In the End, It Does Matter: Probing the Neutrino Mass at the Endpoint

by Pranava Teja Surukuchi (University of Pittsburgh)

Tuesday Jul 7, 2026, 12:30 PM → 1:30 PM America/Los_Angeles

48/2-224 - Madrone (SLAC)

The neutrino remains one of the Standard Model’s greatest mysteries. We have never directly measured its mass, do not know how it acquires mass, and do not know whether it is its own antiparticle. All these can be addressed through precision measurements near the Q-value of beta decays.

Project 8 uses Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy (CRES) to measure the endpoint of the tritium beta-decay spectrum (Q = 18.6 keV) and extract the neutrino mass. The experiment has placed the first CRES-based neutrino mass limit and is currently working toward demonstrating the scalability needed to reach sub-eV sensitivity. CUORE searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay in Te-130 (Q = 2527 keV) using a 988-crystal cryogenic calorimeter array, and has performed the most sensitive search for this process using calorimetric detectors. Upon reaching its target exposure of 3 tonne-years of TeO₂, CUORE will undergo a targeted cryogenic upgrade followed by an additional physics run. The experiment will then transition to CUPID, which will use Mo-100 (Q = 3034 keV) with particle identification for improved background rejection. This talk presents the status and results from both programs and their implications for the neutrino mass scale and nature.

https://stanford.zoom.us/j/98973156241?pwd=cEU5RFdlVXoyc0JTeTlDMkozKzQ5UT09

In the End, It Does Matter