Speaker
Mr
Francesc Monrabal
(IFIC)
Description
The NEXT-100 time projection chamber, currently under construction, will search for neutrinoless double beta decay (ββ0ν) using 100–150 kg of high-pressure xenon gas enriched in the 136Xe isotope to ∼90%. The detector possesses two important features for ββ0ν searches: very good energy resolution (better than 1% FWHM at the Q value of 136Xe) and event topological information for the distinction between signal and background. Furthermore, the technique can be extrapolated to the ton-scale, thus allowing the full exploration of the inverted hierarchy of neutrino masses.
NEXT-DEMO prototype has been operating for 2 years and it has evolved according the collaboration necessities. Nowadays it is operating with the same configuration that will be used for NEXT-100: charge amplification with electroluminescence, energy measurement with PMTs and topology reconstruction with SiPMs. First results shows that energy resolution of 0.8% FWHM at Qββ is achieved. The very prelimirary topology reconstructions of Cs137 events shows clearly identification of regions with very different energy deposition along the track allowing the identification of the end-point of the event.
Primary author
Mr
Francesc Monrabal
(IFIC)
