Development of 100^{100}Mo-containing scintillating bolometers for a high-sensitivity neutrinoless double-beta decay search

We report recent achievements in the development of scintillating bolometers to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of $^{100}$Mo. The presented results have been obtained in the framework of the LUMINEU, LUCIFER and EDELWEISS collaborations, and are now part of the R\&D activities towards CUPID (CUORE Update with Particle IDentification), a proposed next-generation double-beta decay experiment based on the CUORE experience. We have developed a technology for the production of large mass ($\sim$1 kg), high optical quality, radiopure zinc and lithium molybdate crystal scintillators (ZnMoO$_4$ and Li$_2$MoO$_4$, respectively) from deeply purified natural and $^{100}$Mo-enriched molybdenum. The procedure is applied for a routine production of enriched crystals. Furthermore, the technology of a single detector module consisting of a large-volume ($\sim 100$~cm$^3$) Zn$^{100}$MoO$_4$ and Li$_2$$^{100}$MoO$_4$ scintillating bolometer has been established, demonstrating performance and radiopurity that are close to satisfy the demands of CUPID. In particular, the FWHM energy resolution of the detectors at 2615 keV --- near the $Q$-value of the double-beta transition of $^{100}$Mo (3034~keV) --- is $\approx$ 4--10~keV. The achieved rejection of $\alpha$-induced dominant background above 2.6~MeV is at the level of more than 99.9\%. The bulk activity of $^{232}$Th ($^{228}$Th) and $^{226}$Ra in the crystals is below 10 $\mu$Bq/kg. Both crystallization and detector technologies favor Li$_2$MoO$_4$, which was selected as a main element for the realization of a CUPID demonstrator (CUPID-0/Mo) with $\sim$7 kg of $^{100}$Mo

Optical, luminescence, and scintillation properties of advanced ZnWO4 crystal scintillators

Zinc tungstate (ZnWO4) crystal scintillators are promising detection material for the experiments searching for double beta decay, dark matter, and investigating rare alpha decays. An extended R&D was performed to develop advanced quality ZnWO4 crystal scintillators. The R&D programme included the selection of the initial materials, the variation of the compound stoichiometry, the application of single and double crystallization, and the annealing of the crystal boules. The optical transmittance of the produced boules was measured, and the luminescence under X-ray excitation in the temperature region from 85 K to room temperature was studied (thermally stimulated luminescence was measured till 350 K). The energy resolution and the relative scintillation pulse amplitude were measured with gamma-sources demonstrating high scintillation properties of the samples produced by single crystallization from deeply purified zinc and tungsten oxides, with stoichiometric composition, annealed in air atmosphere

New development of radiopure ZnWO4 crystal scintillators

The residual radioactive contaminations of zinc tungstate crystal scintillators, produced by low-thermal-gradient Czochralski technique in various conditions, have been measured in the DAMA/R&D; low background setup at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (INFN, Italy). The total alpha activity has been measured in the detectors realized with different processes to vary between 158 and 1418 μ Bq/kg. The internal 228 Th contamination activity has been estimated as 0.34 μ Bq/kg in the most polluted crystal, while only upper limits for other ones have been set at level from < 0.17 μ Bq/kg to < 1.3 μ Bq/kg. These results open possibility for further radio-purifications of ZnWO 4 crystal scintillators, which are of potential interests in various fields

Dark matter directionality approach using ZnWO4 crystal

The development of low-background anisotropic detectors can offer a unique way to study those Dark Matter (DM) candidate particles able to induce nuclear recoils through the directionality technique. Among the anisotropic scintillators, the ZnWO4 has unique features and is an excellent candidate for the purposes. Both the light output and the scintillation pulse shape depend on the impinging direction of heavy particles with respect to the crystallographic axes and can supply two independent modes to study the directionality and discriminate γ/β radiation. Measurements to study the anisotropic and scintillation performances of ZnWO4 are reported

Final results on the 0νββ0νββ decay half-life limit of 100^{100}Mo from the CUPID-Mo experiment

The CUPID-Mo experiment to search for 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay in $^{100}$Mo has been recently completed after about 1.5 years of operation at Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (France). It served as a demonstrator for CUPID, a next generation 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay experiment. CUPID-Mo was comprised of 20 enriched Li$_2$$^{100}$MoO$_4$ scintillating calorimeters, each with a mass of $\sim$ 0.2 kg, operated at $\sim$20 mK. We present here the final analysis with the full exposure of CUPID-Mo ($^{100}$Mo exposure of 1.47 kg$\times$yr) used to search for lepton number violation via 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay. We report on various analysis improvements since the previous result on a subset of data, reprocessing all data with these new techniques. We observe zero events in the region of interest and set a new limit on the $^{100}$Mo 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay half-life of T^{0\nu}_{1/2} > 1.8 \times 10^{24} year (stat.+syst.) at 90% C.I. Under the light Majorana neutrino exchange mechanism this corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass of \left < (0.28--$0.49)$ eV, dependent upon the nuclear matrix element utilized

Final results on the 0 νββ decay half-life limit of 100 Mo from the CUPID-Mo experiment

The CUPID-Mo experiment to search for 0νββ decay in 100Mo has been recently completed after about 1.5&nbsp;years of operation at Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (France). It served as a demonstrator for CUPID, a next generation 0νββ decay experiment. CUPID-Mo was comprised of 20 enriched Li 2100MoO 4 scintillating calorimeters, each with a mass of ∼ 0.2 kg, operated at ∼ 20 mK. We present here the final analysis with the full exposure of CUPID-Mo (100Mo exposure of 1.47 kg × year) used to search for lepton number violation via 0νββ decay. We report on various analysis improvements since the previous result on a subset of data, reprocessing all data with these new techniques. We observe zero events in the region of interest and set a new limit on the 100Mo 0νββ decay half-life of T1/20ν&gt; 1.8 × 10 24&nbsp;year (stat.&nbsp;+&nbsp;syst.) at 90% CI. Under the light Majorana neutrino exchange mechanism this corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass of 〈 mββ〉 &lt;(0.28-0.49)&nbsp;eV, dependent upon the nuclear matrix element utilized

Precise measurement of 2 ν 2 β decay of 100Mo with Li2MoO4 low temperature detectors: Preliminary results

The half-life of 100Mo relatively to the 2ν2β decay to the ground state of 100Ru was measured as T1/2 = (6.99±0.15) × 1018 yr with the help of enriched in 100Mo lithium molybdate scintillating bolometers in the EDELWEISS-III low background set-up at the Modane underground laboratory. This is the most accurate value of the 2ν2β half-life of 100Mo

The CUPID-Mo experiment for neutrinoless double-beta decay: performance and prospects

CUPID-Mo is a bolometric experiment to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay (0 νββ) of 100Mo. In this article, we detail the CUPID-Mo detector concept, assembly and installation in the Modane underground laboratory, providing results from the first datasets. The CUPID-Mo detector consists of an array of 20 100Mo -enriched 0.2 kg Li 2MoO 4 crystals operated as scintillating bolometers at ∼20mK. The Li 2MoO 4 crystals are complemented by 20 thin Ge optical bolometers to reject α events by the simultaneous detection of heat and scintillation light. We observe a good detector uniformity and an excellent energy resolution of 5.3 keV (6.5 keV) FWHM at 2615 keV, in calibration (physics) data. Light collection ensures the rejection of α particles at a level much higher than 99.9% – with equally high acceptance for γ/β events – in the region of interest for 100Mo 0 νββ. We present limits on the crystals’ radiopurity: ≤3μBq/kg of 226Ra and ≤2μBq/kg of 232Th. We discuss the science reach of CUPID-Mo, which can set the most stringent half-life limit on the 100Mo 0 νββ decay in half-a-year’s livetime. The achieved results show that CUPID-Mo is a successful demonstrator of the technology developed by the LUMINEU project and subsequently selected for the CUPID experiment, a proposed follow-up of CUORE, the currently running first tonne-scale bolometric 0 νββ experiment

Precise measurement of 2 νββ decay of 100 Mo with the CUPID-Mo detection technology

We report the measurement of the two-neutrino double-beta (2 νββ) decay of 100Mo to the ground state of 100Ru using lithium molybdate (Li2100MoO4) scintillating bolometers. The detectors were developed for the CUPID-Mo program and operated at the EDELWEISS-III low background facility in the Modane underground laboratory (France). From a total exposure of 42.235 kg× day, the half-life of 100Mo is determined to be T1/22ν=[7.12-0.14+0.18(stat.)±0.10(syst.)]×1018&nbsp;years. This is the most accurate determination of the 2 νββ half-life of 100Mo to date