Physics Letters B (Oct 2020)
Benchmarking 136Xe neutrinoless ββ decay matrix element calculations with the 138Ba(p,t) reaction
- B.M. Rebeiro,
- S. Triambak,
- P.E. Garrett,
- B.A. Brown,
- G.C. Ball,
- R. Lindsay,
- P. Adsley,
- V. Bildstein,
- C. Burbadge,
- A. Diaz Varela,
- T. Faestermann,
- D.L. Fang,
- R. Hertenberger,
- M. Horoi,
- B. Jigmeddorj,
- M. Kamil,
- K.G. Leach,
- P.Z. Mabika,
- J.C. Nzobadila Ondze,
- J.N. Orce,
- H.-F. Wirth
Affiliations
- B.M. Rebeiro
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, P/B X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
- S. Triambak
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, P/B X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa; Corresponding author.
- P.E. Garrett
- Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, P/B X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
- B.A. Brown
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1321, USA
- G.C. Ball
- TRIUMF, 4004 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A3, Canada
- R. Lindsay
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, P/B X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
- P. Adsley
- School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa; iThemba LABS, P.O. Box 722, Somerset West 7129, South Africa
- V. Bildstein
- Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
- C. Burbadge
- Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
- A. Diaz Varela
- Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
- T. Faestermann
- Physik Department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- D.L. Fang
- Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China; School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- R. Hertenberger
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- M. Horoi
- Department of Physics, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
- B. Jigmeddorj
- Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
- M. Kamil
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, P/B X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
- K.G. Leach
- Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, USA
- P.Z. Mabika
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, P/B X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa; Department of Physics and Engineering, University of Zululand, Private Bag X1001, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa
- J.C. Nzobadila Ondze
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, P/B X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
- J.N. Orce
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of the Western Cape, P/B X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
- H.-F. Wirth
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 809
p. 135702
Abstract
We used a high-resolution magnetic spectrograph to study neutron pair-correlated 0+ states in 136Ba, produced via the Ba138(p,t) reaction. In conjunction with state-of-the-art shell model calculations, these data benchmark part of the dominant Gamow-Teller component of the nuclear matrix element (NME) for 136Xe neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay. We demonstrate for the first time an evaluation of part of a 0νββ decay NME by use of an experimental observable, presenting a new avenue of approach for more accurate calculations of 0νββ decay matrix elements.
