Eur. Phys. J. A (2006) 27: 35-41
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2006-08-004-y

Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics II

Search for rare processes with DAMA/LXe experiment at Gran Sasso

¹ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “Tor Vergata” and INFN, Sezione di Roma II, I-00133, Roma, Italy
² Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “La Sapienza” and INFN, Sezione di Roma, I-00185, Roma, Italy
³ Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, INFN, I-67010, Assergi, Italy
⁴ IHEP, Chinese Academy, P.O. Box 918/3, 100039, Beijing, PRC
⁵ Institute for Nuclear Research, MSP 03680, Kiev, Ukraine

^* e-mail: riccardo.cerulli@lngs.infn.it

Received: 20 June 2005
Accepted: 20 December 2005
Published online: 22 February 2006

Abstract

After a short introduction on the low background liquid xenon DAMA set-up (DAMA/LXe) and its main previous results, we discuss the search for the nucleon, di-nucleon and tri-nucleon decays into invisible channels (disappearance or decay to neutrinos, Majorons, etc.) in the ¹³⁶Xe isotope. The obtained limits (90% C.L.) on the lifetimes are: τ_n > 3.3 ^. 10²³yr, τ_p > 4.5 ^. 10²³yr, τ_np > 3.2 ^. 10²³yr, τ_pp > 1.9 ^. 10²⁴yr, τ_nnp > 1.4 ^. 10²²yr, τ_npp > 2.7 ^. 10²²yr and τ_ppp > 3.6 ^. 10²²yr. In particular, the tri-nucleon decay into invisible channels is investigated here for the first time.