The PTOLEMY project is prototyping a novel electromagnetic filter for high-precision β spectroscopy, with the ultimate and ambitious long-term goal of detecting the cosmic neutrino background through electron capture on tritium bound to graphene. Intermediate small-scale prototypes can achieve competitive sensitivity to the effective neutrino mass, even with reduced energy resolution. To reach an energy resolution better than 500 meV at the tritium β-spectrum endpoint of 18.6 keV, and accounting for all uncertainties in the filtering chain, the electrode voltage must be controlled at the level of a few parts per million and monitored in real time. In this work, we present the first results obtained in this effort, using a chain of commercial ultra-high-precision voltage references, read out by precision multimeters and a field mill device. The currently available precision on high voltage is, in the conservative case, as low as 0.2 ppm per 1 kV single board and ≲ 50 mV over the 10 kV series, presently limited by field mill read-out noise. However, assuming uncorrelated Gaussian noise extrapolation, the real precision could in principle be as low as 0.05 ppm over 20 kV.
Ultra-high precision high voltage system for PTOLEMY / Ammendola, R.; Apponi, A.; Benato, G.; Betti, M. G.; Biondi, R.; Bos, P.; Cavoto, G.; Cadeddu, M.; Casale, A.; Castellano, O.; Celasco, E.; Cecchini, L.; Chirico, M.; Chung, W.; Cocco, A. G.; Colijn, A. P.; Corcione, B.; D'Ambrosio, N.; D'Incecco, M.; De Bellis, G.; De Deo, M.; De Groot, N.; Esposito, A.; Farino, M.; Farinon, S.; Ferella, A. D.; Ferro, L.; Ficcadenti, L.; Galbato Muscio, G.; Gariazzo, S.; Garrone, H.; Gatti, F.; Korga, G.; Malnati, F.; Mangano, G.; Marcucci, L. E.; Mariani, C.; Mead, J.; Menichetti, G.; Messina, M.; Monticone, E.; Naafs, M.; Narcisi, V.; Nagorny, S.; Neri, G.; Pandolfi, F.; Pavarani, R.; Pérez De Los Heros, C.; Pisanti, O.; Pepe, C.; Pofi, F. M.; Polosa, A. D.; Rago, I.; Rajteri, M.; Rossi, N.; Ritarossi, S.; Ruocco, A.; Salina, G.; Santucci, A.; Sestu, M.; Tan, A.; Tozzini, V.; Tully, C. G.; Van Rens, I.; Virzi, F.; Visser, G.; Viviani, M.; Null, Null. - In: JOURNAL OF INSTRUMENTATION. - ISSN 1748-0221. - 21:04(2026). [10.1088/1748-0221/21/04/p04009]
Ultra-high precision high voltage system for PTOLEMY
Betti, M. G.Membro del Collaboration Group
;Cavoto, G.Membro del Collaboration Group
;Cecchini, L.Membro del Collaboration Group
;Chirico, M.Membro del Collaboration Group
;Corcione, B.Membro del Collaboration Group
;De Bellis, G.Membro del Collaboration Group
;Esposito, A.Membro del Collaboration Group
;Ficcadenti, L.;Galbato Muscio, G.Membro del Collaboration Group
;Mariani, C.;Polosa, A. D.Membro del Collaboration Group
;
2026
Abstract
The PTOLEMY project is prototyping a novel electromagnetic filter for high-precision β spectroscopy, with the ultimate and ambitious long-term goal of detecting the cosmic neutrino background through electron capture on tritium bound to graphene. Intermediate small-scale prototypes can achieve competitive sensitivity to the effective neutrino mass, even with reduced energy resolution. To reach an energy resolution better than 500 meV at the tritium β-spectrum endpoint of 18.6 keV, and accounting for all uncertainties in the filtering chain, the electrode voltage must be controlled at the level of a few parts per million and monitored in real time. In this work, we present the first results obtained in this effort, using a chain of commercial ultra-high-precision voltage references, read out by precision multimeters and a field mill device. The currently available precision on high voltage is, in the conservative case, as low as 0.2 ppm per 1 kV single board and ≲ 50 mV over the 10 kV series, presently limited by field mill read-out noise. However, assuming uncorrelated Gaussian noise extrapolation, the real precision could in principle be as low as 0.05 ppm over 20 kV.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
