Measurement of the 2νββ decay half-life and search for the 0νββ decay of Cd116 with the NEMO-3 detector

The NEMO-3 experiment measured the half-life of the 2νββ decay and searched for the 0νββ decay of Cd116. Using 410 g of Cd116 installed in the detector with an exposure of 5.26 y, (4968±74) events corresponding to the 2νββ decay of Cd116 to the ground state of Sn116 have been observed with a signal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. D 2017-01, Vol.95 (1)
Main Author: Arnold, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
double beta decay
Half-life
NEMO-3
Neutrinos
NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
Particle decay
Supersymmetry
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Summary:The NEMO-3 experiment measured the half-life of the 2νββ decay and searched for the 0νββ decay of Cd116. Using 410 g of Cd116 installed in the detector with an exposure of 5.26 y, (4968±74) events corresponding to the 2νββ decay of Cd116 to the ground state of Sn116 have been observed with a signal to background ratio of about 12. The half-life of the 2νββ decay has been measured to be T1/22ν=[2.74±0.04(stat)±0.18(syst)]×1019  y. No events have been observed above the expected background while searching for 0νββ decay. The corresponding limit on the half-life is determined to be T1/20ν≥1.0×1023  y at the 90% C.L. which corresponds to an upper limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass of ⟨mν⟩≤1.4–2.5  eV depending on the nuclear matrix elements considered. Limits on other mechanisms generating 0νββ decay such as the exchange of R-parity violating supersymmetric particles, right-handed currents and majoron emission are also obtained.
ISSN:2470-0010
2470-0029