Single Molecule Fluorescence Imaging as a Technique for Barium Tagging in Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

Understand

Background rejection is key to success for future neutrinoless double beta decay experiments.

• To achieve sensitivity to effective Majorana lifetimes of $\sim10^{28}$ years, backgrounds must be controlled to better than 0.1 count per ton per year, beyond the reach of any present technology.
• In this paper we propose a new method to identify the birth of the barium daughter ion in the neutrinoless double beta decay of $^{136}$Xe.
• The method adapts Single Molecule Fluorescent Imaging, a technique from biochemistry research with demonstrated single ion sensitivity.