Microscopic calculations of signals of double beta decay in a 76Ge detector and first application to the Heidelberg–Moscow experiment

Abstract

The identification of signals of neutrinoless double beta decay is a question of extreme interest. Starting from the Monte Carlo calculated time history and spatial energy distribution of neutrinoless double beta events, for the first time the expected pulse shapes to be observed in a big 76Ge detector have been calculated ‘microscopically’, by using the Poisson Superfish code for determination of the field distribution in the detector. It is shown, that for the majority of 0νββ events it is not possible to differentiate between the contributions of different particle physics parameters entering into the 0νββ decay process—in the mass mechanism the effective neutrino mass and the right-handed weak current parameters 〈λ〉, 〈η〉. It is shown, that on the other hand it is possible in a 76Ge double beta decay experiment to reject a background of larger sizes (high multiplicity) gamma events by selecting low size (low multiplicity) events. First application of the theoretical ββ pulses to events from the line observed at Qββ [H.V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, I.V. Krivosheina, A. Dietz, et al., Phys. Lett. B 586 (2004) 198; H.V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, A. Dietz, I.V. Krivosheina, et al., Nucl. Instrum. Methods A 522 (2004) 371] shows very good agreement. It is shown further, and confirmed by measurements with a collimated source, that a rather good radial position determination of ββ events in the detector is possible. By the same type of calculation it is shown that use of the pulse shapes of the 1592 keV double escape line of the 2614 keV γ-transition from 228Th for calibrating a neuronal net for search of events of neutrinoless double beta decay can be helpful.