Neutron pair correlations in A=100 nuclei involved in neutrinoless double-$\beta$ decay

Abstract

The pairing properties of the neutrinoless double beta decay $(0\nu 2\beta )$ candidate ${}^{100}$Mo have been studied, along with its daughter ${}^{100}$Ru, to provide input for nuclear matrix element calculations relevant to the decay. The $(p,t)$ two-neutron transfer reaction was measured on nuclei of ${}^{102,100}$Ru and ${}^{100,98}$Mo. The experiment was designed to have particular sensitivity to $0^{+}$ states up to excitation energies of $\sim 3$ MeV with high energy resolution. Measurements were made at two angles and L=0 transitions identified by the ratio of yields between the two angles. For the reactions leading to and from ${}^{100}$Ru, greater than 95% of the L=0 $(p,t)$ strength was in the ground state, but in ${}^{100}$Mo about 20% was in excited $0^{+}$ states. The measured $(p,t)$ data, together with existing $(t,p)$ data, suggest that ${}^{100}$Mo is a shape-transitional nucleus while ${}^{100}$Ru is closer to the spherical side of that transition. Theoretical calculations of the $0\nu 2\beta$ nuclear matrix element may be complicated by this difference in shape.

arXiv comment5 pages, 2 figures

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• Study of the $\beta$-decay of ${}^{100}$Tc with Total Absorption $\gamma$-Ray Spectroscopy
• Investigation of pair-correlated $0^{+}$ states in ${}^{134}$Ba via the ${}^{136}$Ba($p,t$) reaction
• Pairing properties of the double-β emitter 116Cd