Precision Electron Capture Branching Ratio Measurements for Double Beta Decay with TITAN

使用 TITAN 进行双 Beta 衰变的精密电子捕获分支比测量

• 批准号: 418523-2012
• 负责人: Andreoiu, Corina
• 金额: $ 11.66万
• 依托单位: Simon Fraser University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Subatomic Physics Envelope - Project
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2012-01-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=515748
• 关键词: Precision; Electron; Capture; Branching; Ratio

Mysterious subatomic particles known as neutrinos are still not fully understood. A recent and controversial experiment at the world's largest nuclear physics laboratory CERN (located near Geneve) has reported that neutrinos may travel faster than the speed of light, exceeding nature's cosmic speed limit. The character of massive neutrinos is one of the most puzzling questions in physics. The possibility of observing a special kind of decay, called neutrinoless double-beta decay (0nußß), offers scientists the chance to gain insight into the mysterious nature of neutrinos. Although this decay process has yet to be observed, many low-counting rates experiments are being conducted worldwide in underground laboratories to address this problem. If the 0nußß decay is observed, detailed knowledge of the underlying nuclear structure will be required to determine the mass of the neutrino from the half-life of the 0nußß decay. The nuclear transition is described by a special term called the nuclear matrix elements (NME), that is calculated theoretically. These calculations can be tested using the 2nußß decay mode. Not only can the NME be extracted from the 2nußß decay, but part of the NME can be inferred from the electron capture (EC) decay branches of the several nuclei in ßß decays.

神秘的亚原子颗粒称为神经元，仍然尚不完全了解。最近在世界上最大的核物理实验室CERN（位于Geneve附近）进行的一个有争议的实验报告说，神经元的传播速度可能比光速快，超过了自然界的宇宙速度限制。大型神经元的特征是物理学中最困难的问题之一。观察一种特殊的衰减的可能性，称为中微子双β衰变（0nußß），使科学家有机会了解神经元的神秘本质。尽管尚未观察到这个衰减过程，但在地下实验室全球进行了许多低计数率实验，以解决这个问题。如果观察到0nußß衰减，则需要对基础核结构进行详细了解，以确定0nußß衰减的半衰期的神经元的质量。核转变用一个称为核基质元素（NME）的特殊术语来描述，该元素是理论上计算的。这些计算可以使用2NUßβ衰减模式进行测试。 NME不仅可以从2NUßß衰减中提取，而且可以从NME的一部分从电子捕获（EC）衰减分支中推断出β-衰变中的几个核。