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SUMMARY:K600 magnetic spectrometer and the NUMEN project
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260520T101500Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260520T103500Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260624T055123Z
UID:indico-contribution-3829@indico.tlabs.ac.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Thuthukile Khumalo (iThemba LABS)\nThe NUMEN (NUclea
 r Matrix Elements for Neutrinoless double-beta decay) project aims to obta
 in the nuclear matrix elements (NME) to be used as inputs in models to det
 ermine the lifetime of neutrinoless double-beta ($0\\nu\\beta\\beta$) deca
 y\, which is related to the absolute mass of the neutrino [1]. This will b
 e achieved by conducting heavy-ion double charge-exchange (DCE) reactions 
 and measuring the cross sections of these reactions for all isotopes that 
 have been identified to undergo  $0\\nu\\beta\\beta$ decay [1]. The occurr
 ence of the $0\\nu\\beta\\beta$ decay will imply that the lepton number is
  violated [2]. It is\, therefore\, very important to determine the NMEs as
  they will assist in elucidating Physics beyond the Standard Model [2]. Th
 e transition operators of the $0\\nu\\beta\\beta$ decay and DCE reactions 
 have a similar mathematical structure with a combination of short $0\\nu\\
 beta\\beta$ decay range Fermi\, Gamow-Teller\, and rank-2 tensor component
 s [3]. The weights of such components are different\, being controlled by 
 the axial and vector coupling constants in the weak sector and by the ener
 gy-dependent isospin\, spin-isospin\, and tensor coupling strengths for th
 e strong interaction [3]. Therefore\, more experimental data are required 
 from a range of incident beam energies for DCE measurements. Additionally\
 , to explore the candidate nuclei of $0\\nu\\beta\\beta$ decay in a system
 atic way\, more experimental data are required. Previous experiments for t
 he NUMEN project at Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare - Laboratori Naz
 ionali del Sud (INFN-LNS) have suffered from high signal rate due to the i
 nteraction of the target and projectile\, which greatly outnumber any pote
 ntial DCE events. Additionally\, the limited energy resolution of the MAGN
 EX spectrometer for DCE measurements makes it a cumbersome task to decoupl
 e transitions of interest relevant to the NUMEN project. Particle-$\\gamma
 $ coincidence measurements are a plausible attempt at a solution for this 
 problem. Thus\, a high-resolution magnetic spectrometer like the K600 at t
 he iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (iThemba LABS)\, whic
 h is already used for coincidence measurements\, is a perfect candidate fo
 r baseline measurements especially given that the LNS facility is still un
 der upgrade. However\, in its current design\, the existing K600 detection
  system is limited in the detection of heavy ions (e.g. $^{6}\\mathrm{Li}\
 , ^{12}\\mathrm{C}\, ^{18}\\mathrm{O}\, ^{18}\\mathrm{Ne}$) at moderate ki
 netic energies ($\\approx$ 10~MeV$/u$) and light ions at low energies ($\\
 approx$ 5~MeV$/u$)[4]. The development of a new low-pressure detection sys
 tem for the K600 is currently underway to expand the spectrometer research
  program [4]. Thus\, an already existing detection system from the MAGNEX 
 large-acceptance spectrometer at INFN-LNS has been coupled to the K600 to 
 provide a baseline as to how the K600 will operate with a low-pressure det
 ection system. The coupling of the MAGNEX focal-plane detection system wit
 h the K600 is also beneficial for other nuclear-structure studies to be co
 nducted with the K600 spectrometer.\n\n1] F. Cappuzzello\, C. Agodi\, M. C
 avallaro\, et al. The NUMEN project: NUclear Matrix Elements for Neutrinol
 ess double\nbeta decay. The European Physical Journal A 54\, 1–46 (2018)
 .\n[2] M.J Dolinski\, A.W.P. Poon\, and W. Rodejohann. Neutrinoless Double
 -Beta Decay: Status and Prospects. Annual Review\nof Nuclear and Particle 
 Science 69\, 219–251 (2019).\n[3] F. Cappuzzello\, L. Acosta\, C. Agodi\
 , et al. The NUMEN Project: An Update of the Facility Toward the Future Ex
 peri-\nmental Campaigns. Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences 8\, 668
 587 (2021).\n[4] T. Khumalo. “Low-Pressure Focal-plane detector for the 
 K600: a design study\,” MA thesis. 2020.\n\nhttps://indico.tlabs.ac.za/e
 vent/139/contributions/3829/
LOCATION:NRF-iThemba LABS\, Old Faure Road\, Cape Town Auditorium
URL:https://indico.tlabs.ac.za/event/139/contributions/3829/
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