Triple beta decay of 150Nd to the ground and excited states of 150Eu and quadruple beta decay of 150Nd to the excited states of 150Gd have been studied using a 400 cm3 low-background HPGe detector. A half-life limit for the quadruple beta decay to the 01+ state of 150Gd was found to be T1/2(0v + 4v) > 8.7 × 1020 yr (90% C.L.). For other (0v+4v) transitions to the excited states limits for the first time have been obtained at the level of (6.1 − 9.5) × 1020 yr (90% C.L.). We report here also the results for the first search for triple beta decay to the ground and excited final states of 150Eu, T 1/2(0v + 3v) > (0.04 − 4.8) × 1020 yr (90% C.L.).

Triple beta decay of Nd-150 to the ground and excited states of Eu-150 and quadruple beta decay of Nd-150 to the excited states of Gd-150 have been studied using a 400 cm(3) low-background high-purity germanium detector and an external source consisting of 3046 g of natural Nd2O3 powder. A half-life limit for the quadruple beta decay to the 0(1)(+) state of Gd-150 was found to be T-1/2 (0 nu + 4 nu) > 8.7 x 10(20) yr (90% C.L.). For other (0 nu + 4 nu) transitions to the 2(1)(+), 3(1)(-), 4(1)(+), 2(2)(+), and 2(3)(+) excited states limits have been obtained for the first time at the level of (6.1-9.5) x 10(20) yr (90% C.L.). We report here also the results for the first search for triple beta decay to the ground and excited final states of( 150)Eu. We find no evidence of this decay and set lower limits on the half-life in the range T-1/2 (0 nu + 3 nu) > (0.04 - 4.8) x 10(20) yr (90% C.L.).

A series of 32 green tea leaves samples from different Asian producers were analyzed by direct γ-ray spectrometry at the PRISNA facility in Bordeaux. All the samples contain about 500 Bq/kg of 40K and 10 Bq/kg of 210Pb. As expected, most of the recent Japanese samples contain also the 137Cs and 134Cs radio-isotopes, whose activity distributions are studied as a function of the geographical origin in order to get an insight on the outspread and fallout of radionuclides stemming from the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant incident.

To control the authenticity of an old wine without opening the bottle, we developed a few years ago a method based on the measurement of the (137)Cs activity. However, for recent vintages, the (137)Cs activity drops to far too low values (most of the time less than 10 mBq/L for a 10-year-old wine) for this method to perform correctly. In this paper we examine the possibility to date wines using the natural radio-element (210)Pb which has a 22-year period. This new method we propose implies the opening of the bottle and the follow-on destruction of the wine itself, which means that it can only be used for investigating non-expensive bottles or wine lots where there are multiple bottles of the same provenance. Uncertainties on the resulting (210)Pb radioactivity values are large, up to more than 50%, mainly due to local atmospheric variations, which prevents us to carry out precise dating. However it can be used to discriminate between an old wine (pre-1952) and a young wine (past-1990), an information that cannot be obtained with the other techniques based on other isotopes ((137)Cs, (14)C or tritium).

Modern methods described here, have for ultimate goal to check the main components of a wine label: geographical origin, real composition and vintage. Detecting counterfeiting, ensuring traceability, guaranteeing the authenticity of products and other investigations more in the judiciary domain have given us the opportunity to apply proven methodologies generally used in other areas (environment, geology, food-products in general).

Lead-210 is unknown to the general public, but one of its daughters, polonium-210, made newspaper headlines several times in 2006 and 2012. In 2006 the whole world learned that a former Russian KGB agent named Alexander Litvinenko had been poisoned by polonium-210, a powerful short-lived alpha emitter. The ingested poisoning activity was estimated to be more than 1–3 GBq [1 Harrison, J., Leggett, R., Lloyd, D., Phipps, A. and Scot, B. 2007. J. Radiol. Protection, 27: 17[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]], which is ~6 μg of pure 210Po. The experts agree that it is an ideal weapon, impossible to detect with the naked eye and that a lethal dose can be held in a volume the size of a homeopathic pill. In 2012 we learned that traces of 210Po were found on the underwear, hat, and toothbrush of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader who died in 2004. Calculation of the activity at the time of his death shows that poisoning with 210Po is not excluded. The different samples collected during the exhumation will probably answer the question.

Limits on β+EC and ECEC processes in 112Sn have been obtained using a 380 cm3 HPGe detector and an external source consisting of 100 g enriched tin (94.32% of 112Sn). A limit with 90% C.L. on the 112Sn half-life of 1.3×1021 y for the ECEC(0ν) transition to the 03+ excited state in 112Cd (1871 keV) has been established. This transition has been discussed in the context of a possible enhancement of the decay rate. The limits on other β+EC and ECEC processes in 112Sn have also been obtained on the level of (0.1−1.6)×1021 y at the 90% C.L.

A method for the determination of the 210Pb activity by HPGe spectrometry is proposed, consisting of measuring the bremsstrahlung generated in a sample by 210Bi β-emission (1.16MeV). The detection efficiency is evaluated by GEANT3 simulation and is compared with experiment. A detection limit of 600mBq was obtained. This technique has been used to select low background detector materials and lead shielding.

Following the Fukushima nuclear accident, low-background gamma spectrometry measurements were performed with HPGe detectors at the PRISNA platform located at the CENBG laboratory in Bordeaux, France. Different kinds of samples were collected and measured between March 26 and May 14, 2011. The first fission product observed was (131)I with maximum activity values of 2.4 mBq/m(3) in atmospheric dusts in air, 3.5 Bq/L in rain water, 15 Bq/kg in grass and 0.9 Bq/L in cow milk. The (134,137)Cs isotopes were also detected in air and in grass at a maximum level of 0.2 mBq/m(3) and 0.7 Bq/kg respectively, around one order of magnitude less than (131)I activity, but they were below detection limits in the other samples. All these activity values were consistent with others measured in France by IRSN and were well below those reported in May 1986 after the Chernobyl accident.

We have constructed a GEANT4-based detailed software model of photon transport in plastic scintillator blocks and have used it to study the NEMO-3 and SuperNEMO calorimeters employed in experiments designed to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. We compare our simulations to measurements using conversion electrons from a calibration source of 207Bi and show that the agreement is improved if wavelength-dependent properties of the calorimeter are taken into account. In this article, we briefly describe our modeling approach and results of our studies.

We report results from the NEMO-3 experiment based on an exposure of 1275 days with 661 g of (130)Te in the form of enriched and natural tellurium foils. The ββ decay rate of (130)Te is found to be greater than zero with a significance of 7.7 standard deviations and the half-life is measured to be T(½)(2ν) = [7.0 ± 0.9(stat) ± 1.1(syst)] × 10(20) yr. This represents the most precise measurement of this half-life yet published and the first real-time observation of this decay.

A new ultra-low background planar germanium spectrometer has been developed. The planar geometry improves the sensitivity and energy resolution below 600keV. The integral background counting rate in the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (4800m water equivalent) in the energy range from 20 to 1500keV for the planar Ge (mass=800g) is 140count/day. After 40 days of statistics, the background counting rates for all expected single lines are below 0.5count/day with the exception of 210Pb(46-keV line) which was measured to be (1.76±0.25)count/day. Monte Carlo simulations have been performed to explain the origin of the remaining background and to calculate the detection efficiencies. Sensitivities around 1mBq/kg are obtained within few days of statistics for 226Ra and 228Th. The main achievement is the high sensitivities for 210Pb (46-keV line) and 238U (234Th: 63 and 93keV lines). For an aluminium sample (mass=1kg) the limits obtained in 15 days are 210Pb<9mBq/kg and 238U<3mBq/kg.

We report results from the NEMO-3 experiment based on an exposure of 1275 days with 661 g of (130)Te in the form of enriched and natural tellurium foils. The ββ decay rate of (130)Te is found to be greater than zero with a significance of 7.7 standard deviations and the half-life is measured to be T(½)(2ν) = [7.0 ± 0.9(stat) ± 1.1(syst)] × 10(20) yr. This represents the most precise measurement of this half-life yet published and the first real-time observation of this decay.

We report results from the NEMO-3 experiment based on an exposure of 1275 days with 661 g of Te-130 in the form of enriched and natural tellurium foils. The beta beta decay rate of Te-130 is found to be greater than zero with a significance of 7.7 standard deviations and the half-life is measured to be T-1/2(2v)=[7.0 +/- 0.9(stat) +/- 1: 1(syst)] x 10(20) yr. This represents the most precise measurement of this half- life yet published and the first real-time observation of this decay.

Limits on ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+}$EC and ECEC processes in $^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$ have been obtained using a 380 cm${}^{3}$ HPGe detector and an external source consisting of 100 g enriched tin (94.32% of $^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$). A limit with 90% C.L. on the $^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$ half-life of $1.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{21}$ yr for the ECEC(0$\ensuremath{\nu}$) transition to the ${0}_{3}^{+}$ excited state in $^{112}\mathrm{Cd}$ (1871 keV) has been established. This transition has been discussed in the context of a possible enhancement of the decay rate. The limits on other ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+}$EC and ECEC processes in $^{112}\mathrm{Sn}$ have also been obtained on the level of $(0.1\ensuremath{-}1.6)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{21}$ yr at the 90% C.L.

Using 9.4 g of Zr-96 and 1221 days of data from the NEMO-3 detector corresponding to 0.031 kg yr, the obtained 2vbb decay half-life measurement is [2.35 +/- 0.14(stat) +/- 0.16(syst)] x 10^19 yr. Different characteristics of the final state electrons have been studied, such as the energy sum, individual electron energy, and angular distribution. The 2v nuclear matrix element is extracted using the measured 2vbb half-life and is 0.049 +/- 0.002. Constraints on 0vbb decay have also been set.

Double beta decay of 150Nd and 148Nd to the excited states of daughter nuclei have been studied using a 400 cm3 low-background HPGe detector and an external source consisting of 3046 g of natural Nd2O3 powder. The half-life for the two-neutrino double beta decay of 150Nd to the excited 0+1 state in 150Sm is measured to be T1/2 = [1.33+0.36−0.23(stat)+0.27−0.13(syst)] · 1020 y. For other (0ν + 2ν) transitions to the 2+1, 2+2, 2+3, and 0+2 levels in 150Sm, limits are obtained at the level of ~ (2 − 8) · 1020 y. In the case of 148Nd only limits for the (0ν + 2ν) transitions to the 2+1, 0+1, and 2+2 excited states in 148Sm were obtained and are at the level of ~ (4 − 8) · 1020 y.

The half-life for double-{beta} decay of {sup 150}Nd has been measured by the NEMO-3 experiment at the Modane Underground Laboratory. Using 924.7 days of data recorded with 36.55 g of {sup 150}Nd, we measured the half-life for 2{nu}{beta}{beta} decay to be T{sub 1/2}{sup 2{nu}}=(9.11{sub -0.22}{sup +0.25}(stat.){+-}0.63(syst.))x10{sup 18} yr. The observed limit on the half-life for neutrinoless double-{beta} decay is found to be T{sub 1/2}{sup 0{nu}}>1.8x10{sup 22} yr at 90% confidence level. This translates into a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass of <4.0-6.3 eV if the nuclear deformation is taken into account. We also set limits on models involving Majoron emission, right-handed currents, and transitions to excited states.