The Beta Environmental Fine Structure (BEFS): The XAFS Nuclear Analogue
- ITC-IRST and INFN sez. Padova, Via Sommarive, 18 I-38050 Povo (Italy)
- Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali dell'Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Via Cozzi 53, I-20125 Milan (Italy)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) sez. Milano-Bicocca, Piazza delle Scienze 3, I-20126 Milan (Italy)
- Dipartimento di Fisica dell'Universita dell'Aquila, Via Vetoio, I-67010 Coppito di L'Aquila (Italy)
The Beta Environmental Fine Structure (BEFS) effect is an oscillatory modulation on the otherwise smooth spectrum of electrons emitted by beta-decaying nuclei. The existence of this effect was theoretically proposed in 1991, for condensed emitters, in analogy with XAFS. In BEFS the electron, playing the role of the XAFS photoelectron, originates directly from the nucleus and an anti-neutrino is emitted at the same time. We present evidence for BEFS oscillations observed in Silver Perrhenate (AgReO4) low-temperature (0.1K) microbolometers, together with a XAFS-like analysis that allowed for the first time a direct measurement of the anti-neutrino angular momentum. We discuss the physical analogies and differences between BEFS and XAFS and the implications for the next generation experiments aimed at measuring the neutrino mass on purely kinematic grounds. Moreover, we briefly discuss the potential and the limits of BEFS-based techniques with respect to the classical XAFS.
- OSTI ID:
- 21054577
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 882, Issue 1; Conference: XAFS13: 13. international conference on X-ray absorption fine structure, Stanford, CA (United States), 9-14 Jul 2006; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2644456; (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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