Two-neutrino double-beta decay

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7263893

Guerard, O

Two previous independent reports of 2[nu][beta][beta]-decay by the ITEP-YPI collaboration, T[sup 2[nu]][sub 1/2] = (9 [+-] 1) x 10[sup 20] yr (1[sigma]), were confirmed using a 0.25 Kg Ge(Li) detector isotopically enriched to 86% in [sup 76]Ge. The detector was operated in the PNL-USC ultralow background facility in the Homestake gold mine for 168 days. Following a single correction to the data, a spectrum resembling that of the earlier PNL-USC experiment, with about the same intensity per [sup 76]Ge atom, per year, was observed with a measured half life of T[sup 2[nu]][sub 1/2] = (9.2[sup +0.7][sub [minus]0.2]) x 10[sup 21] y (90% C.L.), by observing the 590.76 and 539.53 keV gamma rays emitted in the 0[sup +][sub 1] [r arrow] 2[sup +] [r arrow] 0[sup +] de-excitation cascade. A review of the most relevant nuclear structure calculations is given, and their predictions are compared to the measurements from the present two experiments.

• Research Organization: South Carolina Univ., Columbia, SC (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7263893
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

663210* -- Ground-State Radioactivity-- (1992-)
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
BETA DECAY
BETA-MINUS DECAY
DE-EXCITATION
DECAY
DETECTION
DOUBLE BETA DECAY
ENERGY RANGE
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
KEV RANGE
KEV RANGE 100-1000
NEUTRINO DETECTION
NUCLEAR DECAY
NUCLEAR STRUCTURE
RADIATION DETECTION