Abstract
Particle Physics Neutrinos—elementary fermionic particles with no electrical charge—defy the standard model of particle physics by having a tiny, but nonzero mass. One explanation for their properties is that they are Majorana fermions, which are particles equal to their antiparticles. If neutrinos were Majorana fermions, a process called neutrinoless double-β decay would become possible: an unstable nucleus could decay by turning two of its neutrons into protons with the emission of two electrons but no antineutrinos. The GERDA Collaboration searched for this decay in a particular isotope of germanium. Housed deep underground to reduce the background signal, the experiment did not detect the elusive process but did place improved boundaries on its half-life. Science , this issue p. [1445][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aav8613
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