Q value of the 100Mo Double-Beta Decay

Understand

Penning trap measurements using mixed beams of 100Mo - 100Ru and 76Ge - 76Se have been utilized to determine the double-beta decay Q-values of 100Mo and 76Ge with uncertainties less than 200 eV.

• The value for 76Ge, 2039.04(16) keV is in agreement with the published SMILETRAP value.
• The new value for 100Mo, 3034.40(17) keV is 30 times more precise than the previous literature value, sufficient for the ongoing neutrinoless double-beta decay searches in 100Mo.
• Moreover, the precise Q-value is used to calculate the phase-space integrals and the experimental nuclear matrix element of double-beta decay.