Radiogenic backgrounds in the NEXT double beta decay experiment

6533b820fe1ef96bd1279b25

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Radiogenic backgrounds in the NEXT double beta decay experiment

Next Collaboration P. Novella B. Palmeiro M. Sorel A. Usón P. Ferrario J. J. Gómez-cadenas C. Adams V. ÁLvarez L. Arazi I. J. Arnquist C. D. R Azevedo K. Bailey F. Ballester J. M. Benlloch-rodríguez F. I. G. M. Borges N. Byrnes S. Cárcel J. V. Carrión S. Cebrián E. Church C. A. N. Conde T. Contreras G. Díaz López J. Díaz M. Diesburg J. Escada R. Esteve R. Felkai A. F. M. Fernandes L. M. P. Fernandes A. L. Ferreira E. D. C. Freitas J. Generowicz S. Ghosh A. Goldschmidt D. González-díaz R. Guenette R. M. Gutiérrez J. Haefner K. Hafidi J. Hauptman C. A. O. Henriques J. A. Hernando Morata P. Herrero V. Herrero Y. Ifergan S. Johnston B. J. P. Jones M. Kekic L. Labarga A. Laing P. Lebrun N. López-march M. Losada R. D. P. Mano J. Martín-albo A. Martínez G. Martínez-lema A. D. Mcdonald F. Monrabal C. M. B. Monteiro F. J. Mora J. Muñoz Vidal D. R. Nygren A. Para J. Pérez F. Psihas M. Querol J. Renner J. Repond S. Riordan L. Ripoll Y. Rodríguez García J. Rodríguez L. Rogers B. Romeo C. Romo-luque F. P. Santos J. M. F. Dos Santos A. Simón C. Sofka T. Stiegler J. F. Toledo J. Torrent J. F. C. A. Veloso R. Webb R. Weiss-babai J. T. White K. Woodruff N. Yahlali

subject

Nuclear and High Energy Physics Physical measurements Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors Dark Matter and Double Beta Decay Dark matter Física -- Mesuraments chemistry.chemical_element FOS: Physical sciences Radon 7. Clean energy 01 natural sciences Atomic Mathematical Sciences High Energy Physics - Experiment Nuclear physics TECNOLOGIA ELECTRONICA High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex)Xenon Particle and Plasma Physics Double beta decay Dark matter and double beta decay (experiments)0103 physical sciences Dark Matter and Double Beta Decay (experiments)Dark Matter lcsh:Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity Nuclear 010306 general physics Double Beta Decay Natural radioactivity Mathematical Physics Physics Quantum Physics Radiogenic nuclide 010308 nuclear & particles physics Detector Molecular Detectors Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det)Nuclear & Particles Physics chemistry Physical Sciences lcsh:QC770-798 Event (particle physics)

description

[EN] Natural radioactivity represents one of the main backgrounds in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay. Within the NEXT physics program, the radioactivity- induced backgrounds are measured with the NEXT-White detector. Data from 37.9 days of low-background operations at the Laboratorio Subterraneo de Canfranc with xenon depleted in Xe-136 are analyzed to derive a total background rate of (0.84 +/- 0.02) mHz above 1000 keV. The comparison of data samples with and without the use of the radon abatement system demonstrates that the contribution of airborne-Rn is negligible. A radiogenic background model is built upon the extensive radiopurity screening campaign conducted by the NEXT collaboration. A spectral fit to this model yields the specific contributions of Co-60, K-40, Bi-214 and Tl-208 to the total background rate, as well as their location in the detector volumes. The results are used to evaluate the impact of the radiogenic backgrounds in the double beta decay analyses, after the application of topological cuts that reduce the total rate to (0.25 +/- 0.01) mHz. Based on the best-fit background model, the NEXT-White median sensitivity to the two-neutrino double beta decay is found to be 3.5 sigma after 1 year of data taking. The background measurement in a Q(beta beta)+/- 100 keV energy window validates the best-fit background model also for the neutrinoless double beta decay search with NEXT-100. Only one event is found, while the model expectation is (0.75 +/- 0.12) events.

year	journal	country	edition	language
2019-10-01

10.1007/jhep10(2019)051 http://arxiv.org/abs/1905.13625