Detalle de: Sensitivity of the NEXT experiment to Xe-124 double electron capture
| Title | Sensitivity of the NEXT experiment to Xe-124 double electron capture |
| Abstract |
A bstract 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 (2 νEC EC ) has been predicted for a number of isotopes, but only observed in 78 Kr, 130 Ba and, recently, 124 Xe. 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, 0 νEC EC . Here we report on the current sensitivity of the NEXT-White detector to 124 Xe 2 νEC EC and on the extrapolation to NEXT-100. Using simulated data for the 2 νEC EC signal and real data from NEXT-White operated with 124 Xe-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 124 Xe and for a 5-year run, a sensitivity to the 2 νEC EC half-life of 6 × 10 22 y (at 90% confidence level) or better can be reached. |
| Apa Reference | Martínez-Lema, G., Martínez-Vara, M., Sorel, M., Adams, C., Álvarez, V., Arazi, L., Arnquist, I.J., Azevedo, C.D.R., Bailey, K., Ballester, F., Benlloch-Rodríguez, J.M., Borges, F.I.G.M., Byrnes, N., Cárcel, S., Carrión, J.V., Cebrián, S., Church, E., Conde, C.A.N., Contreras, T., Díaz, G., Díaz, J., Diesburg, M., Escada, J., Esteve, R., Felkai, R., Fernandes, A.F.M., Fernandes, L.M.P., Ferrario, P., Ferreira, A.L., Freitas, E.D.C., Generowicz, J., Ghosh, S., Goldschmidt, A., Gómez-Cadenas, J.J., González-Díaz, D., Guenette, R., Gutiérrez, R.M., Haefner, J., Hafidi, K., Hauptman, J., Henriques, C.A.O., Hernando Morata, J.A., Herrero, P., Herrero, V., Ifergan, Y., Johnston, S., Jones, B.J.P., Kekic, M., Labarga, L., Laing, A., Lebrun, P., López-March, N., Losada, M., Mano, R.D.P., Martín-Albo, J., Martínez, A., McDonald, A.D., Monrabal, F., Monteiro, C.M.B., Mora, F.J., Muñoz Vidal, J., Novella, P., Nygren, D.R., Palmeiro, B., Para, A., Pérez, J., Querol, M., Redwine, A.B., Renner, J., Repond, J., Riordan, S., Ripoll, L., Rodríguez García, Y., Rodríguez, J., Rogers, L., Romeo, B., Romo-Luque, C., Santos, F.P., dos Santos, J.M.F., Simón, A., Sofka, C., Stiegler, T., Toledo, J.F., Torrent, J., Usón, A., Veloso, J.F.C.A., Webb, R., Weiss-Babai, R., White, J.T., Woodruff, K. & Yahlali, N. (2021). Sensitivity of the NEXT experiment to Xe-124 double electron capture. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2021(2). 10.1007/JHEP02(2021)203 |
| Doi | 10.1007/JHEP02(2021)203 |
| Publication Date | Feb 2021 |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Researcher | José Vicente Carrión Burguete |
| Ontology | Benchmarking |
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