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1. Cosmogenic background simulations for neutrinoless double beta decay with the DARWIN observatory at various underground sites

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-023-12298-w  

   DARWIN Collaboration; Adrover, M.; Althueser, L.; Andrieu, B.; Angelino, E.; Angevaare, J. R.; Antunovic, B.; Aprile, E.; Babicz, M.; Bajpai, D.; et al (January 2024, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract Xenon dual-phase time projections chambers (TPCs) have proven to be a successful technology in studying physical phenomena that require low-background conditions. With$$40\,\textrm{t}$$ $40\text{t}$of liquid xenon (LXe) in the TPC baseline design, DARWIN will have a high sensitivity for the detection of particle dark matter, neutrinoless double beta decay ($$0\upnu \upbeta \upbeta $$ $0\nu \beta \beta$), and axion-like particles (ALPs). Although cosmic muons are a source of background that cannot be entirely eliminated, they may be greatly diminished by placing the detector deep underground. In this study, we used Monte Carlo simulations to model the cosmogenic background expected for the DARWIN observatory at four underground laboratories: Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) and SNOLAB. We present here the results of simulations performed to determine the production rate of$${}^{137}$$ ${}^{137}$Xe, the most crucial isotope in the search for$$0\upnu \upbeta \upbeta $$ $0\nu \beta \beta$of$${}^{136}$$ ${}^{136}$Xe. Additionally, we explore the contribution that other muon-induced spallation products, such as other unstable xenon isotopes and tritium, may have on the cosmogenic background. 

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2. nEXO: neutrinoless double beta decay search beyond 10 ²⁸ year half-life sensitivity

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6471/ac3631  

   Adhikari, G; Al Kharusi, S; Angelico, E; Anton, G; Arnquist, I J; Badhrees, I; Bane, J; Belov, V; Bernard, E P; Bhatta, T; et al (December 2021, Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics)

   Abstract The nEXO neutrinoless double beta (0 νββ ) decay experiment is designed to use a time projection chamber and 5000 kg of isotopically enriched liquid xenon to search for the decay in 136 Xe. Progress in the detector design, paired with higher fidelity in its simulation and an advanced data analysis, based on the one used for the final results of EXO-200, produce a sensitivity prediction that exceeds the half-life of 10 28 years. Specifically, improvements have been made in the understanding of production of scintillation photons and charge as well as of their transport and reconstruction in the detector. The more detailed knowledge of the detector construction has been paired with more assays for trace radioactivity in different materials. In particular, the use of custom electroformed copper is now incorporated in the design, leading to a substantial reduction in backgrounds from the intrinsic radioactivity of detector materials. Furthermore, a number of assumptions from previous sensitivity projections have gained further support from interim work validating the nEXO experiment concept. Together these improvements and updates suggest that the nEXO experiment will reach a half-life sensitivity of 1.35 × 10 28 yr at 90% confidence level in 10 years of data taking, covering the parameter space associated with the inverted neutrino mass ordering, along with a significant portion of the parameter space for the normal ordering scenario, for almost all nuclear matrix elements. The effects of backgrounds deviating from the nominal values used for the projections are also illustrated, concluding that the nEXO design is robust against a number of imperfections of the model. 

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3. Search for two-neutrino double-beta decay of ¹³⁶ Xe to the excited state of ¹³⁶ Ba with the complete EXO-200 dataset*

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-1137/aceee3  

   Al_Kharusi, S; Anton, G; Badhrees, I; Barbeau, PS; Beck, D; Belov, V; Bhatta, T; Breidenbach, M; Brunner, T; Cao, GF; et al (October 2023, Chinese Physics C)

   Abstract A new search for two-neutrino double-beta (2νββ) decay of¹³⁶Xe to theexcited state of¹³⁶Ba is performed with the full EXO-200 dataset. A deep learning-based convolutional neural network is used to discriminate signal from background events. Signal detection efficiency is increased relative to previous searches by EXO-200 by more than a factor of two. With the addition of the Phase II dataset taken with an upgraded detector, the median 90% confidence level half-life sensitivity of 2νββdecay to thestate of¹³⁶Ba isyr using a total¹³⁶Xe exposure of 234.1 kg yr. No statistically significant evidence for 2νββdecay to thestate is observed, leading to a lower limit ofyr at 90% confidence level, improved by 70% relative to the current world's best constraint. 

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4. The EXO-200 detector, part II: auxiliary systems

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/17/02/P02015  

   Ackerman, N.; Albert, J.; Auger, M.; Auty, D.J.; Badhrees, I.; Barbeau, P.S.; Bartoszek, L.; Baussan, E.; Belov, V.; Benitez-Medina, C.; et al (February 2022, Journal of Instrumentation)

   Abstract The EXO-200 experiment searched for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 136 Xe with a single-phase liquid xenon detector. It used an active mass of 110 kg of 80.6%-enriched liquid xenon in an ultra-low background time projection chamber with ionization and scintillation detection and readout. This paper describes the design and performance of the various support systems necessary for detector operation, including cryogenics, xenon handling, and controls. Novel features of the system were driven by the need to protect the thin-walled detector chamber containing the liquid xenon, to achieve high chemical purity of the Xe, and to maintain thermal uniformity across the detector. 

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5. Sensitivity of the DARWIN observatory to the neutrinoless double beta decay of $$^{136}$$Xe

   https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-8196-z  

   Agostini, F.; Maouloud, S. E.; Althueser, L.; Amaro, F.; Antunovic, B.; Aprile, E.; Baudis, L.; Baur, D.; Biondi, Y.; Bismark, A.; et al (September 2020, The European Physical Journal C)

   Abstract The DARWIN observatory is a proposed next-generation experiment to search for particle dark matter and for the neutrinoless double beta decay of $$^{136}$$ 136 Xe. Out of its 50 t total natural xenon inventory, 40 t will be the active target of a time projection chamber which thus contains about 3.6 t of $$^{136}$$ 136 Xe. Here, we show that its projected half-life sensitivity is $$2.4\times {10}^{27}\,{\hbox {year}}$$ 2.4 × 10 27 year , using a fiducial volume of 5 t of natural xenon and 10 year of operation with a background rate of less than 0.2 events/(t  $$\cdot $$ ·  year) in the energy region of interest. This sensitivity is based on a detailed Monte Carlo simulation study of the background and event topologies in the large, homogeneous target. DARWIN will be comparable in its science reach to dedicated double beta decay experiments using xenon enriched in $$^{136}$$ 136 Xe. 

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