The Tritium-Recoil Ion Mass Spectrometer: examining molecular effects in neutrino mass experiments

Detailed molecular final state calculations are required for the next generation of tritium-based neutrino mass experiments. The calculations also predict the branching ratio to the bound molecular ion $^3$HeT$^+$, which is directly measurable. The Tritium Recoil-Ion Mass Spectrometer is a time-of-flight spectrometer designed to measure molecular dissociation in tritium beta decay as a test of the calculations used in neutrino-mass analyses. We report on the status and outlook of the experiment.