Tracking Package

The Kassiopeia particle tracking framework is an object-oriented software package using modern C++ techniques, written originally to meet the needs of the KATRIN collaboration. Kassiopeia features a new algorithmic paradigm for particle tracking simulations which targets experiments containing complex geometries and electromagnetic fields, with high priority put on calculation efficiency, customizability, extensibility, and ease of use for novice programmers. To solve Kassiopeia's target physics problem the software is capable of simulating particle trajectories governed by arbitrarily complex differential equations of motion, continuous physics processes that may in part be modeled as terms perturbing that equation of motion, stochastic processes that occur in flight such as bulk scattering and decay, and stochastic surface processes occuring at interfaces, including transmission and reflection effects. This entire set of computations takes place against the backdrop of a rich geometry package which serves a variety of roles, including initialization of electromagnetic field simulations and the support of state-dependent algorithm-swapping and behavioral changes as a particle's state evolves. Thanks to the very general approach taken by Kassiopeia it can be used by other experiments facing similar challenges when calculating particle trajectories in electromagnetic fields. It is publicly available at https://github.com/KATRIN-Experiment/Kassiopeia

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2016

Direct Neutrino Mass Experiments

With a mass at least six orders of magnitudes smaller than the mass of an electron -- but non-zero -- neutrinos are a clear misfit in the Standard Model of Particle Physics. On the one hand, its tiny mass makes the neutrino one of the most interesting particles, one that might hold the key to physics beyond the Standard Model. On the other hand this minute mass leads to great challenges in its experimental determination. Three approaches are currently pursued: An indirect neutrino mass determination via cosmological observables, the search for neutrinoless double $β$-decay, and a direct measurement based on the kinematics of single $β$-decay. In this paper the latter will be discussed in detail and the status and scientific reach of the current and near-future experiments will be presented.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2015

Status Update of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Experiment

Neutrinoless double beta decay searches play a major role in determining neutrino properties, in particular the Majorana or Dirac nature of the neutrino and the absolute scale of the neutrino mass. The consequences of these searches go beyond neutrino physics, with implications for Grand Unification and leptogenesis. The \textsc{Majorana} Collaboration is assembling a low-background array of high purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in $^{76}$Ge. The \textsc{Majorana Demonstrator}, which is currently being constructed and commissioned at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, will contain 44 kg (30 kg enriched in $^{76}$Ge) of HPGe detectors. Its primary goal is to demonstrate the scalability and background required for a tonne-scale Ge experiment. This is accomplished via a modular design and projected background of less than 3 cnts/tonne-yr in the region of interest. The experiment is currently taking data with the first of its enriched detectors.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2013

Electromagnetic design of the KATRIN large-volume air coil system

The KATRIN experiment is designed to determine the absolute neutrino mass scale with a sensitivity of 200 meV (90 % CL) by measuring the electron energy spectrum close to the endpoint of molecular tritium beta decay. Electrons from a high-intensity gaseous tritium source are guided by a strong magnetic field of a few T to the analyzing plane of the main spectrometer where an integral energy analysis takes place in a low field region (B<0.5 mT). An essential design feature to obtain adiabatic electron transport through this spectrometer is a large volume air coil system surrounding the vessel. The system has two key tasks: to adjust and fine-tune the magnetic guiding field (Low Field Correction System), as well as to compensate the distorting effects of the earth magnetic field (Earth Field Compensation System). In this paper we outline the key electromagnetic design issues for this very large air coil system, which allows for well-defined electron transmission and optimized background reduction in the KATRIN main spectrometer.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2010

Lepton flavour violation in the MSSM

We derive new constraints on the quantities delta_{XY}^{ij}, X,Y=L,R, which parametrise the flavour-off-diagonal terms of the charged slepton mass matrix in the MSSM. Considering mass and anomalous magnetic moment of the electron we obtain the bound |delta^{13}_{LL} delta^{13}_{RR}|<0.1 for tan beta=50, which involves the poorly constrained element delta^{13}_{RR}. We improve the predictions for the decays tau -> mu gamma, tau -> e gamma and mu -> e gamma by including two-loop corrections which are enhanced if tan beta is large. The finite renormalisation of the PMNS matrix from soft SUSY-breaking terms is derived and applied to the charged-Higgs-lepton vertex. We find that the experimental bound on BR(tau -> e gamma) severely limits the size of the MSSM loop correction to the PMNS element U_{e3}, which is important for the proper interpretation of a future U_{e3} measurement. Subsequently we confront our new values for delta^{ij}_{LL} with a GUT analysis. Further, we include the effects of dimension-5 Yukawa terms, which are needed to fix the Yukawa unification of the first two generations. If universal supersymmetry breaking occurs above the GUT scale, we find the flavour structure of the dimension-5 Yukawa couplings tightly constrained by mu -> e gamma.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2008

Tan(beta)-enhanced supersymmetric corrections to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon

We report on a two-loop supersymmetric contribution to the magnetic moment (g-2)_mu of the muon which is enhanced by two powers of tan(beta). This contribution arises from a shift in the relation between the muon mass and Yukawa coupling and can increase the supersymmetric contribution to (g-2)_mu sizably. As a result, if the currently observed 3 sigma deviation between the experimental and SM theory value of (g-2)_mu is analyzed within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), the derived constraints on the parameter space are modified significantly: If (g-2)_mu is used to determine tan(beta) as a function of the other MSSM parameters, our corrections decrease tan(beta) by roughly 10% for tan(beta)=50.

hep-ph↗