The HUNTER Sterile Neutrino Search Experiment: 131-Cs Magneto-Optical Trap Development
POSTER
Abstract
The HUNTER experiment (Heavy Unseen Neutrinos by Total Energy-Momentum Reconstruction) is a search for sterile neutrinos with masses in the keV range. The neutrino missing mass will be reconstructed from 131-Cs electron capture decays occurring in a magneto-optically trapped (MOT) sample. Reaction-microscope spectrometers will detect all charged decay products with high solid angle efficiency, and fast scintillators read out by silicon photomultiplier arrays will detect x-rays, each with sufficient resolution to reconstruct the neutrino missing mass. The short half-life of about 9.5 d of 131-Cs paired with the requirement to run the experiment continuously for order one year to obtain the target sensitivity present special challenges for the MOT. The 131-Cs MOT will be actively controlled to meet the runtime requirement, and an efficient orthotropic oven has been developed especially for the source material.
Presenters
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Eddie Chang
University of California, Los Angeles
Authors
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Eddie Chang
University of California, Los Angeles
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C J Martoff
Temple University
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Eric R Hudson
University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA
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Paul Hamilton
University of California, Los Angeles
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Peter Smith
University of California, Los Angeles
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Christian Schneider
University of California, Los Angeles
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Andrew L Renshaw
University of Houston
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Peter D Meyers
Princeton University
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Basu Lamichhane
Grand Valley State University
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Francesco Granato
Temple University
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Xunzhen Yu
Temple University
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Frank Malatino
University of Houston
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Victoria M Palmaccio
Temple University