Fluorescence Imaging of Individual Ions and Molecules in Pressurized Noble Gases for Barium Tagging in \(^{136}\)Xe

• Published in: arXiv.org
• Main Authors: Byrnes, N, Dey, E, Foss, F W, Jones, B J P, Madigan, R, McDonald, A, Miller, R L, Norman, L R, Nygren, D R, Adams, C, Almazán, H, Álvarez, V, Aranburu, A I, Arazi, L, Arnquist, I J, Auria-Luna, F, Ayet, S, Barcelon, J E, Bailey, K, Ballester, F, M del Barrio-Torregrosa, Bayo, A, F I G M Borges, Cárcel, S, Castillo, A, Church, E, Cid, L, Conde, C A N, Contreras, T, Cossío, F P, Díaz, G, Dickel, T, Echevarria, C, Elorza, M, Escada, J, Esteve, R, Felkai, R, Fernandes, L M P, Ferreira, A L, Freixa, Z, García-Barrena, J, Gómez-Cadenas, J J, González, R, Grocott, J W R, Guenette, R, Hauptman, J, Henriques, C A O, Hernando Morata, J A, Herrero-Gómez, P, Herrero, V, Carrete, C Hervés, P Ho, Ifergan, Y, Larizgoitia, L, Larumbe, A, Lebrun, P, Lopez, F, López-March, N, Marques, A P, Martín-Albo, J, Martínez-Lema, G, Martínez-Vara, M, Molina-Canteras, J, Monrabal, F, Monteiro, C M B, Mora, F J, Novella, P, Nuñez, A, Oblak, E, Palacio, J, Palmeiro, B, Para, A, Parmaksiz, I, M Pérez Maneiro, Querol, M, Redwine, A B, Rivilla, I, Rogero, C, Rogers, L, Romeo, B, Romo-Luque, C, Santos, F P, J M F dos Santos, Seemann, M, Shomroni, I, P A O C Silva, Simón, A, Sorel, M, Soto-Oton, J, Teixeira, J M R, Teruel-Pardo, S, Toledo, J F, Tonnelé, C, Torrent, J, Trettin, A, Usón, A, Valle, P R G, J F C A Veloso, Waiton, J, Yubero-Navarro, A
• Format: Paper
• Language: English
• Published: Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 20.05.2024
• Subjects: Barium; Beta decay; Chemical sensors; Chemoreceptors; Fluorescence; Gas-solid interfaces; High pressure; Imaging; Neutrinos; Rare gases; Xenon
• ISSN: 2331-8422

The imaging of individual Ba\(^{2+}\) ions in high pressure xenon gas is one possible way to attain background-free sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta decay and hence establish the Majorana nature of the neutrino. In this paper we demonstrate selective single Ba\(^{2+}\) ion imaging inside a high-pressure xenon gas environment. Ba\(^{2+}\) ions chelated with molecular chemosensors are resolved at the gas-solid interface using a diffraction-limited imaging system with scan area of 1\(\times\)1~cm\(^2\) located inside 10~bar of xenon gas. This new form of microscopy represents an important enabling step in the development of barium tagging for neutrinoless double beta decay searches in \(^{136}\)Xe, as well as a new tool for studying the photophysics of fluorescent molecules and chemosensors at the solid-gas interface.