Potential of a next generation neutrinoless double beta decay experiment based on ZnMoO4 scintillating bolometers
Creators
- 1. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- 2. Institute for Nuclear Research, MSP 03680 Kyiv, Ukraine
- 3. Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University, MSP 03680 Kyiv, Ukraine
- 4. Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
- 5. Centre de Spectrome ́trie Nuclaire et de Spectrome ́trie de Masse, CNRS and Universite ́ Paris-Sud, F-91405 Orsay, France and Universita` dell’Insubria, Dipartimento di Fisica e Matematica, I-22100 Como, Italy
- 6. Centre de Spectrome ́trie Nuclaire et de Spectrome ́trie de Masse, CNRS and Universite ́ Paris-Sud, F-91405 Orsay, France
- 7. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, I-20126 Milano, Italy
- 8. Universita` dell’Insubria, Dipartimento di Fisica e Matematica, I-22100 Como, Italy
Description
The search for neutrinoless double β decay probes lepton number conservation with high sensitivity and investigates the neutrino nature and mass scale. Experiments presently in preparation will cover the quasi-degeneracy region of the neutrino mass pattern. Probing the socalled inverted hierarchy region requires improved sensitivities and next-generation experiments, based either on large expansions of the present searches or on new ideas. We examine here the potential of a novel technology relying on ZnMoO4 scintillating bolometers, which can provide an experiment with background close to zero in the ton × year exposure scale. The promising performance of a pilot detector is presented, both in terms of energy resolution and background control. A preliminary study of the sensitivities of future experiments shows that the inverted hierarchy region is within the reach of the technique here proposed. A realistic phased approach program towards a next-generation search is presented and briefly discussed.
Files
1112.3672v1.pdf
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