Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme

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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik

T 66: Neutrino Physics IV

T 66.1: Talk

Thursday, March 19, 2026, 16:15–16:30, AudiMax

Tests of a full Monte Carlo simulation for keV-sterile neutrino searches with the KATRIN experiment in a mockup — •Tom Geigle for the KATRIN collaboration — Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe

Sterile neutrinos in the keV mass range are a compelling dark matter candidate predicted by many extensions of the Standard Model. A distinctive signature would be a kink-like distortion in the tritium β-decay spectrum. While KATRIN currently probes the endpoint region to determine the effective neutrino mass, its next phase, TRISTAN, will extend the search across the full spectrum using a novel multi-pixel silicon drift detector and upgraded readout infrastructure, complemented by dedicated beamline modifications.

Sensitivity in this regime is strongly influenced by systematics such as electron scattering in the source and detector-response effects. To address these challenges, we have developed KAMELEON*a high-efficiency, Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulation of the entire KATRIN beamline. In this presentation, we outline its architecture and performance, compare simulation results with dedicated detector-mockup measurements, and present initial studies of systematic uncertainties relevant for the keV-scale sterile neutrino search.

This work is supported by the Helmholtz Association and by the Ministry for Education and Research BMFTR (grant numbers 05A23PMA, 05A23PX2, 05A23VK2 and 05A23WO6).

Keywords: KATRIN; Neutrino; Sterile; Simulation; Geant4