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Author NEXT Collaboration (Alvarez, V. et al); Carcel, S.; Cervera-Villanueva, A.; Diaz, J.; Ferrario, P.; Gil, A.; Gomez-Cadenas, J.J.; Laing, A.; Liubarsky, I.; Lorca, D.; Martin-Albo, J.; Monrabal, F.; Muñoz Vidal, J.; Nebot-Guinot, M.; Rodriguez, J.; Serra, L.; Simon, A.; Sorel, M.; Yahlali, N.
Title Ionization and scintillation response of high-pressure xenon gas to alpha particles Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication Journal of Instrumentation Abbreviated Journal J. Instrum.
Volume 8 Issue Pages P05025 - 35pp
Keywords Charge transport, multiplication and electroluminescence in rare gases and liquids; Gaseous detectors; Double-beta decay detectors; Ionization and excitation processes
Abstract High-pressure xenon gas is an attractive detection medium for a variety of applications in fundamental and applied physics. In this paper we study the ionization and scintillation detection properties of xenon gas at 10 bar pressure. For this purpose, we use a source of alpha particles in the NEXT-DEMO time projection chamber, the large scale prototype of the NEXT-100 neutrinoless double beta decay experiment, in three different drift electric field configurations. We measure the ionization electron drift velocity and longitudinal diffusion, and compare our results to expectations based on available electron scattering cross sections on pure xenon. In addition, two types of measurements addressing the connection between the ionization and scintillation yields are performed. On the one hand we observe, for the first time in xenon gas, large event-by-event correlated fluctuations between the ionization and scintillation signals, similar to that already observed in liquid xenon. On the other hand, we study the field dependence of the average scintillation and ionization yields. Both types of measurements may shed light on the mechanism of electron-ion recombination in xenon gas for highly-ionizing particles. Finally, by comparing the response of alpha particles and electrons in NEXT-DEMO, we find no evidence for quenching of the primary scintillation light produced by alpha particles in the xenon gas.
Address [Alvarez, V.; Carcel, S.; Cervera, A.; Diaz, J.; Ferrario, P.; Gil, A.; Gomez-Cadenas, J. J.; Laing, A.; Liubarsky, I.; Lorca, D.; Martin-Albo, J.; Monrabal, F.; Munoz Vidal, J.; Nebot-Guinot, M.; Rodriguez, J.; Serra, L.; Simon, A.; Sorel, M.; Yahlali, N.] CSIC, Inst Fis Corpuscular IFIC, Valencia 46980, Spain, Email: sorel@ific.uv.es
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Iop Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1748-0221 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes WOS:000320726000035 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 1513
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Author NEXT Collaboration (Alvarez, V. et al); Carcel, S.; Cervera-Villanueva, A.; Diaz, J.; Ferrario, P.; Gil, A.; Gomez-Cadenas, J.J.; Liubarsky, I.; Lorca, D.; Martin-Albo, J.; Martinez, A.; Monrabal, F.; Muñoz Vidal, J.; Nebot-Guinot, M.; Rodriguez, J.; Serra, L.; Simon, A.; Sorel, M.; Yahlali, N.
Title Near-intrinsic energy resolution for 30-662 keV gamma rays in a high pressure xenon electroluminescent TPC Type Journal Article
Year 2013 Publication Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research A Abbreviated Journal Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A
Volume 708 Issue Pages 101-114
Keywords Xenon; Energy resolution; High-pressure; TPC; Electroluminescence; Neutrinoless double beta decay
Abstract We present the design, data and results from the NEXT prototype for Double Beta and Dark Matter (NEXT-DBDM) detector, a high-pressure gaseous natural xenon electroluminescent time projection chamber (TPC) that was built at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It is a prototype of the planned NEXT-100 Xe-136 neutrino-less double beta decay (0 nu beta beta) experiment with the main objectives of demonstrating near-intrinsic energy resolution at energies up to 662 keV and of optimizing the NEXT-100 detector design and operating parameters. Energy resolutions of similar to 1% FWHM for 662 keV gamma rays were obtained at 10 and 15 atm and similar to 5% FWHM for 30 keV fluorescence xenon X-rays. These results demonstrate that 0.5% FWHM resolutions for the 2459 keV hypothetical neutrino-less double beta decay peak are realizable. This energy resolution is a factor 7-20 better than that of the current leading 0 nu beta beta experiments using liquid xenon and thus represents a significant advancement. We present also first results from a track imaging system consisting of 64 silicon photo-multipliers recently installed in NEXT-DBDM that, along with the excellent energy resolution, demonstrates the key functionalities required for the NEXT-100 0 nu beta beta search.
Address [Alvarez, V.; Carcel, S.; Cervera, A.; Diaz, J.; Ferrario, P.; Gil, A.; Gomez-Cadenas, J. J.; Liubarsky, I.; Lorca, D.; Martin-Albo, J.; Martinez, A.; Monrabal, F.; Munoz Vidal, J.; Nebot-Guinot, M.; Rodriguez, J.; Serra, L.; Simon, A.; Sorel, M.; Yahlali, N.] CSIC, Inst Fis Corpuscular IFIC, Valencia 46980, Spain, Email: agoldschmidt@lbl.gov
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Elsevier Science Bv Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0168-9002 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes WOS:000316192300015 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 1369
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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 Thesis
Publisher Iop Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1475-7516 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes WOS:000301176000038 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 987
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Author Gomez-Cadenas, J.J.; Martin-Albo, J.; Sorel, M.; Ferrario, P.; Monrabal, F.; Muñoz, J.; Novella, P.; Poves, A.
Title Sense and sensitivity of double beta decay experiments Type Journal Article
Year 2011 Publication Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Abbreviated Journal J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys.
Volume 06 Issue 6 Pages 007 - 30pp
Keywords double beta decay; neutrino experiments; neutrino properties
Abstract The search for neutrinoless double beta decay is a very active field in which the number of proposals for next-generation experiments has proliferated. In this paper we attempt to address both the sense and the sensitivity of such proposals. Sensitivity comes first, by means of proposing a simple and unambiguous statistical recipe to derive the sensitivity to a putative Majorana neutrino mass, m(beta beta). In order to make sense of how the different experimental approaches compare, we apply this recipe to a selection of proposals, comparing the resulting sensitivities. We also propose a “physics-motivated range” (PMR) of the nuclear matrix elements as a unifying criterium between the different nuclear models. The expected performance of the proposals is parametrized in terms of only four numbers: energy resolution, background rate (per unit time, isotope mass and energy), detection efficiency, and beta beta isotope mass. For each proposal, both a reference and an optimistic scenario for the experimental performance are studied. In the reference scenario we find that all the proposals will be able to partially explore the degenerate spectrum, without fully covering it, although four of them (KamLAND-Zen, CUORE, NEXT and EXO) will approach the 50 meV boundary. In the optimistic scenario, we find that CUORE and the xenon-based proposals (KamLAND-Zen, EXO and NEXT) will explore a significant fraction of the inverse hierarchy, with NEXT covering it almost fully. For the long term future, we argue that Xe-136-based experiments may provide the best case for a 1-ton scale experiment, given the potentially very low backgrounds achievable and the expected scalability to large isotope masses.
Address [Gomez-Cadenas, J. J.; Martin-Albo, J.; Sorel, M.; Ferrario, P.; Monrabal, F.; Munoz, J.] CSIC, IFIC, Valencia 46071, Spain, Email: gomez@mail.cern.ch
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Iop Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1475-7516 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes ISI:000292332400007 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration no
Call Number IFIC @ elepoucu @ Serial 675
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Author SuperNEMO Collaboration (Argyriades, J. et al); Carcel, S.; Diaz, J.; Monrabal, F.; Serra, L.; Yahlali, N.
Title Results of the BiPo-1 prototype for radiopurity measurements for the SuperNEMO double beta decay source foils Type Journal Article
Year 2010 Publication Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research A Abbreviated Journal Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A
Volume 622 Issue 1 Pages 120-128
Keywords Double beta decay; NEMO-3; SuperNEMO; BiPo; Majorana neutrino; Radiopurity
Abstract The development of BiPo detectors is dedicated to the measurement of extremely high radiopurity in (TI)-T-208 and Bi-214 for the SuperNEMO double beta decay source foils. A modular prototype, called BiPo-1, with 0.8 m(2) of sensitive surface area, has been running in the Modane Underground Laboratory since February, 2008. The goal of BiPo-1 is to measure the different components of the background and in particular the surface radiopurity of the plastic scintillators that make up the detector. The first phase of data collection has been dedicated to the measurement of the radiopurity in (TI)-T-208. After more than one year of background measurement, a surface activity of the scintillators of A((TI)-T-208) = 1.5 μBq/m(2) is reported here. Given this level of background, a larger BiPo detector having 12 m(2) of active surface area, is able to qualify the radiopurity of the SuperNEMO selenium double beta decay foils with the required sensitivity of A((TI)-T-208) <2 μBq/kg (90% CL.) with a six month measurement.
Address [Argyriades, J.; Augier, C.; Bongrand, M.; Bourgeois, C.; Breton, D.; Briere, M.; Broudin-Bay, G.; Garrido, X.; Jenzer, S.; Jullian, S.; Sarazin, X.; Simard, L.; Szklarz, G.] Univ Paris 11, LAL, CNRS, IN2P3, F-91405 Orsay, France, Email: sarazin@lal.in2p3.fr
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Elsevier Science Bv Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0168-9002 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes ISI:000282530300016 Approved no
Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes
Call Number IFIC @ elepoucu @ Serial 364
Permanent link to this record