Sensitivity of the NEXT experiment to Xe-124 double electron capture

6533b873fe1ef96bd12d4f3a

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Sensitivity of the NEXT experiment to Xe-124 double electron capture

C.m.b. Monteiro J.f.c.a. Veloso G. Díaz E.d.c. Freitas B. Palmeiro B. Palmeiro Y. Rodriguez Garcia R. Weiss-babai J. Muñoz Vidal J. Muñoz Vidal F.p. Santos Saunab Ghosh Sandra K. Johnston J.t. White F. Ballester J. Renner J. Renner Lior Arazi J. Generowicz A.b. Redwine P. Herrero V. Herrero G. Martínez-lema G. Martínez-lema G. Martínez-lema J.m. Benlloch-rodríguez J.m. Benlloch-rodríguez Paola Ferrario Paola Ferrario A. Goldschmidt J. Hauptman L. Ripoll B. J. P. Jones J. S. Díaz M. Martínez-vara M. Martínez-vara P. Novella F. Monrabal F. Monrabal J. Martín-albo J.j. Gómez-cadenas J.j. Gómez-cadenas I.j. Arnquist N. López-march N. López-march C.d.r. Azevedo Kevin Bailey A.d. Mcdonald C. Adams N. Byrnes J. Torrent Jose Repond M. Kekic M. Kekic S. Riordan E. Church R.d.p. Mano T. Contreras M. Querol Javier Pérez J.v. Carrión C. Romo-luque L.m.p. Fernandes B. Romeo C. Sofka C. Sofka C.a.o. Henriques F.j. Mora J.a. Hernando Morata K. Woodruff Jose A. Rodriguez D. González-díaz L. Rogers A. Usón Marta Losada C.a.n. Conde Luis Labarga T.m. Stiegler A. Para Víctor H. Alvarez D. R. Nygren F.i.g.m. Borges A. Laing J. Haefner A. Simón N. Yahlali M. Sorel A.f.m. Fernandes P. Lebrun S. Cebrián Ana Martínez Ana Martínez A.l. Ferreira Romain Esteve R. C. Webb M. Diesburg R. Guenette J. Escada J.f. Toledo S. Cárcel K. Hafidi J.m.f. Dos Santos Y. Ifergan R. Felkai R. Felkai Roberto Gutiérrez

subject

Nuclear and High Energy Physics Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors Electron capture Dark Matter and Double Beta Decay Extrapolation FOS: Physical sciences chemistry.chemical_element Electrons Electron 01 natural sciences 7. Clean energy Atomic High Energy Physics - Experiment TECNOLOGIA ELECTRONICA Nuclear physics High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex)Xenon Particle and Plasma Physics Double beta decay 0103 physical sciences Nuclear Matrix Nuclear Sensitivity (control systems)Nuclear Experiment (nucl-ex)010306 general physics Nuclear Experiment Mathematical Physics Physics Quantum Physics Isotope 010308 nuclear & particles physics Raigs beta -- Desintegració Detector Física Molecular Detectors Detector Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det)Beta Decay Nuclear & Particles Physics chemistry 13. Climate action Beta rays -- Decay

description

[EN] Double electron capture by proton-rich nuclei is a second-order nuclear process analogous to double beta decay. Despite their similarities, the decay signature is quite di erent, potentially providing a new channel to measure the hypothesized neutrinoless mode of these decays. The Standard-Model-allowed two-neutrino double electron capture has been predicted for a number of isotopes, but only observed in 78Kr, 130Ba and, recently, 124Xe. The sensitivity to this decay establishes a benchmark for the ultimate experimental goal, namely the potential to discover also the lepton-number-violating neutrinoless version of this process. Here we report on the current sensitivity of the NEXT-White detector to 124Xe 2 ECEC and on the extrapolation to NEXT-100. Using simulated data for the 2 ECEC signal and real data from NEXT-White operated with 124Xe-depleted gas as background, we de ne an optimal event selection that maximizes the NEXT-White sensitivity. We estimate that, for NEXT-100 operated with xenon gas isotopically enriched with 1 kg of 124Xe and for a 5-year run, a sensitivity to the two-neutroni double electron capture half-life of 6x10exp22 years (at 90% con dence level) or better can be reached.

year	journal	country	edition	language
2021-02-01

https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1q22559f