IOP Publishing, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, (173), p. 012007, 2009
DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/173/1/012007
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Building a 0 nu beta beta experiment with the ability to probe neutrino mass in the inverted hierarchy region requires the combination of a large detector mass sensitive to 0 nu beta beta, on the order of 1-tonne, and unprecedented background levels, on the order of or less than I count per year in the 0 nu beta beta signal region. The MAJORANA Collaboration proposes a design based on using high-purity enriched Ge-76 crystals deployed in ultra, low background electroformed Cu cryostats and using modern analysis techniques that should be capable of reaching the required sensitivity while also being scalable to a 1-tonne size. To demonstrate feasibility, the collaboration plans to construct a prototype system, the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, consisting of 30 kg of 86% enriched Ge-76 detectors and 30 kg of natural or isotope-76-depleted Ge detectors. We plan to deploy and evaluate two different Ge detector technologies, one based on a p-type configuration and the other on n-type.