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Astroparticle Physics is the union of astrophysics and elementary particle physics. Research in Mexico in this branch of physics has been carried out in several topics, mainly those associated with neutrino physics and with cosmic rays. © 2006 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) will be a large-scale, multi-purpose observatory that is planned for construction in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory in Italy. Its primary focus will be on a search for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of [sup 130]Te. The source/detector will be composed of one thousand 5-cm×5-cm×5-cm single crystals of TeO[sub 2] all housed in a common dilution refrigerator. Attached to each crystal will be one or more neutron-transmutation-doped (NTD) germanium thermistors that will measure the small temperature rise produced in a crystal when radiation is absorbed. The high natural isotopic abundance of [sup 130]Te (33.8%) makes the use of isotopically enriched material unnecessary. In addition, the high Q-value for the double-beta decay of [sup 130]Te means that the peak in the summed electron energy spectrum expected from the neutrinoless mode will occur in an energy region of very little natural background. Once constructed, CUORE can also be used in searches for dark matter, solar axions, and other rare decay processes in nuclear physics. © 2002 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]