First Results of the Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay with the NEMO 3 Detector

Journal Article · Fri Oct 28 00:00:00 EDT 2005 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.182302· OSTI ID:20699489

Arnold, R; Caurier, E; Guyonnet, J L; Jollet, C; Nowacki, F ^[1]; Augier, C; Errahmane, K; Etienvre, A I; Jullian, S; Lalanne, D; Sarazin, X; Simard, L; Szklarz, G ^[2]; Baker, J; Caffrey, A J ^[3]; Barabash, A; Konovalov, S; Umatov, V; Vanushin, I; Vasilyev, V ^[4]

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1. IReS, IN2P3-CNRS and ULP, 67037 Strasbourg (France)
2. LAL, IN2P3-CNRS and UPS, 91405 Orsay (France)
3. INL, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415 (United States)
4. ITEP, 117259 Moscow (Russian Federation); and others

The NEMO 3 detector, which has been operating in the Frejus underground laboratory since February 2003, is devoted to the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay ({beta}{beta}0{nu}). The half-lives of the two neutrino double-beta decay ({beta}{beta}2{nu}) have been measured for {sup 100}Mo and {sup 82}Se. After 389 effective days of data collection from February 2003 until September 2004 (phase I), no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay was found from {approx}7 kg of {sup 100}Mo and {approx}1 kg of {sup 82}Se. The corresponding limits are T{sub 1/2}({beta}{beta}0{nu})>4.6x10{sup 23} yr for {sup 100}Mo and T{sub 1/2}({beta}{beta}0{nu})>1.0x10{sup 23} yr for {sup 82}Se (90% C.L.). Depending on the nuclear matrix element calculation, the limits for the effective Majorana neutrino mass are <m{sub {nu}}><0.7-2.8 eV for {sup 100}Mo and <m{sub {nu}}><1.7-4.9 eV for {sup 82}Se.

• OSTI ID: 20699489
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 18 Vol. 95; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
DOUBLE BETA DECAY
EV RANGE 01-10
HALF-LIFE
MAJORANA THEORY
MASS
MOLYBDENUM 100
NEUTRINOS
NUCLEAR MATRIX
SELENIUM 82