Status and prospects for CUORE

Abstract

CUORE is a cryogenic detector consisting of 988 TeO2 crystals, 750 g each, and will be operated at a temperature of ∼10 mK, to search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) of 130Te. The detector, in the final stages of construction at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy), will start its operations in 2016. CUORE-0, its pilot experiment, has proven the feasibility of CUORE, demonstrating that the target background of 0.01 counts/keV/kg/y and the energy resolution of 5 keV are within reach. CUORE-0 also made the most precise measurement of the 2νββ decay. The expected sensitivity of CUORE to the 0νββ 130Te half-life is 9 •1025y, for 5 years of data taking. Here, we report the most recent results of CUORE-0, their implications for CUORE, and the current status of the CUORE experiment.