Investigation of Be and Li ion production via laser ablation for future high precision ⁷Be EC Q-value measurements

The investigation of neutrinos is an important part of understanding physics beyond the Standard Model. Experiments that employ beta decay can provide information on the particle nature of the neutrino, its absolute mass, and on the existence of sterile neutrinos. One such experiment is the BeEST, which uses electron capture decay of ⁷Be to search for signatures of keV scale sterile neutrinos via precise measurements of the recoil energy of the ⁷Li daughter. A precise and accurate Q value is needed for a determination of the recoil energy to help evaluate the BeEST measurement. We have performed such a Q value measurement via Penning trap mass spectrometry with the LEBIT facility at the NSCL, and have reduced the Q value uncertainty by a factor of about three. At Central Michigan University, we are investigating the use of our laser ablation ion source as a means of producing Be⁺ and Li⁺ ions for future measurements with the CHIP-TRAP Penning trap at CMU that aim to improve upon this precision.