Study of the characteristics of the NUMEN Project targets to optimize the energy resolution in the measurements of the Double Charge Exchange reactions cross section

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Recent results on heavy-ion induced reactions of interest for neutrinoless double beta decay at INFN-LNS

Abstract. The possibility to use a special class of heavy-ion induced direct reactions, such as double charge exchange reactions, is discussed in view of their application to extract information that may be helpful to determinate the nuclear matrix elements entering in the expression of neutrinoless double beta decay halflife. The methodology of the experimental campaign presently running at INFN - Laboratori Nazionali del Sud is reported and the experimental challenges characterizing such activity are describe

Study, fabrication and test of a special cooling system for targets submitted to intense ion beams

In Nuclear Physics, the cross-section measurement of rare reactions requires very intense beams, which deposit large amount of heat inside the target. Sometimes, the target material chosen for a given reaction has poor thermal properties; therefore, the heat produced by the beam inside the target must be eciently dissipated. In the present work, the use of High Orientated Pyrolytic Graphite as a support for the target is proposed. Its high thermal conductivity allows to quickly transfer the heat to the cold sample holder. The case of the NUMEN project, which will use very intense ion beams on thin targets, is considered. The temperature distribution inside both the target and the graphite has been calculated for several materials. A numerical technique, based on a MATLAB code, was tested in some analytical cases and then used to evaluate the time and spatial distribution of the temperature in the system. The rst target prototypes have been produced and then characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope analysis

Evaluation of target non-uniformity and dispersion effects on energy measurement resolution in NUMEN experiment

International audienceIn the NUMEN Experiment, Double Charge Exchange (DCE) reactions will be studied to get very precise measurements of their cross sections and final state levels. The interest for these reactions lies in the possibility for some nuclides to have DCE with initial and final states identical to those of the Neutrinoless Double β-Decay. To reach a good precision in the energy measurements, high statistics is needed and severe constraints about the target thickness must be satisfied. A 50 μA intense ion beam will provide the desired statistics, while posing the problem of dissipating the massive heat generated in the target. It is therefore necessary to design a suitable cooling system, which must affect the particles’ energy as little as possible. Said energy is already influenced by the current setup. The Superconducting Cyclotron (SC) and the MAGNEX Spectrometer introduce an error on the particles’ energy by 1/1000th (FWHM value) of its average energy. In the target, the main sources of error are straggling of projectiles and reaction products, and the dispersion effect. Both closely depend on the target thickness, which must be of the order of few hundred nanometres. In addition, the two effects are worsened if the target thickness is not uniform. The solution to these problems has been found by backing the target isotope with relatively thin substrate of Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG). Its thermodynamic properties fit the cooling requirements and can be as thin as 450 μg cm−2. The further straggling suffered by the ejectiles is tolerable, falling within the resolution requirements. Samples are deposited by using Electron Beam Evaporation: results obtained for Sn and Te are checked by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). A quantitative evaluation of the samples’ thickness has been performed by Alpha-Particle Transmission (APT) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) measurements. A Monte Carlo code has been implemented to estimate the ejectiles energy distribution using the experimental measurements as input. Results from characterization and simulations help in optimizing the target thickness and the energy resolution of reaction products

Preparation and characterisation of High Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite backed targets for the NUMEN project

International audienceThe equipment for target production and characterisation at the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud – INFN (Catania, Italy) is described. In particular, the CACTUS system used for target thickness and non-uniformity measurements is detailed. First trials in view of the production of Cadmium targets, under development for the NUclear Matrix Elements for Neutrinoless double β decay (NUMEN) project, are reported and discussed

Thickness and uniformity analysis of thin and heat-resistant targets

International audienceThe thickness and uniformity characterisation of the first prototypes of thin tellurium and germanium targets evaporated on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite for NUMEN project is reported. The contribution of such targets to the energy resolution on reaction ejectiles is evaluated

Upgrade of the MAGNEX spectrometer toward the high-intensity phase of NUMEN

The NUMEN experimental activity with accelerated beams is performed at INFN–Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS) in Catania using the Superconducting Cyclotron and the MAGNEX magnetic spectrometer. The scientific motivation of NUMEN is to extract experiment-driven information on the nuclear matrix elements entering in the expression of the 0νββ decay half-life. The reaction cross sections involved, especially for the double charge exchange process, are very low, thus limiting the present exploration to a few selected isotopes of interest in the context of typically low-yield experimental runs. In order to make feasible a systematic study of all the candidate nuclei, a major upgrade of the LNS facility is foreseen to increase the experimental yield by more than two orders of magnitude. To this purpose, frontier technologies are being developed for the accelerator and the detection systems. An updated description of the choices derived from the recent R&D activity on the target system and MAGNEX focal plane detector is given

Recent results on heavy-ion induced reactions of interest for neutrinoless double beta decay at INFN-LNS

The possibility to use a special class of heavy-ion induced direct reactions, such as double charge exchange reactions, is discussed in view of their application to extract information that may be helpful to determinate the nuclear matrix elements entering in the expression of neutrinoless double beta decay half-life. The methodology of the experimental campaign presently running at INFN - Laboratori Nazionali del Sud is reported and the experimental challenges characterizing such activity are described

The NUMEN Project: An Update of the Facility Toward the Future Experimental Campaigns

International audienceThe goal of NUMEN project is to access experimentally driven information on Nuclear Matrix Elements (NME) involved in the neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) by accurate measurements of the cross sections of heavy-ion induced double charge-exchange reactions. In particular, the (18O, 18Ne) and (20Ne, 20O) reactions are adopted as tools for β+β+ and β-β- decays, respectively. The experiments are performed at INFN - Laboratory Nazionali del Sud (LNS) in Catania using the Superconducting Cyclotron to accelerate the beams and the MAGNEX magnetic spectrometer to detect the reaction products. The measured cross sections are very low, limiting the present exploration to few selected isotopes of interest in the context of typically low-yield experimental runs. In order to make feasible a systematic study of all the candidate nuclei, a major upgrade of the LNS facility is foreseen to increase the experimental yield by more than two orders of magnitude. To this purpose, frontier technologies are being developed for both the accelerator and the detection systems. An update description of the NUMEN project is presented here, focusing on recent achievements from the R&D activity