Publication: Fluorescent bicolour sensor for low-background neutrinoless double β decay experiments
Authors
Rivilla, Iván ; Aparicio, Borja ; Bueno García, Juan Manuel ; Casanova, David ; Tonnelé, Claire ; Freixa, Zoraida ; Herrero, Pablo ; Rogero, Celia ; Miranda, José I. ; Martínez-Ojeda, Rosa M. ; Monrabal, Francesc ; Olave, Beñat ; Schäfer, Thomas ; Artal, Pablo ; Nygren, David ; Cossío, Fernando P. ; Gómez-Cadenas, Juan J.
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Publisher
Nature Research
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Description
© 2020, Nature Research
Abstract
Observation of the neutrinoless double β decay is the only practical way to establish that neutrinos are their own antiparticles1. Because of the small masses of neutrinos, the lifetime of neutrinoless double β decay is expected to be at least ten orders of magnitude greater than the typical lifetimes of natural radioactive chains, which can mimic the experimental signature of neutrinoless double β decay2. The most robust identification of neutrinoless double β decay requires the definition of a signature signal—such as the observation of the daughter atom in the decay—that cannot be generated by radioactive backgrounds, as well as excellent energy resolution. In particular, the neutrinoless double β decay of 136Xe could be established by detecting the daughter atom, 136Ba2+, in its doubly ionized state3–8. Here we demonstrate an important step towards a ‘barium-tagging’ experiment, which identifies double β decay through the detection of a single Ba2+ ion. We propose a fluorescent bicolour indicator as the core of a sensor that can detect single Ba2+ ions in a high-pressure xenon gas detector. In a sensor made of a monolayer of such indicators, the Ba2+ dication would be captured by one of the molecules and generate a Ba2+-coordinated species with distinct photophysical properties. The presence of such a single Ba2+-coordinated indicator would be revealed by its response to repeated interrogation with a laser system, enabling the development of a sensor able to detect single Ba2+ ions in high-pressure xenon gas detectors for barium-tagging experiments.
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Citation
Nature 583, 48–54 (2020)
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