A1 Journal article (refereed)
Measurement of the Spectral Shape of the β-Decay of 137Xe to the Ground State of 137Cs in EXO-200 and Comparison with Theory (2020)

EXO-200 Collaboration. (2020). Measurement of the Spectral Shape of the β-Decay of 137Xe to the Ground State of 137Cs in EXO-200 and Comparison with Theory. Physical Review Letters, 124(23), Article 232502. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.232502

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: EXO-200 Collaboration

Journal or series: Physical Review Letters

ISSN: 0031-9007

eISSN: 1079-7114

Publication year: 2020

Volume: 124

Issue number: 23

Article number: 232502

Publisher: American Physical Society

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.232502

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: 

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/71083

Publication is parallel published: https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.00108

Abstract

We report on a comparison between the theoretically predicted and experimentally measured spectra of the first-forbidden nonunique β-decay transition 137Xe(7/2−)→137Cs(7/2+). The experimental data were acquired by the EXO-200 experiment during a deployment of an AmBe neutron source. The ultralow background environment of EXO-200, together with dedicated source deployment and analysis procedures, allowed for collection of a pure sample of the decays, with an estimated signal to background ratio of more than 99 to 1 in the energy range from 1075 to 4175 keV. In addition to providing a rare and accurate measurement of the first-forbidden nonunique β-decay shape, this work constitutes a novel test of the calculated electron spectral shapes in the context of the reactor antineutrino anomaly and spectral bump.

Keywords: nuclear physics; particle physics

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Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2020

JUFO rating: 3