New Limit on the Neutrinoless $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\beta}$ Decay of $^{130}\mathrm{Te}$

New Limit on the Neutrinoless $β β$ Decay of ${}^{130}{Te}$

C. Arnaboldi et al.

Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 142501 – Published 30 September 2005

Abstract

We report the present results of CUORICINO, a search for neutrinoless double-beta ( $0 ν β β$ ) decay of ${}^{130}{Te}$ . The detector is an array of 62 ${TeO}_{2}$ bolometers with a total active mass of 40.7 kg. The array is cooled by a dilution refrigerator shielded from environmental radioactivity and energetic neutrons, operated at $\sim 8 mK$ in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory. No evidence for ( $0 ν β β$ ) decay was found and a new lower limit, $T_{1 / 2}^{0 ν} \geq 1.8 \times 10^{24} yr$ (90% C.L.) is set, corresponding to $⟨ m_{ν} ⟩ \leq 0.2$ to 1.1 eV, depending on the theoretical nuclear matrix elements used in the analysis.