Measurement of the 85Kr specific activity in the GERDA liquid argon

GERDA Collaboration*

doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14135-8

Measurement of the ⁸⁵Kr specific activity in the GERDA liquid argon

GERDA Collaboration*

Chair of Experimental Astroparticle Physics

University College London
Physik-Institut der Universität Zürich
National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute"
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik
National Research Nuclear University MEPhI
University of Padova
Dipartimento di Fisica 'G. Galilei' and INFN
Universitá di L'Aquila
Technical University of Munich
University Paris-Sud
Max-Planck-Institut für Physik
Sezione INFN di Milano Bicocca
Joint Inst. for Nuclear Research
University of Tübingen
Duke University
European Commission
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Semilab Zrt
International University for Nature
Jagiellonian University
INFN-LNS
University of Milan
Nuclear Science Division
Technische Universität Dresden

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The radioactive isotope ⁸⁵Kr is found in significant quantities in the atmosphere largely due to nuclear industry. Its β-decay with a half-life of 10.7 years and a Q-value of 687 keV is a dangerous background source for low-threshold noble gas and liquid detectors, which distill their detector medium from air. The Gerda experiment was operating high-purity germanium detectors immersed in a clean liquid argon bath deep underground to search for neutrinoless double beta decay with unprecedented sensitivity. The ⁸⁵Kr specific activity in the liquid argon at the start of the second phase of the experiment has been determined to be (0.36±0.03) mBq/kg through an analysis of the full subsequent data set that exploits the excellent γ-ray spectroscopic capabilities of Gerda.

Original language	English
Article number	518
Journal	European Physical Journal C
Volume	85
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14135-8
State	Published - May 2025

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@article{fba8ecc7cc4245c783495817df0ea5bc,

title = "Measurement of the 85Kr specific activity in the GERDA liquid argon",

abstract = "The radioactive isotope 85Kr is found in significant quantities in the atmosphere largely due to nuclear industry. Its β-decay with a half-life of 10.7 years and a Q-value of 687 keV is a dangerous background source for low-threshold noble gas and liquid detectors, which distill their detector medium from air. The Gerda experiment was operating high-purity germanium detectors immersed in a clean liquid argon bath deep underground to search for neutrinoless double beta decay with unprecedented sensitivity. The 85Kr specific activity in the liquid argon at the start of the second phase of the experiment has been determined to be (0.36±0.03) mBq/kg through an analysis of the full subsequent data set that exploits the excellent γ-ray spectroscopic capabilities of Gerda.",

author = "GERDA Collaboration* and M. Agostini and A. Alexander and G. Araujo and Bakalyarov, \{A. M.\} and M. Balata and I. Barabanov and L. Baudis and C. Bauer and S. Belogurov and A. Bettini and L. Bezrukov and V. Biancacci and E. Bossio and V. Bothe and R. Brugnera and A. Caldwell and S. Calgaro and C. Cattadori and A. Chernogorov and Chiu, \{P. J.\} and T. Comellato and V. D{\textquoteright}Andrea and Demidova, \{E. V.\} and Marco, \{N. Di\} and E. Doroshkevich and M. Fomina and A. Gangapshev and A. Garfagnini and C. Gooch and P. Grabmayr and V. Gurentsov and K. Gusev and J. Hakenm{\"u}ller and S. Hemmer and W. Hofmann and J. Huang and M. Hult and Inzhechik, \{L. V.\} and \{Janicsk{\'o} Cs{\'a}thy\}, J. and J. Jochum and M. Junker and V. Kazalov and Y. Kerma{\"i}dic and H. Khushbakht and T. Kihm and K. Kilgus and Kirpichnikov, \{I. V.\} and A. Klimenko and Kn{\"o}pfle, \{K. T.\} and S. Sch{\"o}nert",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025.",

year = "2025",

month = may,

doi = "10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14135-8",

language = "English",

volume = "85",

journal = "European Physical Journal C",

issn = "1434-6044",

publisher = "Springer Nature",

number = "5",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Measurement of the 85Kr specific activity in the GERDA liquid argon

AU - GERDA Collaboration

AU - Agostini, M.

AU - Alexander, A.

AU - Araujo, G.

AU - Bakalyarov, A. M.

AU - Balata, M.

AU - Barabanov, I.

AU - Baudis, L.

AU - Bauer, C.

AU - Belogurov, S.

AU - Bettini, A.

AU - Bezrukov, L.

AU - Biancacci, V.

AU - Bossio, E.

AU - Bothe, V.

AU - Brugnera, R.

AU - Caldwell, A.

AU - Calgaro, S.

AU - Cattadori, C.

AU - Chernogorov, A.

AU - Chiu, P. J.

AU - Comellato, T.

AU - D’Andrea, V.

AU - Demidova, E. V.

AU - Marco, N. Di

AU - Doroshkevich, E.

AU - Fomina, M.

AU - Gangapshev, A.

AU - Garfagnini, A.

AU - Gooch, C.

AU - Grabmayr, P.

AU - Gurentsov, V.

AU - Gusev, K.

AU - Hakenmüller, J.

AU - Hemmer, S.

AU - Hofmann, W.

AU - Huang, J.

AU - Hult, M.

AU - Inzhechik, L. V.

AU - Janicskó Csáthy, J.

AU - Jochum, J.

AU - Junker, M.

AU - Kazalov, V.

AU - Kermaïdic, Y.

AU - Khushbakht, H.

AU - Kihm, T.

AU - Kilgus, K.

AU - Kirpichnikov, I. V.

AU - Klimenko, A.

AU - Knöpfle, K. T.

AU - Schönert, S.

PY - 2025/5

Y1 - 2025/5

N2 - The radioactive isotope 85Kr is found in significant quantities in the atmosphere largely due to nuclear industry. Its β-decay with a half-life of 10.7 years and a Q-value of 687 keV is a dangerous background source for low-threshold noble gas and liquid detectors, which distill their detector medium from air. The Gerda experiment was operating high-purity germanium detectors immersed in a clean liquid argon bath deep underground to search for neutrinoless double beta decay with unprecedented sensitivity. The 85Kr specific activity in the liquid argon at the start of the second phase of the experiment has been determined to be (0.36±0.03) mBq/kg through an analysis of the full subsequent data set that exploits the excellent γ-ray spectroscopic capabilities of Gerda.

AB - The radioactive isotope 85Kr is found in significant quantities in the atmosphere largely due to nuclear industry. Its β-decay with a half-life of 10.7 years and a Q-value of 687 keV is a dangerous background source for low-threshold noble gas and liquid detectors, which distill their detector medium from air. The Gerda experiment was operating high-purity germanium detectors immersed in a clean liquid argon bath deep underground to search for neutrinoless double beta decay with unprecedented sensitivity. The 85Kr specific activity in the liquid argon at the start of the second phase of the experiment has been determined to be (0.36±0.03) mBq/kg through an analysis of the full subsequent data set that exploits the excellent γ-ray spectroscopic capabilities of Gerda.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105017124139

U2 - 10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14135-8

DO - 10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14135-8

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105017124139

SN - 1434-6044

VL - 85

JO - European Physical Journal C

JF - European Physical Journal C

IS - 5

M1 - 518

ER -

Measurement of the ⁸⁵Kr specific activity in the GERDA liquid argon

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