Two-neutrino double- β decay of Nd 150 to excited final states in Sm 150
In order to understand the nature of the neutrino, a worldwide search for neutrino-less double-$\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay is planned. The present paper measures the half-life for two-neutrino decay of one of a small number of nuclei that are viable candidates for neutrino-less decay. This measurement uses a powerful coincidence technique to determine the two-neutrino half-life of ${}^{150}$Nd, and compare it to predictions. This is an important step in enhancing the potential search for the neutrino-less mode with this nucleus.