Speaker
Dr
Bela Majorovits
(MPI für Physik)
Description
The GERDA experiment is designed to search for neutrinoless
double beta decay of Ge-76. In its second phase 37 HPGe detectors enriched
in the isotope Ge-76 are directly immersed into liquid argon.
The radio-pure cryogenic liquid acts as passive and active shield
and as a cooling medium for the detectors simultaneously.
Recently a half-life limit on 0vbb decay of Ge-76 of
T1/2 > 5 *10^25 yr has been published.
The background rate in the energy region of
interest, after pulse shape discrimination and liquid argon veto
cuts, is in the range ~few counts/ROI ton yr. This makes GERDA the
first 0vbb experiment that has a background so low that <1 counts
are expected in the RoI within the anticipated life time of the experiment.
The experimental efforts needed to reach this low
background level will be discussed and the current understanding
of the background sources will be presented.
Primary author
Dr
Bela Majorovits
(MPI für Physik)
