Measuring Neutrino Masses Using Radio-Frequency Techniques

Abstract

We describe a new technique by which the energy spectrum of low energy electrons can be extracted. The technique relies on the detection and measurement of coherent radiation created from the cyclotron motion of charged particles, such as electrons, in strong magnetic fields. The technique proposed relies on the principle that the frequency of cyclotron radiation emitted by the particle depends inversely on its Lorentz boost. Detection and measurement of the coherent radiation emitted is tantamount to measuring the kinetic energy of the electron. As the technique inherently involves the measurement of a frequency in a non-destructive manner, it can, in principle, achieve a high degree of precision and accuracy; estimated to be better than 1 part in 106 for electrons with kinetic energies between 5 and 50 keV. One immediate application of this technique is in the measurement of the endpoint spectrum from tritium beta decay, which is directly sensitive to the absolute mass scale of neutrinos.