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Asner DM, Bradley RF, de Viveiros L, Doe PJ, Fernandes JL, Fertl M, Finn EC, Formaggio JA, Furse D, Jones AM, Kofron JN, LaRoque BH, Leber M, McBride EL, Miller ML, Mohanmurthy P, Monreal B, Oblath NS, Robertson RGH, Rosenberg LJ, Rybka G, Rysewyk D, Sternberg MG, Tedeschi JR, Thümmler T, VanDevender BA, Woods NL. Single-Electron Detection and Spectroscopy via Relativistic Cyclotron Radiation. Phys Rev Lett 2015; 114:162501. [PMID: 25955048 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.114.162501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
It has been understood since 1897 that accelerating charges must emit electromagnetic radiation. Although first derived in 1904, cyclotron radiation from a single electron orbiting in a magnetic field has never been observed directly. We demonstrate single-electron detection in a novel radio-frequency spectrometer. The relativistic shift in the cyclotron frequency permits a precise electron energy measurement. Precise beta electron spectroscopy from gaseous radiation sources is a key technique in modern efforts to measure the neutrino mass via the tritium decay end point, and this work demonstrates a fundamentally new approach to precision beta spectroscopy for future neutrino mass experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Asner
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - R F Bradley
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, USA
| | - L de Viveiros
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - P J Doe
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - J L Fernandes
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - M Fertl
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - E C Finn
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - J A Formaggio
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - D Furse
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - A M Jones
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - J N Kofron
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - B H LaRoque
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - M Leber
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - E L McBride
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - M L Miller
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - P Mohanmurthy
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - B Monreal
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - N S Oblath
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - R G H Robertson
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - L J Rosenberg
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - G Rybka
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - D Rysewyk
- Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - M G Sternberg
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - J R Tedeschi
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - T Thümmler
- Institut für Kernphysik, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - B A VanDevender
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - N L Woods
- Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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