Speaker
Description
Project 8 measures the electron-weighted neutrino mass by resolving the characteristic distortion caused by the nonzero neutrino mass on the tritium beta decay spectrum near its endpoint through Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy (CRES). The Phase IV configuration, utilizing an atomic tritium source, is designed to achieve a sensitivity of 40 meV/c² (90% C.L.). Beyond this primary measurement, the exceptional energy resolution of Project 8 also enables other secondary physics searches, including light sterile neutrinos and cosmic relic neutrino capture, each of which induces distinct spectral signatures on the beta decay spectrum. This talk outlines the framework and key experimental parameters governing the sensitivity projections, and presents the physics reach of Project 8.
This work is supported by the US DOE Office of Nuclear Physics, the US NSF, the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence at the University of Mainz, and internal investments at all institutions.