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

Thapa, P.; Arnquist, Isaac J.; Byrnes, N.; Denisenko, A. A.; Foss, Frank Wells; Jones, B. J.  P.; McDonald, Austin D.; Nygren, David Robert; Woodruff, Katherine

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-49283-x

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

Journal Article · Tue Oct 22 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Scientific Reports

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49283-x· OSTI ID:1624488

Thapa, P. ^[1]; Arnquist, Isaac J. ^[2]; Byrnes, N. ^[3]; Denisenko, A. A. ^[4]; Foss, Frank Wells ^[4]; Jones, B. J. P. ^[3]; McDonald, Austin D. ^[3]; Nygren, David Robert ^[3]; Woodruff, Katherine ^[3]

University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas (United States). Department of Physics; University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas (United States). Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas (United States). Department of Physics
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas (United States). Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

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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Research Organization:: Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Univ. of Texas at Arlington, TX (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0019054; SC0019223; AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 1624488

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1863381; OSTI ID: 1908623

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA-172091; PII: 49283

Journal Information:: Scientific Reports, Vol. 9, Issue 1; ISSN 2045-2322

Publisher:: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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