Penning-trap mass spectrometry for neutrino physics

Penning-trap mass spectrometry (PT-MS) has proved itself a useful tool for exploring neutrino properties. PT-MS can contribute with direct high-precision measurements of atomic mass differences to the determination of the neutrino mass, to revealing the Majorana or Dirac nature of the neutrino, to neutrino oscillometry, and to the search for the existence of keV-sterile neutrinos. The scope of this review is a brief presentation of the major achievements and the future of PT-MS in the field of neutrino physics.

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• The contribution of high-precision Penning-trap mass spectrometry to neutrino physics is reviewed.
• The KATRIN, MARE and ECHO experiments assisted by Penning traps aim at the neutrino-mass determination on a sub-eV level.
• Two resonantly enhanced neutrinoless double-electron-capture transitions have been found with SHIPTRAP.