The LUMINEU (Luminescent Underground Molybdenum Investigation for NEUtrino mass and nature) project envisages a high-sensitivity search for neutrinoless double beta (0 nu 2 beta) decay of Mo-100 with the help of scintillating bolometers based on zinc molybdate (ZnMoO4) crystals. One of the crucial points for the successful performance of this experiment is the development of a protocol for producing high quality large mass ZnMoO4 crystal scintillators with extremely high internal radiopurity. Here we report a significant progress in the development of large volume ZnMoO4 crystalline boules (with mass up to 1 kg) from deeply purified materials. We present and discuss the results achieved with two ZnMoO4 samples (with mass of about 0.3 kg each): one is a precursor of the LUMINEU project, while the other one was produced in the framework of LUMINEU with an improved purification / crystallization procedure. The two crystals were measured deep underground as scintillating bolometers in the EDELWEISS dilution refrigerator at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (France) protected by a rock overburden corresponding to 4800 m w.e. The results indicate that both tested crystals are highly radiopure. However, the advanced LUMINEU sample shows a clear improvement with respect to the precursor, exhibiting only a trace internal contamination related with Po-210 at the level of 1 mBq/kg, while the activity of Ra-226 and Th-228 is below 0.005 mBq/kg. This demonstrates that the LUMINEU purification and crystal-growth procedures are very efficient and leads to radiopurity levels which exceedingly satisfy not only the LUMINEU goals but also the requirements of a next-generation 0 nu 2 beta experiment.

Development and underground test of radiopure ZnMoO4 scintillating bolometers for the LUMINEU 0 nu 2 beta project

GIULIANI, ANDREA ERNESTO GUIDO;MANCUSO, MICHELE;
2015-01-01

Abstract

The LUMINEU (Luminescent Underground Molybdenum Investigation for NEUtrino mass and nature) project envisages a high-sensitivity search for neutrinoless double beta (0 nu 2 beta) decay of Mo-100 with the help of scintillating bolometers based on zinc molybdate (ZnMoO4) crystals. One of the crucial points for the successful performance of this experiment is the development of a protocol for producing high quality large mass ZnMoO4 crystal scintillators with extremely high internal radiopurity. Here we report a significant progress in the development of large volume ZnMoO4 crystalline boules (with mass up to 1 kg) from deeply purified materials. We present and discuss the results achieved with two ZnMoO4 samples (with mass of about 0.3 kg each): one is a precursor of the LUMINEU project, while the other one was produced in the framework of LUMINEU with an improved purification / crystallization procedure. The two crystals were measured deep underground as scintillating bolometers in the EDELWEISS dilution refrigerator at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (France) protected by a rock overburden corresponding to 4800 m w.e. The results indicate that both tested crystals are highly radiopure. However, the advanced LUMINEU sample shows a clear improvement with respect to the precursor, exhibiting only a trace internal contamination related with Po-210 at the level of 1 mBq/kg, while the activity of Ra-226 and Th-228 is below 0.005 mBq/kg. This demonstrates that the LUMINEU purification and crystal-growth procedures are very efficient and leads to radiopurity levels which exceedingly satisfy not only the LUMINEU goals but also the requirements of a next-generation 0 nu 2 beta experiment.
2015
http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-0221/10/05/P05007/pdf/1748-0221_10_05_P05007.pdf
Cryogenic detectors; Double-beta decay detectors; Hybrid detectors; Scintillators, scintillation and light emission processes (solid, gas and liquid scintillators);
Armengaud, E; Arnaud, Q.; Augier, C.; Benoît, A.; Benoît, A.; Bergé, L.; Boiko, R. S.; Bergmann, T.; Blümer, J.; Broniatowski, A.; Brudanin, V.; Camus, P.; Cazes, A.; Chapellier, M.; Charlieux, F.; Chernyak, D. M.; Coron, N.; Coulter, P.; Danevich, F. A.; De Boissière, T.; Decourt, R.; Jesus, M. De; Devoyon, L.; Drillien, A. A.; Dumoulin, L.; Eitel, K.; Enss, C.; Filosofov, D.; Fleischmann, A.; Foerster, N.; Fourches, N.; Gascon, J.; Gastaldo, L.; Gerbier, G.; Giuliani, ANDREA ERNESTO GUIDO; Gray, D.; Gros, M.; Hehn, L.; Henry, S.; Hervé, S.; Heuermann, G.; Humbert, V.; Ivanov, I. M.; Juillard, A.; Kéfélian, C.; Kleifges, M.; Kluck, H.; Kobychev, V. V.; Koskas, F.; Kozlov, V.; Kraus, H.; Kudryavtsev, V. A.; Sueur, H. Le; Loidl, M.; Magnier, P.; Makarov, E. P.; Mancuso, Michele; De Marcillac, P.; Marnieros, S.; Marrache Kikuchi, C.; Menshikov, A.; Nasonov, S. G.; Navick, X. F.; Nones, C.; Olivieri, E.; Pari, P.; Paul, B.; Penichot, Y.; Pessina, G.; Piro, M. C.; Plantevin, O.; Poda, D. V.; Redon, T.; Robinson, M.; Rodrigues, M.; Rozov, S.; Sanglard, V.; Schmidt, B.; Scorza, S.; Shlegel, V. N.; Siebenborn, B.; Strazzer, O.; Tcherniakhovski, D.; Tenconi, M.; Torres, L.; Tretyak, V. I.; Vagneron, L.; Vasiliev, Y. a. V.; Velazquez, M.; Viraphong, O.; Walker, R. J.; Weber, M.; Yakushev, E.; Zhang, X.; Zhdankov, V. N.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11383/2050311
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