Abstract
Abstract
The TRISTAN detector is a new detector for electron
spectroscopy at the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment.
The semiconductor detector utilizes the silicon drift detector
technology and will enable the precise measurement of the entire
tritium β-decay electron spectrum. Thus, a significant
fraction of the parameter space of potential neutrino mass
eigenstates in the keV-mass regime can be probed. We developed a
custom electron gun based on the effect of thermionic emission to
characterize the TRISTAN detector modules with mono-energetic
electrons before installation into the KATRIN beamline. The
electron gun provides an electron beam with up to 25 keV kinetic
energy and an electron rate in the order of 105 electrons per
second. This manuscript gives an overview of the design and
commissioning of the electron gun. In addition, we will shortly
discuss a first measurement with the electron gun to characterize
the electron response of the TRISTAN detector.