Speaker: Dr. Jose Maria Benlloch Rodriguez
Time: 10:00 A.M., 21st, May 2026
Location: Room 9557

Abstract:

The NEXT (Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC) collaboration searches for neutrinoless double beta decay (0v BB) in 136Xe using high-pressure xenon gas time projection chambers with electroluminescent amplification (HPXeEL). This technology offers a powerful combination of sub-percent energy resolution, precise 3D track reconstruction, and topological background rejection, making it one of the leading approaches for probing the Majorana nature of the neutrino and the absolute neutrinomass scale.

This talk reviews the NEXT experimental program from its early prototypes to the status and latest results from the NEXT-100 detector, currently operating at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC). Looking to the future, the presentation introduce ITACA(lon Tracking Apparatus with CMOS ASICs), a novel detector concept that records both the electron track and the complementary ion track left along the original particle trajectory, potentially reaching half-life sensitivities exceeding 1028 years.

About the speaker:

He studied Computing Engineering at the University o fSevilla, Spain, from 2009 to 2014. This was followed by a Master's degree in Particle Physics at the University of Valencia (2014-2015). From 2015 to 2020, he completed his PhD at the IFIC (University of Valencia, Spain) , where his research was conducted within the NEXT experiment. During his PhD, his work focused on developing the DAQ software, performing Monte Carlo studies of the radiogenic backgrounds for the NEXT-100 detector, and exploringpotential medical applications of NEXT technology.

Since 2020, he has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC). He is responsible for the computing infrastructure and the DAQ system for the NEXT experiment, and has developed the new online DAQ software. Additionally, he has contributed to the PETALO project, an R&D initiative aimed at developing a PET scanner based on liquid xenon.