A high-resolution CMOS imaging detector for the search of neutrinoless double $\beta$ decay in $^{82}$Se

TL;DR

This paper proposes a high-resolution CMOS imaging detector using amorphous $^{82}$Se for neutrinoless double beta decay searches, aiming for excellent spatial resolution and very low background levels.

Contribution

It introduces a novel solid-state imaging detector concept based on amorphous $^{82}$Se on CMOS arrays for neutrinoless double beta decay detection.

Findings

Potential for high energy and spatial resolution imaging.

Projected background levels as low as 10^{-7} per kg per year.

Conceptual design awaiting experimental validation.

Abstract

We introduce high-resolution solid-state imaging detectors for the search of neutrinoless double $\beta$ decay. Based on the present literature, imaging devices from amorphous $^{82}$Se evaporated on a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel array could have the energy and spatial resolution to produce two-dimensional images of ionizing tracks of utmost quality, effectively akin to an electronic bubble chamber in the double $\beta$ decay energy regime. Still to be experimentally demonstrated, a detector consisting of a large array of these devices could have very low backgrounds, possibly reaching $10^{-7}$/(kg y) in the neutrinoless decay region of interest (ROI), as it may be required for the full exploration of the neutrinoless double $\beta$ decay parameter space in the most unfavorable condition of a strongly quenched nucleon axial coupling constant.