Study of CdMoO₄ crystal for a neutrinoless double beta decay experiment with ¹¹⁶Cd and ¹⁰⁰Mo nuclides

The scintillation properties of a CdMoO₄ crystal have been investigated experimentally. The fluorescence yields and decay times measured from 22 K to 300 K demonstrate that CdMoO₄ crystal is a good candidate for an absorber for a bolometer readout, for both heat and scintillation signals. The results from Monte Carlo studies, taking the backgrounds from 2ν2β of ₄₂¹⁰⁰Mo(₄₈¹¹⁶Cd) and internal trace nuclides ²¹⁴Bi and ²⁰⁸Tl into account, show that the expected sensitivity of a CdMoO₄ bolometer for neutrinoless double beta decay experiments with an exposure of 100 kg·years is one order of magnitude higher than those of the current sets of the limT_1/2^0νββ of ₄₂¹⁰⁰Mo and ₄₈¹¹⁶Cd. (authors)