A Search for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay: from NEMO-3 to SuperNEMO

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development and current status of the SuperNEMO experiment, which aims to detect neutrinoless double beta decay with high sensitivity, building on the previous NEMO-3 detector to explore fundamental neutrino properties.

Contribution

It reports on the progress of the SuperNEMO project and its R&D efforts to achieve unprecedented sensitivity in neutrinoless double beta decay searches.

Findings

SuperNEMO aims for a half-life sensitivity of 10^{26} years.

The detector uses a tracko-calo design with ~100 kg source material.

Current R&D status from 2006-2010 is summarized.

Abstract

The SuperNEMO project aims to search for neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) up to a sensitivity of 10$^{26}$ years for the $0\nu\beta\beta$ half-life (down to $\sim$ 50~meV in the effective Majorana neutrino mass), using $\sim$100 kg of source and a `tracko-calo' detector. The current status of the 2006--2010 R\&D programme is discussed here.