Neutrinoless double beta decay and neutrino mass

Abstract

The observation of neutrinoless double beta decay will have important consequences. First it will signal that lepton number is not conserved and the neutrinos are Majorana particles. Second, it represents our best hope for determining the absolute neutrino mass scale at the level of a few tens of meV. To achieve the last goal, however, certain hurdles have to be overcome involving particle, nuclear and experimental physics. Particle physics is important since it provides the mechanisms for neutrinoless double beta decay. In this review we emphasize the light neutrino mass mechanism. Nuclear physics is important for extracting the useful information from the data. One must accurately evaluate the relevant nuclear matrix elements, a formidable task. To this end, we review the recently developed sophisticated nuclear structure approaches, employing different methods and techniques of calculation. We also examine the question of quenching of the axial vector coupling constant, which may have important consequences on the size of the nuclear matrix elements. From an experimental point of view it is challenging, since the life times are extremely long and one has to fight against formidable backgrounds. One needs large isotopically enriched sources and detectors with good energy resolution and very low background.

Review Article 63 pages, 9 figures, 10 tables

References in corpus (44)

• Observation of electron-antineutrino disappearance at Daya Bay
• Double Beta Decay, Majorana Neutrinos, and Neutrino Mass
• Phenomenology with Massive Neutrinos
• Phase space factors for double-$\beta$ decay
• Light Sterile Neutrinos: A White Paper
• Disassembling the Nuclear Matrix Elements of the Neutrinoless double beta Decay
• Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay in ${}^{136}$Xe with EXO-200
• Energy density functional study of nuclear matrix elements for neutrinoless $\beta \beta$ decay
• Anatomy of nuclear matrix elements for neutrinoless double-beta decay
• Low energy effects of neutrino masses
• $0\nu \beta \beta$ and $2\nu \beta \beta$ nuclear matrix elements in the interacting boson model with isospin restoration
• Nuclear matrix elements for double-β decay
• $0\nu \beta \beta$ and $2\nu \beta \beta$ nuclear matrix elements, QRPA, and isospin symmetry restoration
• Erratum: Assessment of uncertainties in QRPA $0\nu \beta \beta$-decay nuclear matrix elements [Nucl. Phys. A 766, 107 (2006)]
• Left-Right Symmetry: from LHC to Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay
• Probing New Physics Models of Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay with SuperNEMO
• Average and recommended half-life values for two neutrino double beta decay
• Systematic study of nuclear matrix elements in neutrinoless double-beta decay with a beyond mean-field covariant density functional theory
• Improved short-range correlations and 0nbb nuclear matrix elements of 76Ge and 82Se
• Nuclear matrix elements of neutrinoless double beta decay with improved short-range correlations
• Nuclear Structure Relevant to Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay: 76Ge and 76Se
• Short-range correlations and neutrinoless double beta decay
• Nuclear Structure Relevant to Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay: the Valence Protons in 76Ge and 76Se
• Towards a complete $A_4\times SU(5)$ SUSY GUT
• Arbitrary mass Majorana neutrinos in neutrinoless double beta decay
• Shell model studies of the ${}^{130}Te$ neutrinoless double-beta decay
• Double-beta decay Q values of 130Te, 128Te, and 120Te
• TeV Scale Left-Right Symmetry and Large Mixing Effects in Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay
• Generalised CP and $\Delta (6n^2)$ Family Symmetry in Semi-Direct Models of Leptons
• Overconstrained estimates of neutrinoless double beta decay within the QRPA
• Search for ${\beta }^{+}$EC and ECEC processes in ${}^{74}$Se
• Search for ${\beta }^{+}$EC and ECEC processes in ${}^{112}$Sn and ${\beta }^{-}{\beta }^{-}$ decay of ${}^{124}$Sn to the excited states of ${}^{124}$Te
• Uncovering Multiple CP-Nonconserving Mechanisms of $\betabeta$-Decay
• Quasiparticle random phase approximation uncertainties and their correlations in the analysis of neutrinoless double beta decay
• Enriched Zn${}^{100}$MoO${}_4$ scintillating bolometers to search for $0\nu 2\beta$ decay of ${}^{100}$Mo with the LUMINEU experiment
• Search for Majoron-emitting modes of double-beta decay of ${}^{136}$Xe with EXO-200
• Neutrino constraints: what large-scale structure and CMB data are telling us?
• Lepton Number Violating Processes Mediated by Majorana Neutrinos at Hadron Colliders
• Neutrino Mixing with Non-Zero ${\theta }_{13}$ and CP Violation in the 3-3-1 Model Based on $S_4$ Flavor Symmetry
• Double beta decay and neutrino mass models
• Nuclear matrix element for two neutrino double beta decay from 136Xe
• Transition magnetic moments of Majorana neutrinos in supersymmetry without R-parity in light of neutrino oscillations
• Spin dipole nuclear matrix elements for double beta decay nuclei by charge-exchange reactions
• Neutron pair correlations in A=100 nuclei involved in neutrinoless double-$\beta$ decay

Cited by in corpus (23)

• Value of the axial-vector coupling strength in $\beta$ and $\beta \beta$ decays: A review
• Impact of the quenching of $g_{\mathrm{A}}$ on the sensitivity of $0\nu \beta \beta$ experiments
• Low background techniques in bolometers for double-beta decay search
• Study of one-proton transfer reaction for the ${}^{18}$O + ${}^{48}$Ti system at 275 MeV
• Neutrino mu-tau reflection symmetry and its breaking in the minimal seesaw
• ${}^{100}$Mo-enriched Li${}_2$MoO${}_4$ scintillating bolometers for $0\nu 2\beta$ decay search: from LUMINEU to CUPID-0/Mo projects
• AMoRE: A search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 100Mo using low-temperature molybdenum-containing crystal detectors
• Radiopure tungstate and molybdate crystal scintillators for double beta decay experiments
• Probing the Mechanism of Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay in Multiple Isotopes
• One-neutron transfer reaction in the ${}^{18}$O + ${}^{48}$Ti collision at 275 MeV
• Neutrino Masses and Mixing in Models with Large Extra Dimensions and Localized Fermions
• FSQP nuclear matrix elements for two neutrino double beta decays
• First search for $2\epsilon$ and $\epsilon {\beta }^{+}$ decay of ${}^{174}$Hf
• Axial-vector weak coupling at medium momentum for astro neutrinos and double beta decays
• First direct search for $2\epsilon$ and $\epsilon {\beta }^{+}$ decay of ${}^{144}$Sm and $2{\beta }^{-}$ decay of ${}^{154}$Sm
• Constraining the Effective Mass of Majorana Neutrino with Sterile Neutrino Mass for Inverted Ordering Spectrum
• New experimental limits on double-beta decay of osmium
• Investigation of 2$\beta$ Decay of ${}^{116}$Cd with the Help of Enriched ${}^{116}$CdWO${}_4$ Crystal Scintillators
• Lambda beta-decay in-medium
• A CUPID Li${}_2$${}^{100}$MoO${}_4$ scintillating bolometer tested in the CROSS underground facility
• Neutrinos: Majorana or Dirac?
• The Nature of the Neutrino (Dirac/Majorana) and Double Beta Decay with or without Neutrinos
• Neutrino Masses from the Point of View of Economy and Simplicity