New requirements on enriched isotopes for experiments studying neutrinoless double β-decay (GERDA experiment)

• DOI: 10.1007/s10512-006-0135-z
• Publication Date: 2006-12-07T10:21:53Z
• Authors: A. N. Shubin; A. N. Gilev; D. B. Kononov; A. A. Mis’kov; E. A. Nikitina; G. M. Skorynin; I. R. Barabanov; L. B. Bezrukov; A. N. Denisov; N. M. Sobolevskii; S. G. Belogurov; V. N. Kornoukhov; M. Altman; A. Caldwell
• Keywords: 0103 physical sciences; 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy

Work on the production of enriched germanium performed at Elektrokhimicheskii Zavod is described. This germanium is to be used for experiments searching for neutrinoless double β-decay using 76Ge. One of the main requirements for the enriched product is that its activation (formation of long-lived 68Ge and 60Co) by the nuclear-active component of cosmic rays must be decreased. A system of measures which greatly decrease the production of these isotopes to a level which satisfies the requirements of the GERDA experiment has been developed and adopted.