Measurement of the double-{beta} decay half-life of {sup 150}Nd and search for neutrinoless decay modes with the NEMO-3 detector

Journal Article · Tue Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVC.80.032501· OSTI ID:21293803

Argyriades, J; Augier, C; Bongrand, M; Jullian, S; Lalanne, D; Sarazin, X; Simard, L; Szklarz, G ^[1]; Arnold, R ^[2]; Baker, J; Caffrey, A J ^[3]; Barabash, A S; Konovalov, S I; Umatov, V; Vanyushin, I ^[4]; Basharina-Freshville, A; Daraktchieva, Z; Flack, R; Kauer, M; King, S ^[5]

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1. LAL, Universite Paris-Sud 11, CNRS/IN2P3, Orsay (France)
2. IPHC, Universite de Strasbourg, CNRS/IN2P3, F-67037 Strasbourg (France)
3. INL, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415 (United States)
4. Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, RU-117259 Moscow (Russian Federation)
5. University College London, WC1E 6BT London (United Kingdom)

The half-life for double-{beta} decay of {sup 150}Nd has been measured by the NEMO-3 experiment at the Modane Underground Laboratory. Using 924.7 days of data recorded with 36.55 g of {sup 150}Nd, we measured the half-life for 2{nu}{beta}{beta} decay to be T{sub 1/2}{sup 2{nu}}=(9.11{sub -0.22}{sup +0.25}(stat.){+-}0.63(syst.))x10{sup 18} yr. The observed limit on the half-life for neutrinoless double-{beta} decay is found to be T{sub 1/2}{sup 0{nu}}>1.8x10{sup 22} yr at 90% confidence level. This translates into a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass of <m{sub {nu}}><4.0-6.3 eV if the nuclear deformation is taken into account. We also set limits on models involving Majoron emission, right-handed currents, and transitions to excited states.

• OSTI ID: 21293803
• Journal Information: Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics, Vol. 80, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.80.032501; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2813
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
DOUBLE BETA DECAY
EMISSION
EXCITED STATES
HALF-LIFE
MAJORANA THEORY
MASS
NEODYMIUM 150
NEUTRINOS
NUCLEAR DEFORMATION
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES