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

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 different, potentially providing a new channel to measure the hypothesized neutrinoless mode of these decays. The Standard-Model-al...

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Autores: Martínez Lema, Gonzalo, Martínez-Vara, M., Sorel, Michel, Adams, C., Álvarez Puerta, Vicente, Arazi, L., Arnquist, I.J., Azevedo, C.D.R., Bailey, K., Ballester Merelo, Francisco José, Benlloch Rodríguez, J.M., Borges, Filipa I.G.M., Byrnes, N., Cárcel García, Sara, Carrión, J.V., Cebrián, Susana, Church, E., Conde, Carlos A.N., Contreras, T., Díaz López, G., Díaz Medina, José, Diesburg, M., Escada, J., Esteve, Raúl, Felkai, R., Fernandes, A.F.M., Fernandes, L.M.P., Ferrario, Paola, Ferreira, Antonio Luis, Freitas, Elisabete D.C., Generowicz, J., Ghosh, S., Goldschmidt, Azriel, Gómez Cadenas, Juan José, González-Díaz, Diego, Guenette, R., Gutiérrez, Rafael María, Haefner, J., Hafidi, K., Hauptman, John M., Henriques, C.A.O., Hernando Morata, J.A., Herrero i Viñas, Pau, Herrero, Vicente, Ifergan, Y., Johnston, S., Jones, Benjamin J.P., Kekic, M., Labarga, Luis A., Laing, Andrew, Lebrun, P., López-March, N., Losada, Marta, Mano, R.D.P., Martín-Albo Simón, Justo, Martínez Pérez, Alberto, McDonald, Alison D., Monrabal Capilla, Francesc, Monteiro, Cristina M.B., Mora, Francisco José, Muñoz Vidal, J., Novella, P., Nygren, David R., Palmeiro, B., Para, A., Pérez Pérez, Javier, Querol, M., Redwine, A.B., Renner, Joshua, Repond, J., Riordan, S., Ripoll Masferrer, Lluís, Rodríguez García, Y., Rodríguez Samaniego, Javier, Rogers, L., Romeo, B., Romo-Luque, C., Santos, Filomena P., dos Santos, Joaquim M.F., Simón Estévez, Ander, Sofka, C., Stiegler, T., Toledo, J.F., Torrent Collell, Jordi, Usón, A., Veloso, João F.C.A., Webb, R.C., Weiss-Babai, R., White, James T., Woodruff, K., Yahlali Haddou, Nadia
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10256/20006
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10256/20006
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Electrons
Raigs beta -- Desintegració
Beta rays -- Decay
Detectors
Descripción
Sumario: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 different, potentially providing a new channel to measure the hypothesized neutrinoless mode of these decays. The Standard-Model-allowed two-neutrino double electron capture (2νEC EC) 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, 0νEC EC. Here we report on the current sensitivity of the NEXT-White detector to 124Xe 2νEC EC and on the extrapolation to NEXT-100. Using simulated data for the 2νEC EC signal and real data from NEXT-White operated with 124Xe-depleted gas as background, we define 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 2νEC EC half-life of 6 × 1022 y (at 90% confidence level) or better can be reached

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