Low-background tracker development for SuperNEMO

Journal Article · Thu Aug 08 04:00:00 EDT 2013 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4818097· OSTI ID:22218169

Mott, James ^[1]; others, and

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1. University College London, London, WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)

The SuperNEMO experiment will search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) with a target sensitivity of T{sub 1/2}(0ν) > 10{sup 26} years, corresponding to an effective neutrino mass of 50-100 meV. At its heart there is a low-background gaseous tracking detector which allows for extremely efficient background rejection and, if 0νββ is observed, may provide important insights into the mechanism via which it may be mediated. Radon inside the tracker, which can mimic rare ββ events, is one of the most dangerous backgrounds for SuperNEMO. To reach the target sensitivity the radon concentration inside the tracking volume must be < 0.15 mBq/m{sup 3}. To reach this challengingly-low level of radon, a considerable program of R and D has been undertaken. This includes automation of the tracker-wiring process, development of a dedicated setup to measure radon diffusion and a 'radon concentration line' which will be able to measure levels of radon in the μBq/m{sup 3} range.

• OSTI ID: 22218169
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1549; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
AUTOMATION
CONCENTRATION RATIO
DOUBLE BETA DECAY
EFFECTIVE MASS
GAS TRACK DETECTORS
MILLI EV RANGE
MULTIPARTICLE SPECTROMETERS
NEUTRINOS
PARTICLE IDENTIFICATION
PARTICLE TRACKS
RADON
SENSITIVITY