May 26 – 30, 2008
Biblioteca Universitaria, Pavia, Italy
Europe/Rome timezone

Calorimeter R&D for the Double Beta Decay Experiment SuperNEMO

May 28, 2008, 9:00 AM
20m
Salone Teresiano (Biblioteca Universitaria, Pavia, Italy)

Salone Teresiano

Biblioteca Universitaria, Pavia, Italy

Strada Nuova, 65
oral presentation Astrophysics and neutrinos Astrophysics and neutrinos

Speaker

Dr Matthew Kauer (University College London)

Summary

SuperNEMO is a next-generation double beta decay experiment
based on the successful tracking plus calorimetry technology
of the NEMO-3 experiment currently running in the Modane
Underground Laboratory. Due to the separation
of source and detector, SuperNEMO can study a range
of isotopes. The baseline isotope choice is 82Se and possibly 150Nd.
The total isotope mass will be in the range 100-200 kg. With this
isotope mass a sensitivity to a half-life greater 10**26 years
can be reached which gives access to Majorana neutrino masses
of 50-100 meV. One of the main challenges of the SuperNEMO project
is the development of the calorimeter with an unprecedented energy
resolution and radio-purity. The collaboration is carrying out a broad
R&D programme focusing on the development of liquid and solid
scintillators and ultralow-radioactive highly efficient photo-detectors
in parallel. Extensive laboratory measurements are complemented by
most up-to-date Monte Carlo optical simulations using GEANT4.
The results obtained so far will be presented. SuperNEMO sensitivity
dependence on the calorimeter parameters such as energy and time
resolution, radio-purity, ageing etc. will be discussed.

Primary author

Dr Stefan Soldner-Rembold (Manchester)

Presentation materials