Sensitivity of a tonne-scale NEXT detector for neutrinoless double-beta decay searches

Author(s): Adams, C; Alvarez, V; Arazi, L; Arnquist, IJ; Azevedo, CDR; Bailey, K; Ballester, F; Benlloch-Rodriguez, JM; Borges, FIGM; Byrnes, N; Carcel, S; Carrion, JV; Cebrian, S; Church, E; Conde, CAN; Contreras, T; Denisenko, AA; Diaz, G; Diaz, J; Escada, J; Esteve, R; Felkai, R; Fernandes, LMP; Ferrario, P; Ferreira, AL; Foss, F; Freitas, EDC; Freixa, Z; Generowicz, J; Goldschmidt, A; Gomez-Cadenas, JJ; Gonzalez, R; Gonzalez-Diaz, D; Gosh, S; Guenette, R; Gutierrez, RM; Haefner, J; Hafidi, K; Hauptman, J; Henriques, CAO; Hernando Morata, JA; Herrero, P; Herrero, V; Ho, J; Ifergan, Y; Jones, BJP; Kekic, M; Labarga, L; Laing, A; Lebrun, P; Lopez-March, N; Losada, M; Mano, RDP; Martin-Albo, J; Martinez, A; Martinez-Vara, M; Martinez-Lema, G; McDonald, AD; Meziani, ZE; Monrabal, F; Monteiro, CMB; Mora, FJ; Munoz Vidal, J; Newhouse, C; Novella, P; Nygren, DR; Oblak, E; Palmeiro, B; Para, A; Perez, J; Querol, M; Redwine, A; Renner, J; Ripoll, L; Rivilla, I; Rodriguez Garcia, Y; Rodriguez, J; Rogero, C; Rogers, L; Romeo, B; Romo-Luque, C; Santos, FP; dos Santos, JMF; Simon, A; Sorel, M | Abstract: The Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC (NEXT) searches for the neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay of 136Xe using high-pressure xenon gas TPCs with electroluminescent amplification. A scaled-up version of this technology with about 1 tonne of enriched xenon could reach in less than 5 years of operation a sensitivity to the half-life of 0νββ decay better than 1027 years, improving the current limits by at least one order of magnitude. This prediction is based on a well-understood background model dominated by radiogenic sources. The detector concept presented here represents a first step on a compelling path towards sensitivity to the parameter space defined by the inverted ordering of neutrino masses, and beyond. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]