Production and decay of the (73)Ge*(1/2(-)) metastable state in a low-background germanium detector


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Liao H. Y., Chang H. M., Chou M. H., Deniz M., Huang H. X., Lee F. S., ...Daha Fazla

JOURNAL OF PHYSICS G-NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE PHYSICS, cilt.35, sa.7, 2008 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

Özet

The (73)Ge*(1/2(-)) metastable state decays with a very characteristic signature which allows it to be tagged event-by-event. Studies were performed using data taken with a high-purity germanium detector in a low-background laboratory near a nuclear power reactor core where the (nu) over bar (e) flux was 6.4 x 10(12) cm(-2) s(-1). The measured average and equilibrium production rates of (73)Ge*(1/2-) were (8.7 +/- 0.4) and (6.7 +/- 0.3) kg(-1) day(-1), respectively. The production channels were studied and identified. By studying the difference in the production of 73Ge*(1/2-) between the reactor ON and OFF spectra, limiting sensitivities in the range of similar to 10(-42) to 10(-43) cm(2) for the cross sections of neutrino-induced nuclear transitions were derived. The dominant backgrounds are due to beta(-) decays of cosmic-ray-induced (73)Ga. The prospects of enhancing the sensitivities at underground locations are discussed.