Speaker
Description
The RAdioactive isotope Measurement Program at SNOLAB (RAMPS) is a deep-underground nuclear-physics experiment designed to perform precision measurements of rare decays in long-lived isotopes. This is of particular interest to geochronology, astrophysics, and nuclear physics. Its pilot experiment aims to search for the previously unobserved electron-capture (EC) decay of $^{176}$Lu to the first excited state of $^{176}$Yb, which is a fifth-forbidden transition. Current experimental lower limits indicate a half-life of $10^{13}$ to $10^{14}$ years, while theoretical limits suggest a half-life of greater than $10^{19}$ years. The experiment uses LYSO, a lutetium-containing scintillator, as both the radioactive source and an active detector. Scintillation light produced by the low-energy atomic relaxation following electron capture is measured using a Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM), while a High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector searches for the characteristic 82.13-keV de-excitation gamma ray. Requiring coincidence between the two detectors is expected to strongly suppress backgrounds from the dominant beta-decay branches. Additionally, operation within SNOLAB’s deep-underground, low-background environment will substantially reduce the background relative to previous above-ground measurements. This will potentially enable the first observation of the EC decay or establish a more stringent lower limit on its half-life. RAMPS will also provide a detector infrastructure for future precision measurements of other long-lived isotopes.
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