Orateur
Dr
Fabiana Cossavella
(Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik)
Description
The Germanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment searches for
neutrinoless double beta decay of Ge-76, a test of whether
neutrinos are identical with their anti-particles, i.e. of Majorana
type, or distinct from them, i.e. of Dirac type. Neutrinoless double
beta decay could not only establish the charge-conjugation character
of neutrinos, but also place a limit on the effective neutrino mass
and probe the neutrino mass hierarchy.
Germanium crystals enriched in Ge-76, acting as source and
detector, will be submerged in an ultra-pure cryogenic liquid that
serves as cooling medium and shields against radiation. This allows
for a background reduction of up to two orders of magnitude better
than earlier experiments. The status of the GERDA experiment,
installed in hall A of the underground laboratory of LNGS (INFN,
Italy), will be presented. The expected performance will be compared
to other neutrinoless double beta decay searches that start
commissioning in the near future.
Auteur principal
Dr
Fabiana Cossavella
(Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik)
