Köln 2025 – wissenschaftliches Programm

Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe

HK: Fachverband Physik der Hadronen und Kerne

HK 48: Structure and Dynamics of Nuclei XI

HK 48.3: Vortrag

Donnerstag, 13. März 2025, 16:15–16:30, HS 2 Physik

Measurement of the ⁷¹Ge half-life using a silicon drift detector — •Hans F. R. Hoffmann, Jonas Koch, Björn Lehnert, and Kai Zuber — Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

In the search for possible explanations for the discrepancy between the measured and expected neutrino flux in gallium-based radiochemical neutrino detectors, known as the gallium anomaly, the half-life of ⁷¹Ge plays a crucial role. While new theories in neutrino physics are being explored, variations in the ⁷¹Ge half-life could also influence this discrepancy and its statistical significance. To evaluate the current literature value, a disc-shaped sample of germanium with natural isotope abundance was measured. The germanium disc was irradiated with thermal neutrons at the TRIGA reactor at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz. The actvated sample was brought to Dresden where K_α and K_β X-rays from the decay of ⁷¹Ge were measured over several months using a silicon drift detector. The resulting count rate was fitted with an exponential decay curve, from which the half-life was determined. The result is compared to other ⁷¹Ge half-life measurements and placed in the context of the gallium anomaly.

Keywords: Ge-71; Half-life; Gallium anomaly; X-rays; Silicon drift detector