The IGEX 76 Ge Double Beta Decay Experiment and CUORE, The Next Generation 130 Te Experiment

IGEX 76 Ge 双 Beta 衰变实验和 CUORE（下一代 130 Te 实验）

• 批准号: 9901626
• 负责人: Frank Avignone
• 金额: $ 26.81万
• 依托单位: University of South Carolina at Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-05-01 至 2002-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9901626&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: IGEX; 76; Ge; Double; Beta

The International Germanium Experiment (IGEX) is an intense search for an exotic nuclear decay mode, nutrionless double-beta decay, the existence of which would definitely prove that neutrinos are their ownanti-particles, and have non-zero mass. Presently the experiment is being operated in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory operated by the University of Zaragoza in Spain, and includes three large germaniumdetectors fabricated with isotopically enriched germanium from the former Soviet Union. At present a forth detector is being fabricated with funding from the US Department of Energy. This experiment, and its competitor the Heidelburg-Moscow experiment, have produced the most sensitive search for this type of exotic process thus far. IGEX has recently developed very high quality pulse shape electronics techniques that allow the elimination of much of the interfering background which will further increase its sensitivity. This grant supports the technical leader and spokesman of the experiment and three graduate students. The spokesman's institute, the University of South Carolina, also supports travel and subsistence of Russian participants. The IGEX collaboration is composed of twenty-six researchers from the United States, Spain, and the former Soviet Union. The grant also provides partial support for the Principle Investigator to participate in the development of next generation, significantly enlarged double-beta decay experiments using newly development cryogenic techniques. Since these techniques have not yet demonstrated their ability to reduce interfering background to the necessary levels, the germanium-76 experiments still represent the most sensitive technique for searching for this important exotic nuclear decay mode and its implications for the existence of neutrino mass. These experiments represent very sensitive tests of the standard model of elementary particle physics, and have the potential for a significant impact in particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.

国际锗实验（IGEX）是对一种奇异核衰变模式（无营养双β衰变）的深入探索，这种衰变模式的存在肯定会证明中微子是它们自己的反粒子，并且具有非零质量。 目前，该实验正在西班牙萨拉戈萨大学运营的坎弗兰克地下实验室进行，其中包括三个由前苏联同位素浓缩锗制成的大型锗探测器。 目前，第四个探测器正在美国能源部的资助下制造。 该实验及其竞争对手海德堡-莫斯科实验，迄今为止对这种奇异过程进行了最敏感的探索。 IGEX 最近开发了非常高质量的脉冲形状电子技术，可以消除大部分干扰背景，从而进一步提高其灵敏度。 这笔资助支持该实验的技术负责人兼发言人以及三名研究生。 发言人所在的南卡罗来纳大学也为俄罗斯参与者的旅行和生活提供支持。 IGEX 合作组织由来自美国、西班牙和前苏联的 26 名研究人员组成。 该赠款还为首席研究员提供部分支持，以参与使用新开发的低温技术开发下一代、显着扩大的双β衰变实验。 由于这些技术尚未证明其将干扰背景降低到必要水平的能力，因此 76 锗实验仍然是寻找这种重要的奇异核衰变模式及其对中微子质量存在的影响的最敏感技术。 这些实验代表了对基本粒子物理学标准模型的非常敏感的测试，并且有可能对粒子物理学、天体物理学和宇宙学产生重大影响。