Search for neutrinoless double-[beta] decay in [sup 136]Xe with a time projection chamber

Journal Article · Sun Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.48.1009· OSTI ID:6329970

Vuilleumier, J; Busto, J; Farine, J; Joergens, V; Mitchell, L W; Treichel, M; Vuilleumier, J ^[1]; Wong, H T; Boehm, F; Fisher, P; Henrikson, H E; Imel, D A; Iqbal, M Z; O'Callaghan-Hay, B M; Thomas, J ^[2]; Gabathuler, K ^[3]

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1. Institut de Physique, A.-L. Breguet 1, 2000 Neuchatel (Switzerland)
2. Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States)
3. Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen-PSI (Switzerland)

A xenon time projection chamber (TPC) with an active volume of 180 liters has been built to study neutrinoless double-[beta] decay in [sup 136]Xe. The experiment was performed in the Gotthard Underground Laboratory, with 5 atm of xenon enriched to 62.5% in [sup 136]Xe. The experimental details, background considerations, detector performance, and data analysis are discussed. From 6830 h of data, no evidence has been found for the 0[nu] 0[sup +][r arrow]0[sup +] transition. Half-life limits of [ital T][sub 1/2][sup 0[nu]][gt]3.4(6.4)[times]10[sup 23] yr in the mass mechanism mode, and [ital T][sub 1/2][sup 0[nu]][gt]2.6(4.9)[times]10[sup 23] yr in the right-handed currents mode, at the 90(68)% C.L., were derived, corresponding to an upper limit on the Majorana neutrino mass parameter [l angle][ital m][sub [nu]][r angle] of about 2.8 eV. Limits on two-neutrino double-[beta] decay of [ital T][sub 1/2][sup 2[nu]][gt]2.1[times]10[sup 20] yr, and on neutrinoless double-[beta] decay with Majoron emission of [ital T][sub 1/2][sup 0[nu][chi]][gt]4.9[times]10[sup 21] yr, both at 90% C.L., were also derived. Accordingly, a limit on the effective Majoron-neutrino coupling parameter of [l angle][ital g][sub [ital M]][r angle][lt]2.4[times]10[sup [minus]4] was deduced.

• OSTI ID: 6329970
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States) Vol. 48:3; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
BETA DECAY
BETA-MINUS DECAY
DATA ANALYSIS
DECAY
DOUBLE BETA DECAY
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EXPERIMENT PLANNING
FERMIONS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LEPTONS
MASS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
NEUTRINOS
NUCLEAR DECAY
NUCLEI
PLANNING
STABLE ISOTOPES
TIME PROJECTION CHAMBERS
XENON 136
XENON ISOTOPES