Alexander Marsteller

Source Stability of the KATRIN Experiment

The as of yet unknown neutrino mass is an important parameter for cosmological models and a possible entrance way to physics beyond the standard model. The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment aims to measure the neutrino mass by precision energy spectroscopy of tritium beta decay with an unprecedented sensitivity of 200 meV/c² (90% C.L.). This can only be achieved via a combination of high statistics and a firm grip on the systematic effects. To fulfill both requirements, KATRIN uses a windowless gaseous tritium source with an activity of 1E11 Bq, requiring a continuous throughput of 40 g Tritium/day. In addition this source needs to be stable on 0.1%, meaning temperature, injection pressure, and tritium purity need to be stabilized to achieve this. In this talk I will touch upon the temperature stability with recent data from a calibration phase using krypton and give an overview of the current status of the loops system responsible for cycling tritium through the source.