No Arabic abstract
Using data from the NEMO-3 experiment, we have measured the two-neutrino double beta decay ($2 ubetabeta$) half-life of $^{82}$Se as $T_{1/2}^{2 u} = left[ 9.39 pm 0.17,left(mbox{stat}right) pm 0.58,left(mbox{syst}right)right] times 10^{19}$ y under the single-state dominance hypothesis for this nuclear transition. The corresponding nuclear matrix element is $left|M^{2 u}right| = 0.0498 pm 0.0016$. In addition, a search for neutrinoless double beta decay ($0 ubetabeta$) using 0.93 kg of $^{82}$Se observed for a total of 5.25 y has been conducted and no evidence for a signal has been found. The resulting half-life limit of $T_{1/2}^{0 u} > 2.5 times 10^{23} ,mbox{y} ,(90%,mbox{C.L.})$ for the light neutrino exchange mechanism leads to a constraint on the effective Majorana neutrino mass of $langle m_{ u} rangle < left(1.2 - 3.0right) ,mbox{eV}$, where the range reflects $0 ubetabeta$ nuclear matrix element values from different calculations. Furthermore, constraints on lepton number violating parameters for other $0 ubetabeta$ mechanisms, such as right-handed currents, majoron emission and R-parity violating supersymmetry modes have been set.
The LUCIFER project aims at deploying the first array of enriched scintillating bolometers for the investigation of neutrinoless double-beta decay of $^{82}$Se. The matrix which embeds the source is an array of ZnSe crystals, where enriched $^{82}$Se is used as decay isotope. The radiopurity of the initial components employed for manufacturing crystals, that can be operated as bolometers, is crucial for achieving a null background level in the region of interest for double-beta decay investigations. In this work, we evaluated the radioactive content in 2.5 kg of 96.3% enriched $^{82}$Se metal, measured with a high-purity germanium detector at the Gran Sasso deep underground laboratory. The limits on internal contaminations of primordial decay chain elements of $^{232}$Th, $^{238}$U and $^{235}$U are respectively: $<$61 $mu$Bq/kg, $< $110 $mu$Bq/kg and $<$74 $mu$Bq/kg at 90% C.L.. The extremely low-background conditions in which the measurement was carried out and the high radiopurity of the $^{82}$Se allowed us to establish the most stringent lower limits on the half-lives of double-beta decay of $^{82}$Se to 0$^+_1$, 2$^+_2$ and 2$^+_1$ excited states of $^{82}$Kr of 3.4$cdot$10$^{22}$ y, 1.3$cdot$10$^{22}$ y and 1.0$cdot$10$^{22}$ y, respectively, with a 90% C.L..
The NEMO-3 detector, which had been operating in the Modane Underground Laboratory from 2003 to 2010, was designed to search for neutrinoless double $beta$ ($0 ubetabeta$) decay. We report final results of a search for $0 ubetabeta$ decays with $6.914$ kg of $^{100}$Mo using the entire NEMO-3 data set with a detector live time of $4.96$ yr, which corresponds to an exposure of 34.3 kg$cdot$yr. We perform a detailed study of the expected background in the $0 ubetabeta$ signal region and find no evidence of $0 ubetabeta$ decays in the data. The level of observed background in the $0 ubetabeta$ signal region $[2.8-3.2]$ MeV is $0.44 pm 0.13$ counts/yr/kg, and no events are observed in the interval $[3.2-10]$ MeV. We therefore derive a lower limit on the half-life of $0 ubetabeta$ decays in $^{100}$Mo of $T_{1/2}(0 ubetabeta)> 1.1 times 10^{24}$ yr at the $90%$ Confidence Level, under the hypothesis of light Majorana neutrino exchange. Depending on the model used for calculating nuclear matrix elements, the limit for the effective Majorana neutrino mass lies in the range $langle m_{ u} rangle < 0.33$--$0.62$ eV. We also report constraints on other lepton-number violating mechanisms for $0 ubetabeta$ decays.
We report the result of the search for neutrinoless double beta decay of $^{82}$Se obtained with CUPID-0, the first large array of scintillating Zn$^{82}$Se cryogenic calorimeters implementing particle identification. We observe no signal in a 1.83 kg yr $^{82}$Se exposure and we set the most stringent lower limit on the onu $^{82}$Se half-life T$^{0 u}_{1/2}>$ 2.4$times mathrm{10}^{24}$ yr (90% credible interval), which corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass m$_{betabeta} <$ (376-770) meV depending on the nuclear matrix element calculations. The heat-light readout provides a powerful tool for the rejection of al particles and allows to suppress the background in the region of interest down to (3.6$^{+1.9}_{-1.4}$)$times$10$^{-3}$ckky, an unprecedented level for this technique.
We report the results of a search for the neutrinoless double-$beta$ decay (0$ ubetabeta$) of $^{100}$Mo, using the NEMO-3 detector to reconstruct the full topology of the final state events. With an exposure of 34.7 kg.y, no evidence for the 0$ ubetabeta$ signal has been found, yielding a limit for the light Majorana neutrino mass mechanism of $T_{1/2}(0 ubetabeta)>1.1 times 10^{24}$ years (90% C.L.) once both statistical and systematic uncertainties are taken into account. Depending on the Nuclear Matrix Elements this corresponds to an upper limit on the Majorana effective neutrino mass of $< m_{ u} > < 0.3-0.9$ eV (90% C.L.). Constraints on other lepton number violating mechanisms of 0$ ubetabeta$ decays are also given. Searching for high-energy double electron events in all suitable sources of the detector, no event in the energy region [3.2-10] MeV is observed for an exposure of 47 kg.y.
The double beta decay of 100Mo to the 0^+_1 and 2^+_1 excited states of 100Ru is studied using the NEMO 3 data. After the analysis of 8024 h of data the half-life for the two-neutrino double beta decay of 100Mo to the excited 0^+_1 state is measured to be T^(2nu)_1/2 = [5.7^{+1.3}_{-0.9}(stat)+/-0.8(syst)]x 10^20 y. The signal-to-background ratio is equal to 3. Information about energy and angular distributions of emitted electrons is also obtained. No evidence for neutrinoless double beta decay to the excited 0^+_1 state has been found. The corresponding half-life limit is T^(0nu)_1/2(0^+ --> 0^+_1) > 8.9 x 10^22 y (at 90% C.L.). The search for the double beta decay to the 2^+_1 excited state has allowed the determination of limits on the half-life for the two neutrino mode T^(2nu)_1/2(0^+ --> 2^+_1) > 1.1 x 10^21 y (at 90% C.L.) and for the neutrinoless mode T^(0nu)_1/2(0^+ --> 2^+_1) > 1.6 x 10^23 y (at 90% C.L.).