Single Ion Trapping for the Enriched Xenon Observatory

Abstract

In the last decade, a variety of neutrino oscillation experiments have established that there is a mass difference between neutrino flavors, without determining the absolute neutrino mass scale. The Enriched Xenon Observatory for neutrinoless double beta decay (EXO) will search for the rare decays of xenon to determine the absolute value of the neutrino mass. The experiment uses a novel technique to minimize backgrounds, identifying the decay daughter product in real time using single ion spectroscopy. Here, we describe single ion trapping and spectroscopy compatible with the EXO detector. We extend the technique of single ion trapping in ultrahigh vacuum to trapping in xenon gas. With this technique, EXO will achieve a neutrino mass sensitivity of m ν .010 eV.v vi

Observation of Singly Charged Barium Ions in a Buffer Gas: Towards a Functional Barium-Tagging System for Use in the Enriched Xenon Observatory

“…This may sound impossible but the work is already under way with many of the steps outlined above already demonstrated. Namely, collaborators at Stanford University have already demonstrated trapping and identication of single ions [68,69,70,71], and also have developed a so-called RF-funnel that can extract ions from a 10 bar region to a 3.4. NEXO on developing the ion trapping and identication system here at Carleton and will be discussed at length in the following chapters.…”