Nature Communications (Dec 2022)

Ba+2 ion trapping using organic submonolayer for ultra-low background neutrinoless double beta detector

  • P. Herrero-Gómez,
  • J. P. Calupitan,
  • M. Ilyn,
  • A. Berdonces-Layunta,
  • T. Wang,
  • D. G. de Oteyza,
  • M. Corso,
  • R. González-Moreno,
  • I. Rivilla,
  • B. Aparicio,
  • A. I. Aranburu,
  • Z. Freixa,
  • F. Monrabal,
  • F. P. Cossío,
  • J. J. Gómez-Cadenas,
  • C. Rogero,
  • NEXT collaboration

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35153-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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One of the possible events signaling a neutrinoless double beta decay is a Xe atom decaying into a Ba ion and two electrons. Aiming at the realisation of a detector for such a process, the authors show that Ba ions can be efficiently trapped (chelated) in vacuum by an organic molecule layer on a surface.