Gerda: A new 76Ge Double Beta Decay Experiment at Gran Sasso

Abstract

In the new 76 Ge double beta decay experiment Gerda [I. Abt et al., arXiv hep-ex/0404039 ; Gerda proposal, to be submitted to the Gran Sasso scientific committee] bare diodes of enriched 76 Ge will be operated in highly pure liquid nitrogen or argon. The goal is to reduce the background around Q β β = 2039 keV below 10 −3 counts/(kg⋅keV⋅y). With presently available diodes from the Igex and HdMs experiments the current evidence for neutrinoless double beta decay [H.-V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, et al., Mod. Phys. Lett. A16 (2001) 2409ff] can unambigously be checked within one year of measurement.