Abstract TheMajorana Demonstratorwas a search for neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) in the76Ge isotope. It was staged at the 4850-foot level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD. The experiment consisted of 58 germanium detectors housed in a low background shield and was calibrated once per week by deploying a228Th line source for 1 to 2 hours. The energy scale calibration determination for the detector array was automated using custom analysis tools. We describe the offline procedure for calibration of theDemonstratorgermanium detectors, including the simultaneous fitting of multiple spectral peaks, estimation of energy scale uncertainties, and the automation of the calibration procedure.
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Topologies of $$^{76}$$Ge double-beta decay events and calibration procedure biases
Abstract The analysis of the time profile of electrical signals produced by energy depositions in germanium detectors allows discrimination of events with different topologies. This is especially relevant for experiments searching for the neutrinoless double beta decay of $$^{76}$$ 76 Ge to distinguish the sought-after signal from other background sources. The standard calibration procedures used to tune the selection criteria for double-beta decay events use a $$^{228}$$ 228 Th source, because it provides samples of signal-like events. These samples exhibit energy spatial distributions with subtle different topologies compared to neutrinoless double-beta decay events. In this work, we will characterize these topological differences and, with the support of a $$^{56}$$ 56 Co source, evaluate biases and precision of calibration techniques which use such event samples. Our results will be particularly relevant for future experiments in which a solid estimation of the efficiency is required.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1812374
- PAR ID:
- 10447806
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The European Physical Journal C
- Volume:
- 83
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 1434-6052
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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