Magnetic Field and Particle Tracking Simulations for Project 8

Project 8 is a new experiment being developed to measure the neutrino mass. The neutrino mass is measured by using the energy of electrons that are emitted from the beta-decay of tritium. Each decay of tritium releases an electron and an antineutrino. Since the beta-decay energy distribution depends on whether the neutrino is massive or not, a measurement of this distribution is equivalent to a neutrino mass measurement. Project 8 will detect the electron energy by looking at the cyclotron frequency of the electron due to the fact that the electron is moving within a magnetic field. Currently, Project 8 is using a NMR magnet and a ${}^{83}$Rb source to see if the proposed experiment would be plausible. ${}^{83}$Rb decays to ${}^{83{\mathrm{m}}}$Kr, and then to ${}^{83}$Kr. Electrons are emitted in the decay of ${}^{83{\mathrm{m}}}$Kr to ${}^{83}$Kr with the energy of 18 keV and 32 keV. I run magnetic field simulations to characterize the field that the electrons move in and simulations that track electron movement inside the magnetic field. I also work with the prototype and assist with data runs and hardware. I will be presenting field and electron tracking simulations and analysis from data runs.