Studying atomic hydrogen generation to pave the way to the first atomic tritium source

The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino mass (KATRIN) experiment is currently limited to a sensitivity of 0.2−0.3 eV/c2. In order to increase the sensitivity on the neutrino mass a new high resolution differential measurement method is required. The maximum effective resolution which can be achieved is not limited only by the detector, but also by molecular effects in the source gas constraining it to -0.9ex~1 eV FWHM for T2. Thus, future ultimate neutrino experiments need to use differential detectors combined with atomic tritium sources. Therefore, we move forward with the development of atomic tritium sources.

At the Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe exists a system handling inactive hydrogen isotopes which acts as a test bed for the development of beam forming and beam diagnostics. In this setup, we recently fully characterized a commercially available hydrogen cracking system.

Based on experiences from the first setup, we deduced a second system capable of handling tritium. This setup, currently under construction, will demonstrate the first dissociation of tritium.

In this talk, we show results from non-radioactive gases like protium and deuterium. ... mehrFurthermore, the implication for the current design and implementation status of a tritium-compatible system is presented.

This work is supported by the Helmholtz Association and by the Ministry for Education and Research BMBF (grant numbers 05A23PMA, 05A23PX2, 05A23VK2, and 05A23WO6)