New experimental limits on the alpha decays of lead isotopes

Understand

For the first time a PbWO4 crystal was grown using ancient Roman lead and it was run as a cryogenic detector.

• Thanks to the simultaneous and independent read-out of heat and scintillation light, the detector was able to discriminate beta/gamma interactions with respect to alpha particles down to low energies.
• New more stringent limits on the alpha decays of the lead isotopes are presented.
• In particular a limit of T_{1/2} > 1.4*10^20 y at a 90% C.L.