U.S.- France Cooperative Research: NEMO 3: A Double Beta Decay Experiment Searching for Massive Neutrinos to 0.1eV

9314576 Sutton这一为期三年的奖项支持美法在核物理方面的合作研究，合作研究涉及蒙霍利奥克学院的C.Sean Sutton和Howard W.Nicholson，巴黎大学(Orsay)的S.Jullian以及位于波尔多、卡昂和斯特拉斯堡的CNRS实验室的其他人。美国小组将加入NEMO-3(钼的无中微子实验)，这是法国、俄罗斯和乌克兰正在进行的寻找无中微子双β衰变的合作。中微子被认为是宇宙中缺失质量(暗物质)的主要候选者。探测中微子的一种方法是寻找双β衰变。使用下一代双贝塔衰变探测器，美国将参与法国阿尔卑斯山下的Frejus隧道的实验和巴黎的数据分析。美国实验者刚刚完成了对同位素钼中双贝塔衰变的密集搜索。在这项合作中，他们将开发提纯钼样品的方法，并研究在双β衰变源材料中识别放射性杂质的问题。法国人带来了他们在低本底工程和对这些材料的天然放射性含量的广泛测量方面的大量专业知识。俄罗斯和乌克兰的贡献包括大量放射性极低的钼，这对双贝塔衰变实验至关重要。***

9314576 Sutton This three-year award supports U.S.-France cooperative research in nuclear physics involving C. Sean Sutton and Howard W. Nicholson of Mount Holyoke College and S. Jullian of the University of Paris (Orsay) and others at CNRS laboratories in Bordeaux, Caen and Strasbourg. The U.S. group will join NEMO-3 (Neutrinoless Experiments with Molybdenum), a French, Russian and Ukrainian ongoing collaboration in search of neutrinoless double beta decay. Neutrinos are considered a prime candidate for the missing mass (dark matter) in the universe. One way to probe neutrinos is to search for double beta decay. Using the next generation of detectors in double beta decay, the U.S will participate in the experiments in the Frejus tunnel under the French Alps and in the data analysis in Paris. The U.S. experimentalists have just completed an intensive search for double beta decay in the isotope molybdenum. In this collaboration, they will develop methods to purify the molybdenum samples and study problems of identifying radioactive impurities in the double beta decay source materials. The French bring their considerable expertise in low background engineering and extensive measurements on natural radioactivity content of these materials. The Russian and Ukrainian contribution consists of large quantities of molybdenum with very low radioactivity which is critical for the double beta decay experiments. ***