Measurements with the KATRIN pre-spectrometer

The KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment aims at directly measuring the anti-electron neutrino mass by investigating the kinematics of the tritium-β decay with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV/c2. The measurement set-up will comprise a windowless gaseous molecular tritium source, a differential and cryogenic pumped electron transport section, a tandem spectrometer system for the energy analysis, followed by a detector-system for counting transmitted β-decay electrons [1][2]. The pre-spectrometer, being the first major component in operation, is used as a prototype for further investigation and validation of the vacuum concept as well as the novel electromagnetic design of the MAC-E filter. The test measurements presented here verify both vacuum concept and the electro-magnetic design