Observation of two-neutrino double-beta decay in 136Xe with the EXO-200 detector.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

We report the observation of two-neutrino double-beta decay in (136)Xe with T(1/2) = 2.11 ± 0.04(stat) ± 0.21(syst) × 10(21) yr. This second-order process, predicted by the standard model, has been observed for several nuclei but not for (136)Xe. The observed decay rate provides new input to matrix element calculations and to the search for the more interesting neutrinoless double-beta decay, the most sensitive probe for the existence of Majorana particles and the measurement of the neutrino mass scale.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Ackerman, N; Aharmim, B; Auger, M; Auty, DJ; Barbeau, PS; Barry, K; Bartoszek, L; Beauchamp, E; Belov, V; Benitez-Medina, C; Breidenbach, M; Burenkov, A; Cleveland, B; Conley, R; Conti, E; Cook, J; Cook, S; Coppens, A; Counts, I; Craddock, W; Daniels, T; Danilov, MV; Davis, CG; Davis, J; deVoe, R; Djurcic, Z; Dobi, A; Dolgolenko, AG; Dolinski, MJ; Donato, K; Dunford, M; Fairbank, W; Farine, J; Fierlinger, P; Franco, D; Freytag, D; Giroux, G; Gornea, R; Graham, K; Gratta, G; Green, MP; Hägemann, C; Hall, C; Hall, K; Haller, G; Hargrove, C; Herbst, R; Herrin, S; Hodgson, J; Hughes, M; Johnson, A; Karelin, A; Kaufman, LJ; Koffas, T; Kuchenkov, A; Kumar, A; Kumar, KS; Leonard, DS; Leonard, F; LePort, F; Mackay, D; MacLellan, R; Marino, M; Martin, Y; Mong, B; Díez, MM; Morgan, P; Müller, AR; Neilson, R; Nelson, R; Odian, A; O'Sullivan, K; Ouellet, C; Piepke, A; Pocar, A; Prescott, CY; Pushkin, K; Rivas, A; Rollin, E; Rowson, PC; Russell, JJ; Sabourov, A; Sinclair, D; Skarpaas, K; Slutsky, S; Stekhanov, V; Strickland, V; Swift, M; Tosi, D; Twelker, K; Vogel, P; Vuilleumier, J-L; Vuilleumier, J-M; Waite, A; Waldman, S; Walton, T; Wamba, K; Weber, M; Wichoski, U; Wodin, J; Wright, JD; Yang, L; Yen, Y-R; Zeldovich, OY; EXO Collaboration,

Published Date

  • November 2011

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 107 / 21

Start / End Page

  • 212501 -

PubMed ID

  • 22181874

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1079-7114

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0031-9007

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1103/physrevlett.107.212501

Language

  • eng