Volume 414 - 41st International Conference on High Energy physics (ICHEP2022) - Neutrino Physics
The status of the HOLMES experiment
L. Origo*, B. Alpert, M. Balata, D. Becker, D. Bennett, A. Bevilacqua, M. Borghesi, N. Cerboni, G. Ceruti, E. Celasco, M. De Gerone, R. Dressler, M. Faverzani, E. Ferri, J. Fowler, G. Gallucci, J. Gard, F. Gatti, A. Giachero, G. Hilton, U. Köster, D. Labranca, M. Lusignoli, J. Mates, E. Maugeri, R. Moretti, S. Nisi, A. Nucciotti, L. Parodi, G. Pessina, S. Ragazzi, C. Reintsema, D. Schmidt, D. Schumann, F. Siccardi, D. Swetz, J. Ullom and L. Valeet al. (click to show)
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Pre-published on: January 18, 2023
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Abstract
This work summarizes the current status of HOLMES, a calorimetric experiment for the direct neutrino mass measurement. The state-of-the-art in this field is represented by the KATRIN spectrometer that is under data-taking aiming at a sensitivity of 0.2 eV.
HOLMES will prove the feasibility of the calorimetric approach, that is an alternative method to the spectrometric one. HOLMES detectors are Transition Edge Sensors in which a source of $^{163}$Ho will be ion-implanted. These microcalorimeters allow a multiplexed readout and ensure high energy and time resolutions. $^{163}$Ho is an interesting candidate for the direct neutrino mass determination. In fact, the low Q-value ($\sim$2.83 keV) of its electron capture decay increases the fraction of useful events in the region close to the end-point. HOLMES will assess m$_{\nu}$ by analyzing the spectrum deformation due to a non-zero m$_{\nu}$.
This contribution describes the detector working principles, their fabrication for HOLMES and their characterization. At the same time, a focus on the ion-implantation is given together with the latest results from its tests. %While the ion-implanter is being commissioned at the Genova branch of the INFN, the detectors and the readout were characterized at the Milano-Bicocca cryogenics laboratories.
HOLMES is now close to the first low-dose measurement. By implanting a small $^{163}$Ho activity per detector it will be possible to fine-tune the entire experimental procedure and also to analyze a preliminary spectrum in order to assess an initial upper limit on m$_{\nu}$ of about $\sim$ 10 eV.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22323/1.414.0625
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