A search for various double beta decay modes of tin isotopes

TL;DR

This study conducted the first extensive search for double beta decay modes in tin isotopes 124Sn and 112Sn, setting new half-life limits and exploring both ground and excited state transitions with no positive signals found.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental limits on various double beta decay modes of 124Sn and 112Sn, including excited state transitions and potential resonance enhancements.

Findings

New half-life limits for 124Sn excited states: >3.1×10^{18} yrs and >7.7×10^{18} yrs.

First experimental exploration of 112Sn decay modes, setting limits >1.4×10^{18} yrs.

No evidence of neutrinoless decay modes; limits >1.5×10^{18} yrs.

Abstract

For the first time an extensive search for various double beta decay modes of 124Sn and 112Sn has been performed. A total exposure of 43.29 kg.days has been accumulated. New half-life limits of 124Sn into excited states of 124Te have been obtained; the lower half-life limit for the first excited 2+ state at 602.7keV is T_1/2 > 3.1 *10^{18}yrs (90 % CL) and for the first excited 0+ state T_1/2 > 7.7 *10^{18}yrs (90 % CL). For the very first time, ground state and excited state transitions of 112Sn have been experimentally explored. The obtained half-life limits for ECEC and beta+/EC into the first excited 2+ state of 112Cd are both T_1/2 >1.4 *10^{18}yrs (90 % CL). A resonance enhancement in the decay rate for 0nuECEC might be expected for the 0+-state at 1870.9keV due to degeneracy with the 112Sn ground state. No signal was found resulting in a lower half-life limit of T_1/2 > 1.6 *10^{18} yrs (90 % CL) for this decay. As all the excited state searches are based on gamma-lines, all half-life limits apply for both neutrino and neutrino-less modes. Neutrinoless ground state transitions were searched for in the ECEC and beta+/EC mode and a limit of T_1/2 > 1.5 *10^{18} yrs (90 % CL) was obtained for ECEC decays of 112Sn, whilst the beta+/EC mode results are inconclusive.