Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2015 Fall Meeting of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics
Volume 60, Number 13
Wednesday–Saturday, October 28–31, 2015; Santa Fe, New Mexico
Session FD: Mini-Symposium on Experimental Challenges for Double Beta Decay Experiments I |
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Chair: Reyco Henning, University of North Carolina Room: Sweeney Ballroom C |
Thursday, October 29, 2015 4:00PM - 4:36PM |
FD.00001: Future Challenges for Double Beta Decay Experiments Invited Speaker: Steven Elliott Neutrino oscillation experiments have shown that at least one neutrino has a mass greater than 50 meV. In the inverted hierarchy pattern of neutrino masses, one would expect an effective Majorana neutrino mass of 15 meV or greater. This fact has led to a strong resurgence of interest in neutrinoless double beta decay experiments that can reach this mass target. If this rare nuclear decay process exists it would demonstrate that Lepton number conservation is violated, that neutrinos are their own anti-particles and the decay rate would give an indication of the neutrino mass. This presentation will summarize the double beta decay experimental program with a focus on the technical challenges that will be faced. [Preview Abstract] |
Thursday, October 29, 2015 4:36PM - 4:48PM |
FD.00002: Neutrinoless double beta decay in {\sc Gerda} Peter Grabmayr The Germanium Detector Array ({\sc Gerda}) experiment searches for the neutrinoless double beta decay in $^{76}$Ge. This lepton number violating process is predicted by extensions of the standard model. {\sc Gerda} follows a staged approach by increasing mass and lowering the background level from phase to phase. {\sc Gerda} is setup at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory of INFN, Italy. An array of high-purity germanium detectors is lowered directly in liquid argon for shielding and cooling. Further background reduction is achieved by an instrumented water buffer. In Phase I an exposure of 21.6 kg~yr was collected at a background level of 10$^{-2}$ cts/(keV kg yr). The lower limit on the half-life of $^{76}$Ge $>2.1\cdot 10^{25}$ yr (90 \% C.L.) has been published. Further analyses search for decay into excited states or the accompanied Majoron decay. Presently, Phase II is in preparation which intends to reach a background level of 10$^{-3}$ cts/(keV kg yr) and to increase the exposure to 100 kg yr. About 20 kg of novel thick-window BEGe (Broad Energy Germanium) detectors will be added and the liquid argon will be instrumented. The status of Phase II preparation and results from the commissioning runs will be presented as well as some further results from Phase I. [Preview Abstract] |
Thursday, October 29, 2015 4:48PM - 5:00PM |
FD.00003: Exceptional results from, and status of, EXO-200 Erica Smith EXO-200 has provided one of the most sensitive searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay utilizing 175\,kg of enriched liquid xenon in an ultra-low background time projection chamber. This detector has demonstrated excellent energy resolution and background rejection capabilities. Using the first two years of data, EXO-200 has set a limit of $1.1\times10^{25}$\,y at 90\% C.L. on the neutrinoless double-beta decay half-life of Xe$^{136}$. The experiment has experienced a brief hiatus in data taking during a temporary shutdown of its host facility: the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. EXO-200 expects to resume data taking in earnest this fall with upgraded detector electronics. Results from the analysis of EXO-200 data and an update on the current status of EXO-200 will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Thursday, October 29, 2015 5:00PM - 5:12PM |
FD.00004: A status update on the {\sc Majorana Demonstrator} Ian Guinn The {\sc Majorana} Collaboration is seeking neutrinoless double-beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$), a lepton number violating process that would indicate that the neutrino is a Majorana fermion, in $^{76}$Ge. An array of P-type point contact (PPC) high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors isotopically enriched in $^{76}$Ge will be used to perform this search. For inverted hierarchy neutrinos, a tonne-scale array with backgrounds of $<1$ ct/ROI-t-y in the 4 keV region of interest (ROI) around the 2039 keV Q-value for double-beta decay in $^{76}$Ge will be sensitive to $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of such an experiment, the {\sc Majorana Demonstrator} is being constructed at the 4850' level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). The {\sc Demonstrator} will consist of an array of 40 kg of PPC HPGe detectors, 30 kg of which will be enriched to $87\%$ in $^{76}$Ge, housed in two separate modular cryostats inside of a compact shield. The background goal for the {\sc Demonstrator} is $<3$ cts/ROI-t-y, which is expected to scale down to $<1$ ct/ROI-t-y for a tonne-scale experiment. This presentation will contain a status update on the {\sc Majorana Demonstrator}. [Preview Abstract] |
Thursday, October 29, 2015 5:12PM - 5:24PM |
FD.00005: Searching for neutrinoless double beta decay of Te-130 with CUORE bolometers Ke Han The CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) experiment will search for neutrinoless double beta decay of Te-130. CUORE large-mass bolometer array will consist of 988 tellurium oxide bolometer modules and a total of 206 kg of Te-130 in one single cryostat at 10 mK. It will be sensitive to an effective Majorana neutrino mass of 50-130 meV and is one of the most sensitive experiments under construction. The detector and the cryostat are in an advanced stage of installation and is expected to start operation by the end of 2015. Recents results from CUORE-0, a prototype experiment to CUORE, have validated the performance and background predictions of TeO2 bolometer arrays. In this talk, we will present the latest results from CUORE-0, the construction status, as well as sensitivity projection of CUORE. [Preview Abstract] |
Thursday, October 29, 2015 5:24PM - 5:36PM |
FD.00006: Calibration of CUORE-0 and CUORE Jeremy Cushman The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is a ton-scale cryogenic experiment designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) of $^{130}$Te. The experiment consists of 988 ultracold TeO$_2$ bolometric crystals arranged into 19 towers, which act as both the $0\nu\beta\beta$ sources and detectors. CUORE-0, an experiment using a single CUORE-like tower, recently completed physics data-taking and set a new limit on the $0\nu\beta\beta$ half-life of $^{130}$Te. A good understanding of the detector energy scale through regular calibration is crucial for observation of $0\nu\beta\beta$ and other rare processes. The CUORE-0 detector is calibrated with low-activity $^{232}$Th sources placed outside the cryostat. For CUORE, due to the large number of crystals and extensive shielding around the detector, calibration sources will need to be placed inside the cryostat. I will present analysis results from the calibration of CUORE-0 and discuss the commissioning of the CUORE calibration system. [Preview Abstract] |
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