Uncertainties in nuclear transition matrix elements of neutrinoless ββ decay

Abstract

To estimate the uncertainties associated with the nuclear transition matrix elements M(K) (K=0ν/0N) for the 0+ → 0+ transitions of electron and positron emitting modes of the neutrinoless ββ decay, a statistical analysis has been performed by calculating sets of eight (twelve) different nuclear transition matrix elements M(K) in the PHFB model by employing four different parameterizations of a Hamiltonian with pairing plus multipolar effective two-body interaction and two (three) different parameterizations of Jastrow short range correlations. The averages in conjunction with their standard deviations provide an estimate of the uncertainties associated the nuclear transition matrix elements M(K) calculated within the PHFB model, the maximum of which turn out to be 13% and 19% owing to the exchange of light and heavy Majorana neutrinos, respectively.