Sensitivity of NEXT-100 to neutrinoless double beta decay

Author(s): Martin-Albo, J; Munoz Vidal, J; Ferrario, P; Nebot-Guinot, M; Gomez-Cadenas, JJ; Alvarez, V; Azevedo, CDR; Borges, FIG; Carcel, S; Carrion, JV; Cebrian, S; Cervera, A; Conde, CAN; Diaz, J; Diesburg, M; Esteve, R; Fernandes, LMP; Ferreira, AL; Freitas, EDC; Goldschmidt, A; Gonzalez-Diaz, D; Gutierrez, RM; Hauptman, J; Henriques, CAO; Hernando Morata, JA; Herrero, V; Labarga, L; Laing, A; Lebrun, P; Liubarsky, I; Lopez-March, N; Lorca, D; Losada, M; Martinez-Lema, G; Martinez, A; Monrabal, F; Monteiro, CMB; Mora, FJ; Moutinho, LM; Novella, P; Nygren, D; Palmeiro, B; Para, A; Querol, M; Renner, J; Ripoll, L; Rodriguez, J; Santos, FP; dos Santos, JMF; Serra, L; Shuman, D; Simon, A; Sofka, C; Sorel, M; Stiegler, T; Toledo, JF; Torrent, J; Tsamalaidze, Z; Veloso, JFCA; Webb, R; White, JT; Yahlali, N; Yepes-Ramirez, H | Abstract: © 2016, The Author(s). Abstract: NEXT-100 is an electroluminescent high-pressure xenon gas time projection chamber that will search for the neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of 136Xe. The detector possesses two features of great value for 0νββ searches: energy resolution better than 1% FWHM at the Q value of 136Xe and track reconstruction for the discrimination of signal and background events. This combination results in excellent sensitivity, as discussed in this paper. Material-screening measurements and a detailed Monte Carlo detector simulation predict a background rate for NEXT-100 of at most 4 × 10−4 counts keV−1 kg−1 yr−1. Accordingly, the detector will reach a sensitivity to the 0νββ-decay half-life of 2.8 × 1025 years (90% CL) for an exposure of 100 kg·year, or 6.0 × 1025 years after a run of 3 effective years.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]