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Fluorescent bicolour sensor for low-background neutrinoless double β decay experiments

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dc.contributor.authorRivilla, Iván
dc.contributor.authorAparicio, Borja
dc.contributor.authorBueno García, Juan Manuel
dc.contributor.authorCasanova, David
dc.contributor.authorTonnelé, Claire
dc.contributor.authorFreixa, Zoraida
dc.contributor.authorHerrero, Pablo
dc.contributor.authorRogero, Celia
dc.contributor.authorMiranda, José I.
dc.contributor.authorMartínez-Ojeda, Rosa M.
dc.contributor.authorMonrabal, Francesc
dc.contributor.authorOlave, Beñat
dc.contributor.authorSchäfer, Thomas
dc.contributor.authorArtal, Pablo
dc.contributor.authorNygren, David
dc.contributor.authorCossío, Fernando P.
dc.contributor.authorGómez-Cadenas, Juan J.
dc.contributor.departmentFísica
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-08T11:42:58Z
dc.date.available2025-10-08T11:42:58Z
dc.date.issued2020-06-22
dc.description© 2020, Nature Research
dc.description.abstractObservation 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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dc.format.extent22
dc.identifier.citationNature 583, 48–54 (2020)
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2431-5
dc.identifier.eissn1476-4687
dc.identifier.issn0028-0836
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10201/165229
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherNature Research
dc.relationthe European Research Council (ERC) under Advanced Grant 339787-NEXT; the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain and FEDER under grants FIS2014-53371-C04, FIS2016-76163-R, MAT2016-78293-C6-5-R, MINECO/FEDER CT2016-80955-P, CTQ2016-80375-P and CTQ2014-51912-REDC; Interred PCTEFA V-A Spain/France/Andorra Program (EFA 194/16/TNSI); the Basque Government (GV/EJ) under grants IT-1346-19 and IT-1180-19; and Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Región de Murcia (19897/GERM/15). The authors also thank the SGI/IZO-SGIker UPV/EHU, Fundación Séneca and DIPC for computational and analytical resources.
dc.relation.publisherversionhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2431-5
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International*
dc.rights.accessRightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/*
dc.subject.odsNo relacionado con ningún objetivo de desarrollo sostenible
dc.titleFluorescent bicolour sensor for low-background neutrinoless double β decay experiments
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article
dspace.entity.typePublicationes
relation.isAuthorOfPublication460f1110-b358-474a-9e08-f92fabe4be2b
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery460f1110-b358-474a-9e08-f92fabe4be2b
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