T2-beta-spectroscopy at KATRIN and the challenge of controlling the electrostatic potentials

The KATRIN-Collaboration at KIT-Karlsruhe is setting up a huge electrostatic spectrometer in order to search for the absolute value of the neutrino mass from the beta-spectrum of molecular tritium with a sensitivity limit of 0.2 eV. Apart from high intensity, high resolution and low background, this goal requires control of the 18.6 kV filter potential on the ppm level. The paper starts with discussing the impact of uncertainties of beta-endpoint, energy loss and filter potential on the uncertainty of the neutrino mass. Then it describes the various measures for controlling the applied high voltage as well as the potential distribution within the spectrometer and the gaseous tritium source.