The Majorana Collaboration is operating an array of high purity Ge detectors to search for neutrinoless double-β decay in ^{76}Ge. The Majorana Demonstrator comprises 44.1 kg of Ge detectors (29.7 kg enriched in ^{76}Ge) split between two modules contained in a low background shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. Here we present results from data taken during construction, commissioning, and the start of full operations. We achieve unprecedented energy resolution of 2.5 keV FWHM at Q_{ββ} and a very low background with no observed candidate events in 9.95 kg yr of enriched Ge exposure, resulting in a lower limit on the half-life of 1.9×10^{25}  yr (90% C.L.). This result constrains the effective Majorana neutrino mass to below 240-520 meV, depending on the matrix elements used. In our experimental configuration with the lowest background, the background is 4.0_{-2.5}^{+3.1}  counts/(FWHM t yr).

The Majorana Collaboration is operating an array of high purity Ge detectors to search for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76 Ge. The Majorana Demonstrator consists of 44.1 kg of Ge detectors (29.7 kg enriched to 88% in 76 Ge) split between two modules constructed from ultra-clean materials. Both modules are contained in a low-background shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. We present updated results on the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 76 Ge with 26.0 ± 0.5 kg-yr of enriched exposure. With the Demonstrator's unprecedented energy resolution of 2.53 keV FWHM at Q ββ , we observe one event in the region of interest with 0.65 events expected from the estimated background, resulting in a lower limit on the 76 Ge neutrinoless double-beta decay half-life of 2.7 × 10 25 yr (90% CL) with a median sensitivity of 4.8 × 10 25 yr (90% CL). Depending on the matrix elements used, a 90% CL upper limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass in the range of 200-433 meV is obtained. The measured background in the low-background configurations is 11.9 ± 2.0 counts/(FWHM t yr).

Abstract. The observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) would show that lepton number is violated, reveal that neutrinos are Majorana particles, and provide information on neutrino mass. A discovery-capable experiment covering the inverted ordering region, with effective Majorana neutrino masses of 15 − 50 meV, will require a tonne-scale experiment with excellent energy resolution and extremely low backgrounds, at the level of ∼0.1 count /(FWHM·t·yr) in the region of the signal. The current generation 76 Ge experiments GERDA and the Majorana Demonstrator, utilizing high purity Germanium detectors with an intrinsic energy resolution of 0.12%, have achieved the lowest backgrounds by over an order of magnitude in the 0νββ signal region of all 0νββ experiments. Building on this success, the LEGEND collaboration has been formed to pursue a tonne-scale 76 Ge experiment. The collaboration aims to develop a phased 0νββ experimental program with discovery potential at a half-life approaching or at 10 28 years, using existing resources as appropriate to expedite physics results.

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Abstract. A recent theoretical prediction of a breaking of axial symmetry in quasi all heavy nuclei is confronted to a new critical analysis of photon strength functions of nuclei in the valley of stability. For the photon strength in the isovector giant dipole resonance (IVGDR) regime a parameterization of GDR shapes by the sum of three Lorentzians (TLO) is extrapolated to energies below and above the IVGDR. The impact of non-GDR modes adding to the low energy slope of photon strength is discussed including recent data on photon scattering and other radiative processes. These are shown to be concentrated in energy regions where various model calculations predict intermediate collective strength; thus they are obviously separate from the IVGDR tail. The triple Lorentzian (TLO) ansatz for giant dipole resonances is normalized in accordance to the dipole sum rule. The nuclear droplet model with surface dissipation accounts well for positions and widths without local, nuclide specific, parameters. Very few and only global parameters are needed when a breaking of axial symmetry already in the valley of stability is admitted and hence a reliable prediction for electric dipole strength functions also outside of it is expected.

We present new limits on exotic keV-scale physics based on 478 kg d of Majorana Demonstrator commissioning data. Constraints at the 90% confidence level are derived on bosonic dark matter (DM) and solar axion couplings, Pauli exclusion principle violating (PEPV) decay, and electron decay using monoenergetic peak signal-limits above our background. Our most stringent DM constraints are set for 11.8 keV mass particles, limiting gAe < 4.5 × 10 −13 for pseudoscalars and α ′ α < 9.7 × 10 −28 for vectors. We also report a 14.4 keV solar axion coupling limit of g eff AN × gAe < 3.8 × 10 −17 , a 1 2 β 2 < 8.5 × 10 −48 limit on the strength of PEPV electron transitions, and a lower limit on the electron lifetime of τe > 1.2 × 10 24 yr for e − → invisible.PACS numbers: 95.35.+d

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The electromagnetic dipole strength of the nucleus 136 Ba has been investigated. Two measurements were performed with electron energies of 7.0 and 11.4 MeV at the bremsstrahlung facility at the ELBE accelerator of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Photon scattering experiments on the same nucleus have been performed at the HIγS facility of the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory between 4.7 and 9.3 MeV. The GEANT4 code has been used to determine detector response and non-nuclear scattered events. Thus it is possible to account for the dipole strength in the quasi-continuum of unresolvable transitions. A statistical code was used to simulate inelastic transitions and to determine the branching ratios of transitions to the ground-state. The resulting photoabsorption cross section is compared to QRPA and RQTBA calculations.