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Susanne Mertens new co-spokeswoman for KATRIN

Neutrinos occupy a key position in particle physics and in cosmology: without measuring their mass, our understanding of the universe will remain incomplete. The world's leading experiment to determine the neutrino mass, the KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN) is now led by two new scientific speakers: Susanne Mertens from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Kathrin Valerius from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and .

The new KATRIN speakers Kathrin Valerius and Susanne Mertens (r.) with their predecessors Guido Drexlin (r.) and Christian Weinheim. (Foto: KATRIN)

The KATRIN experiment at KIT with partners from eight countries is the world's most sensitive scale for neutrinos, probably the most fascinating elementary particles in our universe. To this end, the unique project investigates the energy distribution of electrons from the beta decay of tritium, an unstable hydrogen isotope. The high-tech experiment, which is 70 m long in total, houses the world's most intensive source of high-purity tritium as well as a huge spectrometer with which the energy of the decay electrons can be determined with unprecedented accuracy.

Susanne Mertens coordinated the data analysis

At the beginning of 2022, KATRIN made an important experimental breakthrough: the researchers determined the upper limit of the neutrino mass to be 0.8 electron volts. Valerius and Mertens played a significant part in this result, which received much attention around the world. Her election as the new KATRIN spokeswoman now honors her many years of commitment.

Susanne Mertens' working group at TUM and the Max Planck Institute for Physics coordinated the data analysis for the latest KATRIN result. After successfully completing the neutrino mass measurements, which is planned for 2024, KATRIN is to be upgraded with the new TRISTAN detector system for the search for sterile neutrinos.

Ambitious plans for new measurements after KATRIN upgrade

Susanne Mertens, TUM professor and principle investigator at the Collaborative Research Center 1258, is in charge of the development of TRISTAN funded by an ERC Starting Grant: "The physical potential of KATRIN is far from being exploited and our ambitious plans for new measurements, for example on sterile neutrinos with the new TRISTAN detector, will further increase the worldwide visibility of KATRIN." Her colleague at KIT, the particle physicist Kathrin Valerius, is also looking forward to the new tasks: "It is great that we can now support the KATRIN collaboration as co-speakers in achieving the next scientific goals.”

Their predecessors, the long-standing KATRIN co-speakers, Guido Drexlin (KIT) and Christian Weinheimer (University of Münster), have not only been responsible for coordinating the international research network since the collaboration was founded in 2001, they also bore the main responsibility for more than two decades for the structure and scientific program of KATRIN and made key contributions to the success of the measurements with their working groups.

Susanne Mertens new co-spokeswoman for KATRIN

Neutrinos occupy a key position in particle physics and in cosmology: without measuring their mass, our understanding of the universe will remain incomplete. The world's leading experiment to determine the neutrino mass, the KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN) is now led by two new scientific speakers: Susanne Mertens from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Kathrin Valerius from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and .

The new KATRIN speakers Kathrin Valerius and Susanne Mertens (r.) with their predecessors Guido Drexlin (r.) and Christian Weinheim. (Foto: KATRIN)

The KATRIN experiment at KIT with partners from eight countries is the world's most sensitive scale for neutrinos, probably the most fascinating elementary particles in our universe. To this end, the unique project investigates the energy distribution of electrons from the beta decay of tritium, an unstable hydrogen isotope. The high-tech experiment, which is 70 m long in total, houses the world's most intensive source of high-purity tritium as well as a huge spectrometer with which the energy of the decay electrons can be determined with unprecedented accuracy.

Susanne Mertens coordinated the data analysis

At the beginning of 2022, KATRIN made an important experimental breakthrough: the researchers determined the upper limit of the neutrino mass to be 0.8 electron volts. Valerius and Mertens played a significant part in this result, which received much attention around the world. Her election as the new KATRIN spokeswoman now honors her many years of commitment.

Susanne Mertens' working group at TUM and the Max Planck Institute for Physics coordinated the data analysis for the latest KATRIN result. After successfully completing the neutrino mass measurements, which is planned for 2024, KATRIN is to be upgraded with the new TRISTAN detector system for the search for sterile neutrinos.

Ambitious plans for new measurements after KATRIN upgrade

Susanne Mertens, TUM professor and principle investigator at the Collaborative Research Center 1258, is in charge of the development of TRISTAN funded by an ERC Starting Grant: "The physical potential of KATRIN is far from being exploited and our ambitious plans for new measurements, for example on sterile neutrinos with the new TRISTAN detector, will further increase the worldwide visibility of KATRIN." Her colleague at KIT, the particle physicist Kathrin Valerius, is also looking forward to the new tasks: "It is great that we can now support the KATRIN collaboration as co-speakers in achieving the next scientific goals.”

Their predecessors, the long-standing KATRIN co-speakers, Guido Drexlin (KIT) and Christian Weinheimer (University of Münster), have not only been responsible for coordinating the international research network since the collaboration was founded in 2001, they also bore the main responsibility for more than two decades for the structure and scientific program of KATRIN and made key contributions to the success of the measurements with their working groups.

News Items

Susanne Mertens new co-spokeswoman for KATRIN

Neutrinos occupy a key position in particle physics and in cosmology: without measuring their mass, our understanding of the universe will remain incomplete. The world's leading experiment to determine the neutrino mass, the KArlsruhe TRItium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN) is now led by two new scientific speakers: Susanne Mertens from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Kathrin Valerius from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and .

The new KATRIN speakers Kathrin Valerius and Susanne Mertens (r.) with their predecessors Guido Drexlin (r.) and Christian Weinheim. (Foto: KATRIN)

The KATRIN experiment at KIT with partners from eight countries is the world's most sensitive scale for neutrinos, probably the most fascinating elementary particles in our universe. To this end, the unique project investigates the energy distribution of electrons from the beta decay of tritium, an unstable hydrogen isotope. The high-tech experiment, which is 70 m long in total, houses the world's most intensive source of high-purity tritium as well as a huge spectrometer with which the energy of the decay electrons can be determined with unprecedented accuracy.

Susanne Mertens coordinated the data analysis

At the beginning of 2022, KATRIN made an important experimental breakthrough: the researchers determined the upper limit of the neutrino mass to be 0.8 electron volts. Valerius and Mertens played a significant part in this result, which received much attention around the world. Her election as the new KATRIN spokeswoman now honors her many years of commitment.

Susanne Mertens' working group at TUM and the Max Planck Institute for Physics coordinated the data analysis for the latest KATRIN result. After successfully completing the neutrino mass measurements, which is planned for 2024, KATRIN is to be upgraded with the new TRISTAN detector system for the search for sterile neutrinos.

Ambitious plans for new measurements after KATRIN upgrade

Susanne Mertens, TUM professor and principle investigator at the Collaborative Research Center 1258, is in charge of the development of TRISTAN funded by an ERC Starting Grant: "The physical potential of KATRIN is far from being exploited and our ambitious plans for new measurements, for example on sterile neutrinos with the new TRISTAN detector, will further increase the worldwide visibility of KATRIN." Her colleague at KIT, the particle physicist Kathrin Valerius, is also looking forward to the new tasks: "It is great that we can now support the KATRIN collaboration as co-speakers in achieving the next scientific goals.”

Their predecessors, the long-standing KATRIN co-speakers, Guido Drexlin (KIT) and Christian Weinheimer (University of Münster), have not only been responsible for coordinating the international research network since the collaboration was founded in 2001, they also bore the main responsibility for more than two decades for the structure and scientific program of KATRIN and made key contributions to the success of the measurements with their working groups.

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