Search for Exotic Modes of Double Beta Decay Within the SuperNEMO Experiment

AbstraktAbstract

The SuperNEMO experiment is a one-of-a-kind detector searching for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ). The unique design of this heterogeneous detector takes advantage of the combination of 2034 drift cells operating in Geiger Mode (tracker) with 712 plastic scintillator modules (calorimeter) placed around a 6.11kg thin foil of enriched Se-82 - the source of the double beta decay (ββ). This design allows for the study of the kinematics of the decay, ie. single electron tracks and spectra. The detector is being commissioned in the Modane Underground Laboratory (Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane - LSM) in France. While the main goal of the experiment is the search for 0νββ, its capabilities of producing large amounts of ββ data make it a prime candidate for the study of more exotic (newly proposed) modes of ββ. This is further supported by SuperNEMO’s capability of obtaining full kinematics of the decay. This contribution reports both on the progress of the construction and commissioning of the SuperNEMO detector as well as on the potential uses of the detector as a tool for the studies of exotic ββ modes.

The SuperNEMO experiment is a one-of-a-kind detector searching for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ). The unique design of this heterogeneous detector takes advantage of the combination of 2034 drift cells operating in Geiger Mode (tracker) with 712 plastic scintillator modules (calorimeter) placed around a 6.11kg thin foil of enriched Se-82 - the source of the double beta decay (ββ). This design allows for the study of the kinematics of the decay, ie. single electron tracks and spectra. The detector is being commissioned in the Modane Underground Laboratory (Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane - LSM) in France. While the main goal of the experiment is the search for 0νββ, its capabilities of producing large amounts of ββ data make it a prime candidate for the study of more exotic (newly proposed) modes of ββ. This is further supported by SuperNEMO’s capability of obtaining full kinematics of the decay. This contribution reports both on the progress of the construction and commissioning of the SuperNEMO detector as well as on the potential uses of the detector as a tool for the studies of exotic ββ modes.