Measurement of radon-induced backgrounds in the NEXT double beta decay experiment

Novella, P.; Palmeiro, B.; Simón, A.; Sorel, M.; Adams, C.; Ferrario, P.; Martínez-Lema, G.; Monrabal, F.; Zuzel, G.; Gómez-Cadenas, J.J.; Álvarez, V.; Arazi, L.; Azevedo, C.D.R.; Bailey, K.; Ballester, F.; Benlloch-Rodríguez, J.M.; Borges, F.I.G.M.; Botas, Alexandre M. P.; Cárcel, S.; Carrión, J.V.; Cebrián, S.; Conde, C.A.N.; Díaz, Julio Pérez; Diesburg, M.; Escada, J.; Esteve, R.; Felkai, R.; Fernandes, Alexandra; Fernandes, L. M. P.; Ferreira, A. L.; Freitas, E.D.C.; Generowicz, J.; Goldschmidt, A.; González-Díaz, D.; Guénette, R.; Gutiérrez, Rafael; Hafidi, K.; Hauptman, J. M.; Henriques, C. A. O.; Hernández, Andrés; Morata, J. A. Hernando; Herrero, V.; Johnston, S.; Jones, B. J. P.; Kekic, M.; Labarga, L.; Laing, A.; Lebrun, P.; López-March, N.; Losada, M.; Mano, R.D.P.; Martíın-Albo, J.; Martínez, A.; McDonald, A. D.; Monteiro, C. M. B.; Mora, Francisco; Vidal, J. Muñoz; Musti, M.; Nebot-Guinot, M.; Nygren, D. R.; Para, A.; Pérez, Javier Laso; Psihas, F.; Querol, M.; Renner, J.; Repond, J.; Riordan, S.; Ripoll, L.; Rodriguez, J.; Rogers, L.; Romo-Luque, C.; Santos, F.P.; Santos, J.M.F. dos; Sofka, C.; Stiegler, T.; Toledo, J.F.; Torrent, J.; Veloso, J.F.C.A.; Webb, R.; White, J. T.; Yahlali, N.

doi:10.1007/jhep10(2018)112

Cited by 17 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…µm µs −1 . A similar value was obtained in an independent analysis using alpha events in taken with NEXT-White during the Run II [29].The simulations have been run at 1 bar for each considered reduced drift field. The results of the 7.2 bar and 9.1 bar data match very well and show a smooth trend.…”

Section: Selection Of Krypton Candidates and Event Reconstruction Figsupporting

confidence: 55%

Electron drift properties in high pressure gaseous xenon

et al. 2018

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Gaseous time projection chambers (TPC) are a very attractive detector technology for particle tracking. Characterization of both drift velocity and diffusion is of great importance to correctly assess their tracking capabilities. NEXT-White is a High Pressure Xenon gas TPC with electroluminescent amplification, a 1:2 scale model of the future NEXT-100 detector, which will be dedicated to neutrinoless double beta decay searches. NEXT-White has been operating at Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) since December 2016. The drift parameters have been measured using 83m Kr for a range of reduced drift fields at two different pressure regimes, namely 7.2 bar and 9.1 bar. The results have been compared with Magboltz simulations. Agreement at the 5% level or better has been found for drift velocity, longitudinal diffusion and transverse diffusion.

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Section: Selection Of Krypton Candidates and Event Reconstruction Figsupporting

confidence: 55%

Electron drift properties in high pressure gaseous xenon

et al. 2018

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“…This phase was followed by the underground operation at the LSC of NEXT-White [29], an asymmetric, radiopure HPXeTPC containing approximately 5 kg of xenon at 10 bar pressure. The results obtained with NEXT-White include the development of a procedure to calibrate the detector using 83m Kr decays [30], measurement of an energy resolution at 2.5 MeV better than 1% FWHM [31,32], demonstration of robust discrimination between single-electron and double-electron tracks [33], and measurement of the radiogenic background, validating the accuracy of our background model [34,35].…”

Section: The Next Experiment: Concept and Statusmentioning

confidence: 61%

Sensitivity of a tonne-scale NEXT detector for neutrinoless double-beta decay searches

Adams

Álvarez²,

Arazi³

et al. 2021

J. High Energ. Phys.

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The Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC (NEXT) searches for the neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay of 136Xe using high-pressure xenon gas TPCs with electroluminescent amplification. A scaled-up version of this technology with about 1 tonne of enriched xenon could reach in less than 5 years of operation a sensitivity to the half-life of 0νββ decay better than 1027 years, improving the current limits by at least one order of magnitude. This prediction is based on a well-understood background model dominated by radiogenic sources. The detector concept presented here represents a first step on a compelling path towards sensitivity to the parameter space defined by the inverted ordering of neutrino masses, and beyond.

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“…Well-motivated theoretical models involving light neutrino exchange predict that 0νβ β could be observed with any lifetime beyond this limit [8][9][10] , given present knowledge of neutrino masses and mixing angles. Observing such a rare process above experimental background from sources such as detector material gamma rays 11 , dissolved radioisotopes 12,13 , neutron captures 14 , and others is a formidable experimental challenge, requiring deep underground detectors, exquisite radio-purity [15][16][17] , and extremely selective signal identification and background rejection methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In LXe, recombination with locally thermalized electrons causes further neutralization, leading to an ensemble of ionic and atomic species 25 including Ba and Ba + . The lack of recombination in GXe, on the other hand, implies that Ba 2+ will be the predominant outcome 12 . Optimal technologies are likely to be distinct for detection in these two cases.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barium Chemosensors with Dry-Phase Fluorescence for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

Thapa

Arnquist

Byrnes

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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The nature of the neutrino is one of the major open questions in experimental nuclear and particle physics. The most sensitive known method to establish the Majorana nature of the neutrino is detection of the ultra-rare process of neutrinoless double beta decay. However, identification of one or a handful of decay events within a large mass of candidate isotope, without obfuscation by backgrounds is a formidable experimental challenge. One hypothetical method for achieving ultra- low-background neutrinoless double beta decay sensitivity is the detection of single 136Ba ions produced in the decay of 136Xe (“barium tagging”). To implement such a method, a single-ion-sensitive barium detector must be developed and demonstrated in bulk liquid or dry gaseous xenon. This paper reports on the development of two families of dry-phase barium chemosensor molecules for use in high pressure xenon gas detectors, synthesized specifically for this purpose. One particularly promising candidate, an anthracene substituted aza-18-crown-6 ether, is shown to respond in the dry phase with almost no intrinsic background from the unchelated state, and to be amenable to barium sensing through fluorescence microscopy. This interdisciplinary advance, paired with earlier work demonstrating sensitivity to single barium ions in solution, opens a new path toward single ion detection in high pressure xenon gas.

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Measurement of radon-induced backgrounds in the NEXT double beta decay experiment

Cited by 17 publications

References 24 publications

Electron drift properties in high pressure gaseous xenon

Electron drift properties in high pressure gaseous xenon

Sensitivity of a tonne-scale NEXT detector for neutrinoless double-beta decay searches

Barium Chemosensors with Dry-Phase Fluorescence for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

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