The calorimetric spectrum of the electron-capture decay of 163Ho. The spectral endpoint region

The electron-neutrino mass (or masses and mixing angles) may be directly measurable in weak electron-capture decays. The favoured experimental technique is calorimetric. The optimal nuclide is Ho-163, and several experiments (ECHo, HOLMES and NuMECS) are currently studying its decay. The most relevant range of the calorimetric-energy spectrum extends for the last few hundred eV below its endpoint. It has not yet been well measured. We explore the theory, mainly in the cited range, of electron capture in Ho-163 decay. A so far neglected process turns out to be most relevant: electron-capture accompanied by the shake-off of a second electron. Our two main conclusions are very encouraging: the counting rate close to the endpoint may be more than an order of magnitude larger than previously expected; the pile-up problem may be significantly reduced.