Speaker
Description
The two-neutrino double-beta decay (2νββ) of $^{130}$Te offers a unique window into its underlying nuclear structure and provides essential benchmarks for neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) searches. We present the most precise measurement to date of the 2νββ half-life of $^{130}$Te from the CUORE experiment. The half-life, based on 1038 kg·yr TeO$_2$ exposure, is determined to be T$^{1/2}_{2ν} = (9.32 ^{+0.05 }_{-0.04} (stat.) ^{+0.07}_{-0.07} (syst.)) \cdot 10^{20}$ yr, marking a two-fold improvement in precision compared to previous measurements. Beyond refining the half-life measurement, this result leverages a 70% enhancement in signal-to-background ratio thereby enabling the first application of a spectral shape analysis using next-to-leading-order 2νββ formalism in $^{130}$Te. This analysis extracts ratios of higher-order nuclear matrix elements—parameters that are notoriously challenging to probe experimentally. These results significantly advance double-beta decay physics, offering stringent constraints on nuclear models and enhancing the interpretive power of future 0νββ searches.
| Collaboration you are representing | CUORE |
|---|
