Abstract
The NUMEN project aims at accessing experimentally driven information on Nuclear Matrix Elements (NME) involved in the half-life of the neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ). In this view measurements of Heavy Ion (HI) induced Double Charge Exchange (DCE) reaction cross sections are performed with high-accuracy. In particular, the (18O,18Ne) and (20Ne,20O) reactions are used as tools for β+β+ and β-β- decays, respectively. In the experiments, performed at INFN - Laboratory Nazionali del Sud (LNS) in Catania, the beams are accelerated by the Superconducting Cyclotron (CS) and the reaction ejectiles are detected the MAGNEX magnetic spectrometer. The measured cross sections are challengingly low (a few nb), being the total reaction cross section much larger (a few b), thus a high sensitivity and a large rejection capability are demanded to the experimental set-up. This limits the present exploration to few selected isotopes of interest in the context of typically low-yield experimental runs. A major upgrade of the LNS facility is under way in order to increase the experimental dataset of more than two orders of magnitude, still preserving the high sensitivity of the present set-up. When accomplished this effort will make the INFN-LNS as the state-of-the-art research infrastructure for the systematic study of all the cases of interest for 0νββ. In this view, frontiers technologies are going to be adopted for the accelerator and the detection systems. In parallel, advanced theoretical models are being developed in order to extract the nuclear structure information from the measured cross sections.
Highlights
Charge exchange reactions are versatile tools for both reaction and nuclear structure studies
An experimental campaign [1] has started at the INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud in Catania using the MAGNEX large acceptance magnetic spectrometer [10]. It focuses on the study of heavy-ion induced Double Charge Exchange (DCE) reactions and competing reaction channels involving the nuclei of interest for 0νββ decay
The possible connections of DCE measured cross sections with double beta decay Nuclear Matrix Elements (NMEs) and with the still unsolved neutrino puzzles are among the goals of the present studies
Summary
Charge exchange reactions are versatile tools for both reaction and nuclear structure studies. An especially appealing aspect is the possibility to use them to investigate the spin-isospin-dependent response of nuclei. These studies have a genuine nuclear physics interest, since they reflects a key aspect of nuclear dynamics. Beyond that, there is an even broader impact of such investigations because of their relevance for nuclear beta decay, connecting strong and weak interactions. In this context, the NUMEN and NURE projects at LNS Catania [1,2,3] aim to promote heavy-ion induced single and double charge exchange reactions in a systematic approach, with the intention to extract information on nuclear matrix elements for single and double charge exchange processes and to identify the possible connections with double beta decay. The strategy and methodologies of the above-mentioned programmes, the challenges of the experimental activities together with the status of the already performed experimental runs are described and discussed
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