Search for neutrinoless double beta decay of $$^{64}$$Zn and $$^{70}$$Zn with CUPID-0

Abstract

AbstractCUPID-0 is the first pilot experiment of CUPID, a next-generation project searching for neutrinoless double beta decay. In its first scientific run, CUPID-0 operated 26 ZnSe cryogenic calorimeters coupled to light detectors in the underground Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. In this work, we analyzed a ZnSe exposure of 11.34 kg year to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of $$^{70}$$70Zn and for the neutrinoless positron-emitting electron capture of $$^{64}$$64Zn. We found no evidence for these decays and set 90$$\%$$% credible interval limits of $$\hbox {T}_{1/2}^{0\nu \beta \beta }$$T1/20νββ($$^{70}$$70Zn) > 1.6 $$10^{21}$$1021 year and $$\hbox {T}_{1/2}^{0\nu EC \beta +}$$T1/20νECβ+($$^{64}$$64Zn) > 1.2$$\times 10^{22}$$×1022 year, surpassing by more than one order of magnitude the previous experimental results (Belli et al. in J Phys G 38(11):115107, https://doi.org/10.1088/0954-3899/38/11/115107, 2011).