Search results for "Beta Decay"
showing 10 items of 501 documents
Searching for New Physics in two-neutrino double beta decay with CUPID
2021
Abstract In the past few years, attention has been drawn to the fact that a precision analysis of two-neutrino double beta decay (2υββ) allows the study of interesting physics cases like the emission of Majoron bosons and possible Lorentz symmetry violation. These processes modify the summed-energy distribution of the two electrons emitted in 2υββ. CUPID is a next-generation experiment aiming to exploit 100Mo-enriched scintillating Li2MoO4 crystals, operating as cryogenic calorimeters. Given the relatively fast half-life of 100Mo 2υββ and the large exposure that can be reached by CUPID, we expect to measure with very high precision the 100Mo 2υββ spectrum shape, reaching great sensitivities…
Can we measure the neutrino mass hierarchy in the sky?
2010
Cosmological probes are steadily reducing the total neutrino mass window, resulting in constraints on the neutrino-mass degeneracy as the most significant outcome. In this work we explore the discovery potential of cosmological probes to constrain the neutrino hierarchy, and point out some subtleties that could yield spurious claims of detection. This has an important implication for next generation of double beta decay experiments, that will be able to achieve a positive signal in the case of degenerate or inverted hierarchy of Majorana neutrinos. We find that cosmological experiments that nearly cover the whole sky could in principle distinguish the neutrino hierarchy by yielding 'substan…
Mesonic enhancement of the weak axial charge and its effect on the half-lives and spectral shapes of first-forbidden J+↔J− decays
2018
The effects of the enhancement of the axial-charge matrix element γ5 were studied in medium heavy and heavy nuclei for first-forbidden J+↔J− decay transitions using the nuclear shell model. Noticeable dependence on the enhancement ϵMEC of the axial-charge matrix element, as well as on the value of the axial-vector coupling constant gA was found in the spectral shapes of $^{93}$Y, $^{95}$Sr, and $^{97}$Y. The importance of the spectrum of $^{138}$Cs in the determination of gA is discussed. Half-life analyses in the A≈95 and A≈135 regions were done, and consistent results gA≈0.90, 0.75, and 0.65, corresponding to the three enhancement scenarios ϵMEC=1.4, 1.7, and 2.0, were obtained. Connectio…
Extracting information on the decays from the decays
2005
Abstract We have analyzed the relation between the two-neutrino ( 2 ν β β ) and neutrinoless ( 0 ν β β ) double beta decays of 76Ge, 82Se, 100Mo, and 116Cd. The relevant nuclear matrix elements have been calculated by using the proton–neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation (pn-QRPA) with realistic two-body interactions. The dependence of the calculated matrix elements on the strength g pp of the particle–particle part of the proton–neutron two-body interaction is investigated. Recently a procedure was proposed where data on 2 ν β β -decay half-lives could be used to derive appropriate values of g pp for calculating the 0 ν β β -decay matrix elements. Following this procedure, we h…
Nuclear matrix elements for Majoron emitting double-$\beta$ decay
2021
A complete calculation of the nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) for Majoron emitting neutrinoless double beta decay within the framework of IBM-2 for spectral indices $n=1,3,7$ is presented. By combining the results of this calculation with previously calculated phase-space factors (PSFs) we give predictions for expected half-lives. By comparing with experimental limits on the half-lives we set limits on the coupling constants $\ensuremath{\langle}{g}_{ee}^{M}\ensuremath{\rangle}$ of all proposed Majoron-emitting models.
Electroluminescence TPCs at the thermal diffusion limit
2019
Artículo escrito por un elevado número de autores, solo se referencian el que aparece en primer lugar, el nombre del grupo de colaboración, si le hubiere, y los autores pertenecientes a la UAM
Near-intrinsic energy resolution for 30-662 keV gamma rays in a high pressure xenon electroluminescent TPC
2013
We present the design, data and results from the NEXT prototype for Double Beta and Dark Matter (NEXT-DBDM) detector, a high-pressure gaseous natural xenon electroluminescent time projection chamber (TPC) that was built at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It is a prototype of the planned NEXT-100 Xe-136 neutrino-less double beta decay (0 nu beta beta) experiment with the main objectives of demonstrating near-intrinsic energy resolution at energies up to 662 keV and of optimizing the NEXT-100 detector design and operating parameters. Energy resolutions of similar to 1% FWHM for 662 keV gamma rays were obtained at 10 and 15 atm and similar to 5% FWHM for 30 keV fluorescence xenon X-…
Description and commissioning of NEXT-MM prototype: first results from operation in a Xenon-Trimethylamine gas mixture
2014
[EN] A technical description of NEXT-MM and its commissioning and first performance is reported. Having an active volume of ∼35 cm drift × 28 cm diameter, it constitutes the largest Micromegas-read TPC operated in Xenon ever constructed, made by a sectorial arrangement of the 4 largest single wafers manufactured with the Microbulk technique to date. It is equipped with a suitably pixelized readout and with a sufficiently large sensitive volume (∼23 l) so as to contain long (∼20 cm) electron tracks. First results obtained at 1 bar for Xenon and Trymethylamine (Xe-(2%)TMA) mixture are presented. The TPC can accurately reconstruct extended background tracks. An encouraging fu…
New antineutrino energy spectra predictions from the summation of beta decay branches of the fission products
2012
In this paper, we study the impact of the inclusion of the recently measured beta decay properties of the $^{102;104;105;106;107}$Tc, $^{105}$Mo, and $^{101}$Nb nuclei in an updated calculation of the antineutrino energy spectra of the four fissible isotopes $^{235, 238}$U, and $^{239,241}$Pu. These actinides are the main contributors to the fission processes in Pressurized Water Reactors. The beta feeding probabilities of the above-mentioned Tc, Mo and Nb isotopes have been found to play a major role in the $\gamma$ component of the decay heat of $^{239}$Pu, solving a large part of the $\gamma$ discrepancy in the 4 to 3000\,s range. They have been measured using the Total Absorption Techni…
Stimulated transitions in resonant atom Majorana mixing
2018
Massive neutrinos demand to ask whether they are Dirac or Majorana particles. Majorana neutrinos are an irrefutable proof of physics beyond the Standard Model. Neutrinoless double electron capture is not a process but a virtual $\Delta L = 2$ mixing between a parent $^AZ$ atom and a daughter $^A(Z-2)$ excited atom with two electron holes. As a mixing between two neutral atoms and the observable signal in terms of emitted two-hole X-rays, the strategy, experimental signature and background are different from neutrinoless double beta decay. The mixing is resonantly enhanced for almost degeneracy and, under these conditions, there is no irreducible background from the standard two-neutrino cha…