| Records |
| Author |
Gomez-Cadenas, J.J.; Martin-Albo, J.; Muñoz Vidal, J.; Pena-Garay, C. |
| Title |
Discovery potential of xenon-based neutrinoless double beta decay experiments in light of small angular scale CMB observations |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2013 |
Publication |
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics |
Abbreviated Journal |
J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. |
| Volume |
03 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages  |
043 - 17pp |
| Keywords |
neutrino masses from cosmology; double beta decay |
| Abstract |
The South Pole Telescope (SPT) has probed an expanded angular range of the CMB temperature power spectrum. Their recent analysis of the latest cosmological data prefers nonzero neutrino masses, with Sigma m(nu) = (0.32 +/- 0.11) eV. This result, if con firmed by the upcoming Planck data, has deep implications on the discovery of the nature of neutrinos. In particular, the values of the effective neutrino mass m(beta beta) involved in neutrinoless double beta decay (beta beta 0 nu) are severely constrained for both the direct and inverse hierarchy, making a discovery much more likely. In this paper, we focus in xenon-based beta beta 0 nu experiments, on the double grounds of their good performance and the suitability of the technology to large-mass scaling. We show that the current generation, with effective masses in the range of 100 kg and conceivable exposures in the range of 500 kg.year, could already have a sizeable opportunity to observe beta beta 0 nu events, and their combined discovery potential is quite large. The next generation, with an exposure in the range of 10 ton.year, would have a much more enhanced sensitivity, in particular due to the very low specific background that all the xenon technologies (liquid xenon, high-pressure xenon and xenon dissolved in liquid scintillator) can achieve. In addition, a high-pressure xenon gas TPC also features superb energy resolution. We show that such detector can fully explore the range of allowed effective Majorana masses, thus making a discovery very likely. |
| Address |
CSIC, Inst Fis Corpuscular, IFIC, Valencia 46090, Spain, Email: gomez@mail.cern.ch; |
| Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
Iop Publishing Ltd |
Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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| Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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| Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1475-7516 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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| Area |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
WOS:000316989200044 |
Approved |
no |
| Is ISI |
yes |
International Collaboration |
no |
| Call Number |
IFIC @ pastor @ |
Serial |
1434 |
| Permanent link to this record |
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| Author |
Gomez-Cadenas, J.J.; Guinea, F.; Fogler, M.M.; Katsnelson, M.I.; Martin-Albo, J.; Monrabal, F.; Muñoz Vidal, J. |
| Title |
GraXe, graphene and xenon for neutrinoless double beta decay searches |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics |
Abbreviated Journal |
J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys. |
| Volume |
02 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
037 - 17pp |
| Keywords |
neutrino experiments; double beta decay |
| Abstract |
We propose a new detector concept, GraXe (to be pronounced as grace), to search for neutrinoless double beta decay in Xe-136. GraXe combines a popular detection medium in rare-event searches, liquid xenon, with a new, background-free material, grapheme. In our baseline design of GraXe, a sphere made of graphene-coated titanium mesh and filled with liquid xenon (LXe) enriched in the Xe-136 isotope is immersed in a large volume of natural LXe instrumented with photodetectors. Liquid xenon is an excellent scintillator, reasonably transparent to its own light. Graphene is transparent over a large frequency range, and impermeable to the xenon. Event position could be deduced from the light pattern detected in the photosensors. External backgrounds would be shielded by the buffer of natural LXe, leaving the ultra-radiopure internal volume virtually free of background. Industrial graphene can be manufactured at a competitive cost to produce the sphere. Enriching xenon in the isotope Xe-136 is easy and relatively cheap, and there is already near one ton of enriched xenon available in the world (currently being used by the EXO, KamLAND-Zen and NEXT experiments). All the cryogenic know-how is readily available from the numerous experiments using liquid xenon. An experiment using the GraXe concept appears realistic and affordable in a short time scale, and its physics potential is enormous. |
| Address |
[Gomez-Cadenas, J. J.; Martin-Albo, J.; Monrabal, F.; Munoz Vidal, J.] CSIC, Inst Fis Corpuscular, IFIC, Valencia 46980, Spain, Email: gomez@mail.cern.ch; |
| Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
Iop Publishing Ltd |
Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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| Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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| Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1475-7516 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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| Area |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
WOS:000301176000038 |
Approved |
no |
| Is ISI |
yes |
International Collaboration |
yes |
| Call Number |
IFIC @ pastor @ |
Serial |
987 |
| Permanent link to this record |
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| Author |
Tain, J.L.; Algora, A.; Agramunt, J.; Guadilla, V.; Jordan, M.D.; Montaner-Piza, A.; Rubio, B.; Valencia, E.; Cano-Ott, D.; Gelletly, W.; Martinez, T.; Mendoza, E.; Podolyak, Z.; Regan, P.; Simpson, J.; Smith, A.J.; Strachan, J. |
| Title |
A decay total absorption spectrometer for DESPEC at FAIR |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2015 |
Publication |
Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research A |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A |
| Volume |
803 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
36-46 |
| Keywords |
Total absorption gamma-ray spectrometer; Scintillation detectors; Beta decay; High-energy beam fragmentation facilities |
| Abstract |
This paper presents the design of a total absorption gamma-ray spectrometer for the determination of beta-decay intensity distributions of exotic nuclear species at the focal plane of the FAIR-NUSTAR Super Fragment Separator. The spectrometer is a key instrument in the DESPEC experiment and the proposed implementation follows extensive design studies and prototype tests. Two options were contemplated, based on Nal(TI) and LaBr3:Ce inorganic scintillation crystals respectively. Monte Carlo simulations and technical considerations determined the optimal configurations consisting of sixteen 15 x 15 x 25 cm(3) crystals for the Nal(Tl) option and one hundred and twenty-eight 5.5 x 5.5 x 11 cm(3) crystals for the LaBr3:Ce option. Minimization of dead material was crucial for maximizing the spectrometer full-energy peak efficiency. Module prototypes were build to verify constructional details and characterize their performance. The measured energy and timing resolution was found to agree rather well with estimates based on simulations of scintillation light transport and collection. The neutron sensitivity of the spectrometer, important when measuring beta-delayed neutron emitters, was investigated by means of Monte Carlo simulations. |
| Address |
[Tain, J. L.; Algora, A.; Agramunt, J.; Guadilla, V.; Jordan, M. D.; Montaner-Piza, A.; Rubio, B.; Valencia, E.] Univ Valencia, Inst Fis Corpuscular, CSIC, E-46071 Valencia, Spain, Email: tain@ific.uv.es |
| Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
Elsevier Science Bv |
Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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| Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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| Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
0168-9002 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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| Area |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
WOS:000363464600007 |
Approved |
no |
| Is ISI |
yes |
International Collaboration |
yes |
| Call Number |
IFIC @ pastor @ |
Serial |
2431 |
| Permanent link to this record |
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| Author |
NEXT Collaboration (Fernandes, A.F.M. et al); Alvarez, V.; Benlloch-Rodriguez, J.M.; Carcel, S.; Carrion, J.V.; Diaz, J.; Felkai, R.; Herrero, P.; Kekic, M.; Lopez-March, N.; Martinez-Lema, G.; Muñoz Vidal, J.; Novella, P.; Palmeiro, B.; Querol, M.; Renner, J.; Romo-Luque, C.; Sorel, M.; Uson, A.; Yahlali, N. |
| Title |
Low-diffusion Xe-He gas mixtures for rare-event detection: electroluminescence yield |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2020 |
Publication |
Journal of High Energy Physics |
Abbreviated Journal |
J. High Energy Phys. |
| Volume |
04 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
034 - 18pp |
| Keywords |
Particle correlations and fluctuations; Photon production; Dark Matter and Double Beta Decay (experiments); Rare decay |
| Abstract |
High pressure xenon Time Projection Chambers (TPC) based on secondary scintillation (electroluminescence) signal amplification are being proposed for rare event detection such as directional dark matter, double electron capture and double beta decay detection. The discrimination of the rare event through the topological signature of primary ionisation trails is a major asset for this type of TPC when compared to single liquid or double-phase TPCs, limited mainly by the high electron diffusion in pure xenon. Helium admixtures with xenon can be an attractive solution to reduce the electron diffu- sion significantly, improving the discrimination efficiency of these optical TPCs. We have measured the electroluminescence (EL) yield of Xe-He mixtures, in the range of 0 to 30% He and demonstrated the small impact on the EL yield of the addition of helium to pure xenon. For a typical reduced electric field of 2.5 kV/cm/bar in the EL region, the EL yield is lowered by similar to 2%, 3%, 6% and 10% for 10%, 15%, 20% and 30% of helium concentration, respectively. This decrease is less than what has been obtained from the most recent simulation framework in the literature. The impact of the addition of helium on EL statistical fluctuations is negligible, within the experimental uncertainties. The present results are an important benchmark for the simulation tools to be applied to future optical TPCs based on Xe-He mixtures. |
| Address |
[Hauptman, J.] Iowa State Univ, Dept Phys & Astron, 12 Phys Hall, Ames, IA 50011 USA, Email: cristinam@uc.pt |
| Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
Springer |
Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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| Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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| Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1029-8479 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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| Area |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
WOS:000525257400001 |
Approved |
no |
| Is ISI |
yes |
International Collaboration |
yes |
| Call Number |
IFIC @ pastor @ |
Serial |
4366 |
| Permanent link to this record |
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| Author |
NEXT Collaboration (Henriques, C.A.O. et al); Alvarez, V.; Benlloch-Rodriguez, J.M.; Botas, A.; Carcel, S.; Carrion, J.V.; Diaz, J.; Felkai, R.; Kekic, M.; Laing, A.; Lopez-March, N.; Martinez, A.; Martinez-Lema, G.; Muñoz Vidal, J.; Musti, M.; Nebot-Guinot, M.; Novella, P.; Palmeiro, B.; Perez, J.; Querol, M.; Renner, J.; Rodriguez, J.; Romo-Luque, C.; Simon, A.; Sorel, M.; Yahlali, N. |
| Title |
Electroluminescence TPCs at the thermal diffusion limit |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2019 |
Publication |
Journal of High Energy Physics |
Abbreviated Journal |
J. High Energy Phys. |
| Volume |
01 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
027 - 23pp |
| Keywords |
Dark Matter and Double Beta Decay (experiments); Photon production; Particle correlations and fluctuations; Rare decay |
| Abstract |
The NEXT experiment aims at searching for the hypothetical neutrinoless double-beta decay from the Xe-136 isotope using a high-purity xenon TPC. Efficient discrimination of the events through pattern recognition of the topology of primary ionisation tracks is a major requirement for the experiment. However, it is limited by the diffusion of electrons. It is known that the addition of a small fraction of a molecular gas to xenon reduces electron diffusion. On the other hand, the electroluminescence (EL) yield drops and the achievable energy resolution may be compromised. We have studied the effect of adding several molecular gases to xenon (CO2, CH4 and CF4) on the EL yield and energy resolution obtained in a small prototype of driftless gas proportional scintillation counter. We have compared our results on the scintillation characteristics (EL yield and energy resolution) with a microscopic simulation, obtaining the diffusion coefficients in those conditions as well. Accordingly, electron diffusion may be reduced from about 10 for pure xenon down to 2.5 using additive concentrations of about 0.05%, 0.2% and 0.02% for CO2, CH4 and CF4, respectively. Our results show that CF4 admixtures present the highest EL yield in those conditions, but very poor energy resolution as a result of huge fluctuations observed in the EL formation. CH4 presents the best energy resolution despite the EL yield being the lowest. The results obtained with xenon admixtures are extrapolated to the operational conditions of the NEXT-100 TPC. CO2 and CH4 show potential as molecular additives in a large xenon TPC. While CO2 has some operational constraints, making it difficult to be used in a large TPC, CH4 shows the best performance and stability as molecular additive to be used in the NEXT-100 TPC, with an extrapolated energy resolution of 0.4% at 2.45 MeV for concentrations below 0.4%, which is only slightly worse than the one obtained for pure xenon. We demonstrate the possibility to have an electroluminescence TPC operating very close to the thermal diffusion limit without jeopardizing the TPC performance, if CO2 or CH4 are chosen as additives. |
| Address |
[Henriques, C. A. O.; Monteiro, C. M. B.; Freitas, E. D. C.; Mano, R. D. P.; Jorge, M. R.; Fernandes, A. F. M.; Fernandes, L. M. P.; dos Santos, J. M. F.] Univ Coimbra, Phys Dept, LIBPhys, Rua Larga, P-3004516 Coimbra, Portugal, Email: pancho@gian.fis.uc.pt |
| Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
Springer |
Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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| Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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| Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1029-8479 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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| Area |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
WOS:000455157300002 |
Approved |
no |
| Is ISI |
yes |
International Collaboration |
yes |
| Call Number |
IFIC @ pastor @ |
Serial |
3873 |
| Permanent link to this record |
