PT Journal
AU NEXT Collaboration (McDonald, ADea
   Alvarez, V
   Benlloch-Rodriguez, JM
   Botas, A
   Carcel, S
   Carrion, JV
   Diaz, J
   Felkai, R
   Ferrario, P
   Gomez-Cadenas, JJ
   Laing, A
   Liubarsky, I
   Lopez-March, N
   Martinez, A
   Muñoz Vidal, J
   Musti, M
   Nebot-Guinot, M
   Novella, P
   Palmeiro, B
   Perez, J
   Renner, J
   Rodriguez, J
   Simon, A
   Sofka, C
   Sorel, M
   Torrent, J
   Yahlali, N
TI Demonstration of Single-Barium-Ion Sensitivity for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Using Single-Molecule Fluorescence Imaging
SO Physical Review Letters
JI Phys. Rev. Lett.
PY 2018
BP 132504
EP 6pp
VL 120
IS 13
DI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.132504
LA English
AB A new method to tag the barium daughter in the double-beta decay of Xe-136 is reported. Using the technique of single molecule fluorescent imaging (SMFI), individual barium dication (Ba++) resolution at a transparent scanning surface is demonstrated. A single-step photobleach confirms the single ion interpretation. Individual ions are localized with superresolution (similar to 2 nm), and detected with a statistical significance of 12.9 sigma over backgrounds. This lays the foundation for a new and potentially background-free neutrinoless double-beta decay technology, based on SMFI coupled to high pressure xenon gas time projection chambers.
ER