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Classifying pulse shapes from superconducting tunnel junctions for the BeEST experiment
Taylor, John Leach, Kyle G.
Taylor, John
Leach, Kyle G.
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2024-04
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The Beryllium Electron capture in Superconducting Tunnel junctions (BeEST) experiment aims to detect physics beyond the Standard Model by measuring atomic recoils from the electron capture decay of Beryllium-7 (Be-7). The experiment utilizes Superconducting Tunnel Junction (STJ) sensors to measure the daughter recoil kinetic energy spectrum to search for neutrino-coupled Beyond-Standard-Model physics. This work presents systematic studies that aim to distinguish between events occurring in the top and bottom electrodes of the STJs to search for the presence of a line-splitting artifact that could mimic a heavy neutrino signal. This is accomplished by analyzing the rise and fall times of the electrical pulses generated by the nuclear decays. Two primary techniques, 10-90% Rise Time Analysis and Charge Integration, are employed to investigate the pulse characteristics. While the former exhibits challenges in noise and pile-up events, the latter reveals a clear separation in the data, indicating a splitting effect caused by the STJ detector or the data acquisition system. The study proposes further investigation into the segregation observed and explores alternative methods for event separation.
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