Double-beta decay of $^{130}$Te to the first 0$^{+}$ excited state of $^{130}$Xe with CUORICINO

TL;DR

This study used the CUORICINO detector to search for double-beta decay of tellurium-130 to an excited xenon state, setting new lower limits on decay half-lives but finding no evidence of such decays.

Contribution

First experimental search for double-beta decay of $^{130}$Te to the first excited $0^{+}$ state of $^{130}$Xe using CUORICINO, establishing new half-life limits.

Findings

No evidence for decay signals was observed.

Lower half-life limits were set at 1.3×10^{23} years for 2ν decay.

Lower half-life limits were set at 9.4×10^{23} years for 0ν decay.

Abstract

The CUORICINO experiment was an array of 62 TeO$_{2}$ single-crystal bolometers with a total $^{130}$Te mass of $11.3\,$kg. The experiment finished in 2008 after more than 3 years of active operating time. Searches for both $0\nu$ and $2\nu$ double-beta decay to the first excited $0^{+}$ state in $^{130}$Xe were performed by studying different coincidence scenarios. The analysis was based on data representing a total exposure of N($^{130}$Te)$\cdot$t=$9.5\times10^{25}\,$y. No evidence for a signal was found. The resulting lower limits on the half lives are $T^{2\nu}_{1/2}(^{130} Te\rightarrow^{130} Xe^{*})>1.3\times10^{23}\,$y (90% C.L.), and $T^{0\nu}_{1/2}(^{130} Te\rightarrow^{130} Xe^{*})>9.4\times10^{23}\,$y (90% C.L.).