Atomic lithium beamline R&D as a pathfinder toward magnetically cooled atomic tritium

Trapping and storage of atomic tritium (T) is a necessary step for advancing the precision of direct searches for neutrino mass to the 40 meV level. However, techniques for cooling large atom fluxes to the mK temperatures required for trapping in a CRES experiment have yet to be demonstrated. In parallel to ongoing work on atomic hydrogen manipulation, the Project8 collaboration is exploring magnetic cooling methodologies using Lithium as a stand-in for tritium. I will discuss recent developments in the lithium cooling apparatus and the the R&D program that will be taking place in the future. Emphasis will be given to the lithium source and the saturated absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy used for temperature measurement and spatial tomography of the lithium beam. The next stages of the R&D will consist of the integration of a Zeeman slower and magnetic evaporative cooling lithium beamline to achieve temperatures at 10 millikelvin.