Limit on <span class="aps-inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mrow><msub><mover><mrow><mi>ν</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>¯</mi></mrow></mover><mrow><mi>e</mi></mrow></msub></mrow></math></span> Mass from Free-Molecular-Tritium Beta Decay

J. F. Wilkerson; T. J. Bowles; J. C. Browne; M. P. Maley; R. G. H. Robertson; J. S. Cohen; R. L. Martin; D. A. Knapp; J. A. Helffrich

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.2023

Limit on ${\bar{ν}}_{e}$ Mass from Free-Molecular-Tritium Beta Decay

J. F. Wilkerson, T. J. Bowles, J. C. Browne, M. P. Maley, R. G. H. Robertson, J. S. Cohen, R. L. Martin, D. A. Knapp, and J. A. Helffrich

Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, 2023 – Published 18 May 1987

Abstract

The beta spectrum of free molecular tritium has been measured in order to search for a finite electron-antineutrino mass. The final-state effects in molecular tritium are accurately known and the data thus yield an essentially model-independent upper limit of 27 eV on the $ν_{e}$ mass at the 95% confidence level.