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arXiv · 1511.09246

Sensitivity of NEXT-100 to neutrinoless double beta decay

NEXT Collaboration·J. Martín-Albo·J. Muñoz Vidal·P. Ferrario·M. Nebot-Guinot·J. J. Gómez-Cadenas·V. Álvarez·C. D. R. Azevedo·F. I. G. Borges·S. Cárcel·S. Cebrián·A. Cervera·C. A. N. Conde·J. Díaz·M. Diesburg·R. Esteve·L. M. P. Fernandes·A. L. Ferreira·E. D. C. Freitas·A. Goldschmidt·D. González-Díaz·R. M. Gutiérrez·J. Hauptman·C. A. O. Henriques·J. A. Hernando Morata·L. Labarga·A. Laing·P. Lebrun·I. Liubarsky·N. López-March·D. Lorca·M. Losada·G. Martínez-Lema·A. Martínez·F. Monrabal·C. M. B. Monteiro·F. J. Mora·L. M. Moutinho·P. Novella·D. Nygren·B. Palmeiro·A. Para·J. Pérez·M. Querol·J. Renner·L. Ripoll·J. Rodríguez·F. P. Santos·J. M. F. dos Santos·L. Serra·D. Shuman·A. Simón·C. Sofka·M. Sorel·T. Stiegler·J. F. Toledo·J. Torrent·Z. Tsamalaidze·J. F. C. A. Veloso·R. Webb·J. T. White·N. Yahlali·H. Yepes-Ramírez
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Abstract

NEXT-100 is an electroluminescent high-pressure xenon gas time projection chamber that will search for the neutrinoless double beta ($ββ0 ν$) decay of Xe-136. The detector possesses two features of great value for $ββ0 ν$ searches: energy resolution better than 1\% FWHM at the $Q$ value of Xe-136 and track reconstruction for the discrimination of signal and background events. This combination results in excellent sensitivity, as discussed in this paper. Material-screening measurements and a detailed Monte Carlo detector simulation predict a background rate for NEXT-100 of at most $4\times10^{-4}$ counts keV$^{-1}$ kg$^{-1}$ yr$^{-1}$. Accordingly, the detector will reach a sensitivity to the \bbonu-decay half-life of $2.8\times10^{25}$ years (90\% CL) for an exposure of 100 $\mathrm{kg}\cdot\mathrm{year}$, or $6.0\times10^{25}$ years after a run of 3 effective years.

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NEXT Collaboration, J. Martín-Albo, J. Muñoz Vidal, P. Ferrario, M. Nebot-Guinot, J. J. Gómez-Cadenas, V. Álvarez, C. D. R. Azevedo, F. I. G. Borges, S. Cárcel, S. Cebrián, A. Cervera, C. A. N. Conde, J. Díaz, M. Diesburg, R. Esteve, L. M. P. Fernandes, A. L. Ferreira, E. D. C. Freitas, A. Goldschmidt, D. González-Díaz, R. M. Gutiérrez, J. Hauptman, C. A. O. Henriques, J. A. Hernando Morata, L. Labarga, A. Laing, P. Lebrun, I. Liubarsky, N. López-March, D. Lorca, M. Losada, G. Martínez-Lema, A. Martínez, F. Monrabal, C. M. B. Monteiro, F. J. Mora, L. M. Moutinho, P. Novella, D. Nygren, B. Palmeiro, A. Para, J. Pérez, M. Querol, J. Renner, L. Ripoll, J. Rodríguez, F. P. Santos, J. M. F. dos Santos, L. Serra, D. Shuman, A. Simón, C. Sofka, M. Sorel, T. Stiegler, J. F. Toledo, J. Torrent, Z. Tsamalaidze, J. F. C. A. Veloso, R. Webb, J. T. White, N. Yahlali, H. Yepes-Ramírez. 2016-05-31. Sensitivity of NEXT-100 to neutrinoless double beta decay. https://doi.org/10.1007/jhep05(2016)159

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