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arXiv · 1108.2771

Low background detector with enriched 116CdWO4 crystal scintillators to search for double beta decay of 116Cd

Abstract

A cadmium tungstate crystal boule enriched in $^{116}$Cd to 82% with mass of 1868 g was grown by the low-thermal-gradient Czochralski technique. The isotopic composition of cadmium and the trace contamination of the crystal were estimated by High Resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass-Spectrometry. The crystal scintillators produced from the boule were subjected to characterization that included measurements of transmittance and energy resolution. A low background scintillation detector with two $^{116}$CdWO$_4$ crystal scintillators (586 g and 589 g) was developed. The detector was running over 1727 h deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories of the INFN (Italy), which allowed to estimate the radioactive contamination of the enriched crystal scintillators. The radiopurity of a third $^{116}$CdWO$_4$ sample (326 g) was tested with the help of ultra-low background high purity germanium $\gamma$ detector. Monte Carlo simulations of double $\beta$ processes in $^{116}$Cd were used to estimate the sensitivity of an experiment to search for double $\beta$ decay of $^{116}$Cd.

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A. S. Barabash, P. Belli, R. Bernabei, R. S. Boiko, F. Cappella, V. Caracciolo, D. M. Chernyak, R. Cerulli, F. A. Danevich, M. L. Di Vacri, A. E. Dossovitskiy, E. N. Galashov, A. Incicchitti, V. V. Kobychev, S. I. Konovalov, G. P. Kovtun, V. M. Kudovbenko, M. Laubenstein, A. L. Mikhlin, S. Nisi, D. V. Poda, R. B. Podviyanuk, O. G. Polischuk, A. P. Shcherban, V. N. Shlegel, D. A. Solopikhin, Yu. G. Stenin, V. I. Tretyak, V. I. Umatov, Ya. V. Vasiliev, V. D. Virich. 2011-08-13. Low background detector with enriched 116CdWO4 crystal scintillators to search for double beta decay of 116Cd. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/6/08/p08011

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