First Calorimetric Measurement of Electron Capture in ${}^{193}$Pt with a Transition Edge Sensor

Abstract

The neutrino mass can be extracted from a high statistics, high resolution calorimetric spectrum of electron capture in ${}^{163}$Ho. In order to better understand the shape of the calorimetric electron capture spectrum, a second isotope was measured with a close to ideal absorber-source configuration. ${}^{193}$Pt was created by irradiating a ${}^{192}$Pt-enriched platinum foil in a nuclear reactor. This Pt-in-Pt absorber was designed to have a nearly ideal absorber-source configuration. The measured ${}^{193}$Pt calorimetric electron-capture spectrum provides an independent check on the corresponding theoretical calculations, which have thus far been compared only for ${}^{163}$Ho. The first experimental and theoretically-calculated spectra from this ${}^{193}$Pt-in-Pt absorber are presented and overlaid for preliminary comparison of theory with experiment.