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

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. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; 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. ; The, NEXT, collaboration

Resumen: 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¿EC 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, 0¿EC EC. Here we report on the current sensitivity of the NEXT-White detector to 124Xe 2¿EC EC and on the extrapolation to NEXT-100. Using simulated data for the 2¿EC 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 2¿EC EC half-life of 6 × 1022 y (at 90% confidence level) or better can be reached. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1007/JHEP02(2021)203

Año: 2021

Publicado en: Journal of High Energy Physics 2021, 203 (2021), [25 pp.]
ISSN: 1126-6708

Factor impacto JCR: 6.376 (2021)

Categ. JCR: PHYSICS, PARTICLES & FIELDS rank: 6 / 29 = 0.207 (2021) - Q1 - T1

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 10.3 - Physics and Astronomy (Q1)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 0.895 - Nuclear and High Energy Physics (Q2)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/339787/EU/Towards the NEXT generation of bb0nu experimets/NEXT
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/690575/EU/InvisiblesPlus/InvisiblesPlus
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/740055/EU/Molecule for low diffusion TPCs for rare event searches/MELODIC
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/CEX2018-000867-S
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO-MCIU/FIS2014-53371-C04
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO-MCIU/RTI2018-095979
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/MDM-2016-0692
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/RYC-2015-18820
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/SEV-2014-0398

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Física Atóm.Molec.y Nucl. (Dpto. Física Teórica)