Searching the absolute neutrino mass in tritium β-decay—interplay between nuclear, atomic and molecular physics

摘要

The paper treats recent experiments measuring the endpoint region of tritium β-decay with high resolution, sensitivity and background rejection, using an electrostatic filter with adiabatic magnetic collimation. The spectra are analysed with respect to the neutrino mass. These results form the primary source for the present upper limit of the neutrino mass m _ν < 2 eV quoted by the particle data group. Particular attention is paid to the decisive influence which atomic and molecular physics effects take on the results. A brief outlook on future experiments is given.