Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy: first demonstration and performance benchmarks from the Project 8 experiment

The Project 8 collaboration is taking a phased approach to developing an experimental search for the absolute neutrino mass scale, based on a novel technique, Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy. The first phase was a demonstration of this new spectroscopy technique using a well understood source of narrow conversion electron lines, 83mKr, as a proof of principle. Results from the first successful operation of the detector are presented, demonstrating the viability of the approach. The strong conversion electron lines near 17.8, 30.4, and 32 keV were observed with full width at half maximum between 140 eV and 15 eV depending on the choice of trapping configuration used. Various upgrades were made to the detector prior to its being operated with the specific goal of determining a performance baseline for planning future phases. These included alternative trapping configurations, with which the observed full width at half maximum has been improved to 3.6 eV. Evaluation of the event reconstruction and data quality are presented based on this data collection period. Areas where improvements will be required for phase II, when the approach will be used for the first time to measure a electrons from a continuous spectrum, are identified