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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Precise Q value determinations for forbidden and low energy $\beta $-decays using Penning trap mass spectrometry

Nuclear β-decay provides a laboratory for investigating weak decays occurring inside the nuclear medium. This provides information on the resulting subtle nuclear and atomic effects, and on the underlying interaction and the properties of the particles that are involved, particularly of the neutrino. The Q value of the decay corresponds to the energy equivalent of the mass difference between parent and daughter atoms, and can be precisely and accurately measured using Penning trap mass spectrometry. In this paper we discuss Penning trap Q value measurements for forbidden β-decays of long-lived primordial nuclides, and for a subset of β-unstable nuclides that could potentially undergo a very low energy decay to an excited state in the daughter nucleus. Here we discuss applications of these measurements to tests of systematics in detectors that perform precise β-spectrum measurements, as inputs for theoretical shape factor, electron branching ratio and half-life calculations, and to identify nuclides that could serve as new candidates in direct neutrino mass determination experiments.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Neutrinoless double beta decay via light neutralinos in R-parity violating supersymmetry

We perform a study of neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay mediated by the lightest neutralino of arbitrary mass in the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) under the presence of R-parity violating trilinear interactions. In this scenario, the exchange of the lightest neutralino can result in 0νββ decay of either long-range or short-range behaviour, depending on the neutralino mass. Using nuclear matrix elements calculated in the interacting boson model, we use an interpolation between the long- and short-range behaviours with an approximate formula. The non-observation of 0νββ decay is then used to place constraints on the supersymmetry parameter space, compatible with constraints from collider experiments. We compare these constraints to bounds from pion decays, CKM unitarity and big bang nucleosynthesis.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Final Results of the M AJORANA D EMONSTRATOR ’s Search for Double-Beta Decay of 76 Ge to Excited States of 76 Se

76 Ge can 𝛽⁢𝛽 decay into three possible excited states of 76 Se , with the emission of two or, if the neutrino is Majorana, zero neutrinos. None of these six transitions have yet been observed. The M AJORANA D EMONSTRATOR was designed to study 𝛽⁢𝛽 decay of 76 Ge using a low background array of high purity germanium detectors. With 98.2 kg-y of isotopic exposure, the demonstrator sets the strongest half-life limits to date for all six transition modes. For 2⁢𝜈⁢𝛽⁢𝛽 to the 0$^+_1$ state of 76 Se , this search has begun to probe for the first time half-life values predicted using modern many-body nuclear theory techniques, setting a limit of 𝑇 1/2 > 1.5 × 10 24 y (90% CL).

Majorana neutrinos↗
DOE OSTI2022

Final results on the $$0\nu \beta \beta $$ decay half-life limit of $$^{100}$$Mo from the CUPID-Mo experiment

Abstract The CUPID-Mo experiment to search for 0 $$\nu \beta \beta $$ ν β β decay in $$^{100}$$ 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 $$\nu \beta \beta $$ ν β β decay experiment. CUPID-Mo was comprised of 20 enriched $$\hbox {Li}_{{2}}$$ Li 2 $$^{100}$$ 100 $$\hbox {MoO}_4$$ MoO 4 scintillating calorimeters, each with a mass of $$\sim 0.2$$ ∼ 0.2 kg, operated at $$\sim 20$$ ∼ 20 mK. We present here the final analysis with the full exposure of CUPID-Mo ( $$^{100}$$ 100 Mo exposure of 1.47 $$\hbox {kg} \times \hbox {year}$$ kg × year ) used to search for lepton number violation via 0 $$\nu \beta \beta $$ ν β β 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 $$^{100}$$ 100 Mo 0 $$\nu \beta \beta $$ ν β β decay half-life of $$T_{1/2}^{0\nu }$$ T 1 / 2 0 ν $$> {1.8}\times 10^{24}$$ > 1.8 × 10 24 year (stat. + syst.) at 90% CI. Under the light Majorana neutrino exchange mechanism this corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass of $$\left $$ m β β $$<~{(0.28{-}0.49)} $$ < ( 0.28 - 0.49 ) eV, dependent upon the nuclear matrix element utilized.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ab Initio Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Matrix Elements for Ca 48 , Ge 76 , and Se 82

We calculate basis-space converged neutrinoless ββ-decay nuclear matrix elements for the lightest candidates: 48 Ca, 76 Ge, and 82 Se. Starting from initial two- and three-nucleon forces, we apply the ab initio in-medium similarity renormalization group to construct valence-space Hamiltonians and consistently transformed ββ-decay operators. Here, we find that the tensor component is non-negligible in 76 Ge and 82 Se, and the resulting nuclear matrix elements are overall 25%–45% smaller than those obtained from the phenomenological shell model. While a final matrix element with uncertainties still requires substantial developments, this work nevertheless opens a path toward a true first-principles calculation of neutrinoless ββ decay in all nuclei relevant for ongoing large-scale searches.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Systematic analysis of double-beta decay half lives

Here, evaluated 2β – (2ν) half-lives and their systematics were reexamined in the framework of a phenomenological approach. Decay rate dependence on nuclear deformation, decay energy, shape coexistence, and forbidden transitions was observed. The following analysis showed distinct impacts of decay energy on half lives, and deformation parameters on effective nuclear matrix elements. These findings were used to predict T 1/2 for 36 isotopes of interest. Present work results were compared with published data.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Lattice QCD Inputs for nuclear double beta decay

Second order β -decay processes with and without neutrinos in the final state are key probes of nuclear physics and of the nature of neutrinos. Neutrinoful double- β decay is the rarest Standard Model process that has been observed and provides a unique test of the understanding of weak nuclear interactions. Observation of neutrinoless double- β decay would reveal that neutrinos are Majorana fermions and that lepton number conservation is violated in nature. While significant progress has been made in phenomenological approaches to understanding these processes, establishing a connection between these processes and the physics of the Standard Model and beyond is a critical task as it will provide input into the design and interpretation of future experiments. The strong-interaction contributions to double- β decay processes are non-perturbative and can only be addressed systematically through a combination of lattice Quantum Chromoodynamics (LQCD) and nuclear many-body calculations. In this review, current efforts to establish the LQCD connection are discussed for both neutrinoful and neutrinoless double- β decay. LQCD calculations of the hadronic contributions to the neutrinoful process $nn &rarr; ppe^-e^-\bar{v}_e\bar{v}_e$ and to various neutrinoless pionic transitions are reviewed, and the connections of these calculations to the phenomenology of double- β decay through the use of effective field theory (EFTs) is highlighted. At present, LQCD calculations are limited to small nuclear systems, and to pionic subsystems, and require matching to appropriate EFTs to have direct phenomenological impact. However, these calculations have already revealed qualitatively that there are terms in the EFTs that can only be constrained from double- β decay processes themselves or using inputs from LQCD. Finally, future prospects for direct calculations in larger nuclei are also discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

High Precision Penning Trap Measurements of beta-decay Q-values for Neutrino Physics

The 2015 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald “for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass”. This fact has wide reaching implications for the standard model of particle physics, nuclear physics, and cosmology. However, important fundamental questions remain: What is the absolute neutrino mass scale? Is the neutrino a Majorana or a Dirac particle? A number of large-scale experiments are underway or are being developed to attempt to answer these questions. Two classes of experiments are direct neutrino mass determination experiments, and searches for neutrinoless double betadecay. This work aimed to aid these experiments via high-precision Q value determinations for the relevant isotopes using Penning trap mass spectrometry (PTMS).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Superallowed Nuclear Beta Decays and Precision Tests of the Standard Model

For many decades, the main source of information on the top-left corner element of the Cabibbo–Kobayashi–Maskawa quark mixing matrix, V ud , was superallowed nuclear β decays with an impressive 0.01% precision. This precision, apart from experimental data, relies on theoretical calculations in which nuclear structure–dependent effects and uncertainties play a prime role. This review is dedicated to a thorough reassessment of all ingredients that enter the extraction of the value of V ud from experimental data. We try to keep balance between historical retrospect and new developments, many of which occurred in just the past 5 years. They have not yet been reviewed in a complete manner, not least because new results are forthcoming. This review aims to fill this gap and offers an in-depth yet accessible summary of all recent developments.

ab initio methods↗
DOE OSTI2020

Isomeric and beta-decay spectroscopy of 173,174 Ho

β-decay spectroscopy of 173,174 Ho (Z = 67, N = 106,107) was conducted at Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory at RIKEN by using in-flight fission of a 345-MeV/u 238 U primary beam. A previously unreported isomeric state at 405 keV with half-life of 3.7(12) μs and a spin and parity of (3/2 + ) is identified in 173 Ho. Moreover, a new state with a spin and parity of 9 - was discovered in 174 Er. The experimental log ft values of 5.84(20) and 5.25(18) suggest an allowed-hindered β decay from the ground state of 174 Ho to the K π = 8 - isomeric state in 174 Er. Configuration-constrained potential energy surface (PES) calculations were performed and the predictions are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

150 ≤ A ≤ 189↗
DOE OSTI2020

Projected sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment to the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay of $^{136}Xe$

The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment will enable a neutrinoless double β decay search in parallel to the main science goal of discovering dark matter particle interactions. We report the expected LZ sensitivity to Xe136 neutrinoless double β decay, taking advantage of the significant (>600 kg) Xe136 mass contained within the active volume of LZ without isotopic enrichment. After 1000 live-days, the median exclusion sensitivity to the half-life of Xe136 is projected to be 1.06×1026 years (90% confidence level), similar to existing constraints. We also report the expected sensitivity of a possible subsequent dedicated exposure using 90% enrichment with Xe136 at 1.06×1027 years.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1984

Beta decay and the origin of biologial chirality - New experimental results

The hypothetical connection developed by Vester and Ulbricht (1959), between the handedness of beta particles in radioactive decay and the (L) sign of biologial chirality is investigated in a radiolysis experiment. The experiment measured the predicted asymmetry in the formation triplet or 'ortho-' positronium (oPs) in amino acid enantiomers by low energy positrons under conditions of helicity reversal. The positrons were focused on amino acid powder samples. By measuring the time between positron arrival and emission of gamma rays, long-lived oPs were separated from other species. It is found that the asymmetry in leucine (0.8 x 10 to the -4th) is consistent with the theoretical prediction of 10 to the -6th. Neither the experimental limits nor the theoretical estimates are found to rule out a mechanism like that described by Vester and Ulbricht as the cause of the sign of the observed chiral polarization.

Van House, J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

TeV-scale lepton number violation: Connecting leptogenesis, neutrinoless double beta decay, and colliders

In the context of TeV-scale lepton number violating (LNV) interactions, we illustrate the interplay between leptogenesis, neutrinoless double beta ( 0 ν β β ) decay, and LNV searches at proton-proton colliders. Using a concrete model for illustration, we overcome the limitations of previous effective field theory analyses and are able to identify the parameter space where standard thermal leptogenesis is rendered unviable due to washout processes. Moreover, we show how 0 ν β β decay and p p collisions provide complementary probes. We find that the new particle spectrum can have a decisive impact on the relative sensitivity of these two probes. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2026

Radiative corrections to superallowed beta decays at $\mathcal{O}\left({\alpha}^2Z\right)$

We compute $\mathcal{O}\left({\alpha}^2Z\right)$ radiative corrections to superallowed β decays with a heavy-particle effective field theory that systematically describes the interactions of low-energy ultrasoft photons with nuclei. We calculate two-loop virtual and one-loop real-virtual amplitudes by reducing the Feynman integrals to a set of master integrals, which we solve analytically using a variety of techniques. These techniques can be applied to other phenomenologically interesting observables. The ultrasoft corrections can then be combined with contributions arising from the exchange of potential photons to obtain the complete $\mathcal{O}\left({\alpha}^2Z\right)$ correction to the decay rate, with resummation of large logarithms of the electron energy times the nuclear radius. We find that $\mathcal{O}\left({\alpha}^2Z\right)$ ultrasoft loops induce a relative correction to the decay rate that ranges from 0.7 ∙ 10 −3 in the decay of 10 C to 3.6 ∙ 10 −3 in the decay of 54 Co, and will thus impact the extraction of V ud at the permille level. We show that the inclusion of these corrections reduces the residual renormalization scale dependence of the decay rate to a negligible level, making missing ultrasoft perturbative corrections a subdominant source of theoretical uncertainty.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bridging nuclear physics across energy scales: from neutrinoless double-beta decay to high-energy heavy-ion collisions

This paper exemplifies how connecting methods at disparate energy scales can illuminate fundamental questions. By demonstrating that nuclear wave function properties governing rare decay processes also influence collective behavior at extreme temperatures and densities, the authors have opened a new pathway for constraining physics beyond the Standard Model. With multiple ton-scale 0νββ experiments under construction, any method reducing NME uncertainties will directly impact our ability to interpret discoveries or constrain neutrino properties. The general principle—that collective phenomena in high-energy collisions can illuminate subtle features of many-body correlations in the colliding nuclei—may find applications across nuclear and particle physics. Furthermore, this intersection of nuclear structure theory, heavy-ion physics, and fundamental symmetry tests represents fertile ground for future discoveries in modern physics.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗