An Electron Cyclotron Resonance Dissociator for the Project 8 Experiment

Project 8 is a neutrino mass experiment utilizing the frequency-based method of cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy (CRES) to precisely measure the energy of electrons emitted in tritium beta decay. Reaching our ultimate sensitivity goal of ≤40 meV/c² requires transitioning from molecular to atomic tritium to eliminate final state broadening. The atomic beamline for Project 8’s final phase must dissociate tritium molecules, cool them to mK temperatures, and trap them in a CRES-compatible cavity. Project 8 is exploring multiple alternatives for a dissociator capable of producing the high atomic fluxes (∽10¹⁹ atoms/second) required, including an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) source. We are prototyping an ECR source that uses a 1 kW 2.45 GHz source to induce a plasma in a resonant cavity operating in the TE111 mode. This talk will present progress on ECR source development for Project 8 and discuss the challenges and advantages of this method.