2009/11/30 by Joachim Kopp, Alexander Merle · 2 citations
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Algorithm #Computer science #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #Mathematics #Neutrino Physics Research #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #hep-ex #hep-ph #nucl-ex #nucl-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevc.81.045501
published as Phys.Rev.C81:045501,2010 · 7 pages, 2 figures; v2: Typos corrected, references added
arxiv created 2010/04/21 · openalex publication_date 2010/04/21 · arxiv updated 2010/04/29 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We investigate weak nuclear decays with extremely small kinetic energy release (Q value) and thus extremely good sensitivity to the absolute neutrino mass scale. In particular, we consider decays into excited daughter states, and we show that partial ionization of the parent atom can help to tune Q values to \ensuremath≪1 keV. We discuss several candidate isotopes undergoing \ensuremathβ^\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi, bound state \ensuremathβ, or electron capture decay and come to the conclusion that a neutrino mass measurement using low-Q decays might only be feasible if no ionization is required and if future improvements in isotope production technology, nuclear mass spectroscopy, and atomic structure calculations are possible. Experiments using ions, however, are extremely challenging because of the large number of ions that must be stored. New precision data on nuclear excitation levels could help to identify further isotopes with low-Q decay modes and possibly less challenging requirements.