# Neutrino 2018 - XXVIII International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics

4-9 June 2018
Heidelberg
Europe/Berlin timezone
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# Contribution Poster 0vbb

Poster (participating in poster prize competition)

# Virtual depth by active background suppression: The cosmic muon induced background of GERDA Phase II

## Speakers

• Christoph WIESINGER

## Session and Location

Monday Session, Poster Wall #40 (Auditorium Gallery Right)

## Abstract content

In-situ production of long-lived isotopes by cosmic muon interactions may generate a non-negligible background for deep underground rare event searches. Previous Monte Carlo studies for the GERDA experiment at LNGS identified the delayed decays of $^{77}$Ge and its metastable state $^{77m}$Ge as dominant cosmogenic background contribution in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay of $^{76}$Ge. It might define a minimum depth requirement for next generation experiments aiming for an increased $^{76}$Ge mass at background-free conditions. In this re-evaluation it is shown that the application of state-of-the-art active background suppression techniques and simple delayed coincidence cuts allow to reduce the $^{77(m)}$Ge background by more than one order of magnitude. This virtual depth increase by active background rejection opens the way for next generation rare event searches at LNGS.

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