Nuclear waste accident threatens future of neutrino experiment
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027984
Nature : The Enriched Xenon Observatory-200 (EXO-200), one of the few neutrino detectors looking for neutrinoless double ß decay, is housed in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico. A radioactive leak, and the threat of future leaks, at WIPP has caused the EXO-200 facility to be closed since February. The closure interrupted upgrade work and brings planned future operations into question. Double ß decay is an unusual radioactive decay path that results in the creation of two antineutrinos. The proposed neutrinoless decay would occur if the antineutrinos annihilated themselves. If evidence of such a decay were found, it would prove that neutrinos are Majorana fermions , particles that are their own antiparticle.
