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Abstract

A detailed description of the CUORICINO n130Te neutrinoless double-beta (0 νββ) decay experiment is given and recent results are reported. CUORICINO is an array of 62 tellurium oxide (TeOn2) bolometers with an active mass of 40.7 kg. It is cooled to ∼8–10 mK by a dilution refrigerator shielded from environmental radioactivity and energetic neutrons. It is running in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Assergi, Italy. These data represent an exposure of 11.83 kg yr or 91 mole-years of n130Te. No evidence for 0 νββ-decay was observed and a limit of T 0 ν 1/2(n130Te) ≥3.0 × 10n24 y (90% CL) is set. This corresponds to an upper limit on the effective mass, {mν}, between 0.19 and 0.68 eV when analyzed with the many published nuclear structure calculations. In the context of these nuclear models, the values fall within the range corresponding to the claim of evidence of 0 νββ-decay by H. V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus et al. The experiment continues to acquire data.

Disciplines

Physics

Number of Pages

17

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This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Physical Society. The following article appeared in Physical Review C.

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URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/phy_fac/342