Light Majorana Neutrino Exchange Research Articles

Neutrinoless double beta decay in a left-right symmetric model with a double seesaw mechanism

We discuss a left-right (L-R) symmetric model with the double seesaw mechanism at the TeV scale generating Majorana masses for the active left-handed (LH) flavour neutrinos $\nu_{\alpha L}$ and the heavy right-handed (RH) neutrinos $N_{\beta R}$, $\alpha,\beta = e,\mu,\tau$, which in turn mediate lepton number violating processes, including neutrinoless double beta decay. The Higgs sector is composed of two Higgs doublets $H_L$, $H_R$, and a bi-doublet $\Phi$. The fermion sector has the usual for the L-R symmetric models quarks and leptons, along with three $SU(2)$ singlet fermion $S_{\gamma L}$. The choice of bare Majorana mass term for these sterile fermions induces large Majorana masses for the heavy RH neutrinos leading to two sets of heavy Majorana particles $N_j$ and $S_k$, $j,k=1,2,3$, with masses $m_{N_j} \ll m_{S_k}$. Working with a specific version of the model in which the $\nu_{\alpha L} - N_{\beta R}$ and the $N_{\beta R} - S_{\gamma L}$ Dirac mass terms are diagonal, and assuming that $m_{N_j} \sim (1 - 1000)$ GeV and ${\rm max}(m_{S_k}) \sim (1 - 10)$ TeV, $m_{N_j} \ll m_{S_k}$, we study in detail the new ``non-standard'' contributions to the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay amplitude and half-life arising due to the exchange of virtual $N_j$ and $S_k$. We find that in both cases of NO and IO light neutrino mass spectra, these contributions are strongly enhanced and are dominant at relatively small values of the lightest neutrino mass $m_{1(3)} \sim (10^{-4} - 10^{-2})$ eV over the light Majorana neutrino exchange contribution. In large part of the parameter space, the predictions of the model for the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay generalised effective Majorana mass and half-life are within the sensitivity range of the planned next generation of neutrinoless double beta decay experiments LEGEND-200 (LEGEND-1000), nEXO, KamlAND-Zen-II, CUPID, NEXT-HD.

Final results on the 0nu beta beta decay half-life limit of ^{100}Mo from the CUPID-Mo experiment

The CUPID-Mo experiment to search for 0nu beta beta decay in ^{100}Mo has been recently completed after about 1.5 years of operation at Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (France). It served as a demonstrator for CUPID, a next generation 0nu beta beta decay experiment. CUPID-Mo was comprised of 20 enriched hbox {Li}_{{2}}^{100}hbox {MoO}_4 scintillating calorimeters, each with a mass of sim 0.2 kg, operated at sim 20 mK. We present here the final analysis with the full exposure of CUPID-Mo (^{100}Mo exposure of 1.47 hbox {kg} times hbox {year}) used to search for lepton number violation via 0nu beta beta decay. We report on various analysis improvements since the previous result on a subset of data, reprocessing all data with these new techniques. We observe zero events in the region of interest and set a new limit on the ^{100}Mo 0nu beta beta decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0nu }> {1.8}times 10^{24} year (stat. + syst.) at 90% CI. Under the light Majorana neutrino exchange mechanism this corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass of left<m_{beta beta }right> <~{(0.28{-}0.49)} eV, dependent upon the nuclear matrix element utilized.

New Limit for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay of ^{100}Mo from the CUPID-Mo Experiment.

The CUPID-Mo experiment at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (France) is a demonstrator for CUPID, the next-generation ton-scale bolometric 0νββ experiment. It consists of a 4.2kg array of 20 enriched Li_{2}^{100}MoO_{4} scintillating bolometers to search for the lepton-number-violating process of 0νββ decay in ^{100}Mo. With more than one year of operation (^{100}Mo exposure of 1.17 kg×yr for physics data), no event in the region of interest and, hence, no evidence for 0νββ is observed. We report a new limit on the half-life of 0νββ decay in ^{100}Mo of T_{1/2}>1.5×10^{24} yr at 90% C.I. The limit corresponds to an effective Majorana neutrino mass ⟨m_{ββ}⟩<(0.31-0.54) eV, dependent on the nuclear matrix element in the light Majorana neutrino exchange interpretation.

Ab initio benchmarks of neutrinoless double- β decay in light nuclei with a chiral Hamiltonian

We report ab initio benchmark calculations of nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) for neutrinoless double-beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decays in light nuclei with mass number ranging from $A=6$ to $A=22$. We use the transition operator derived from light-Majorana neutrino exchange and evaluate the NME with three different methods: two variants of in-medium similarity renormalization group (IMSRG) and importance-truncated no-core shell model (IT-NCSM). The same two-plus-three-nucleon interaction from chiral effective field theory is employed, and both isospin-conserving ($\Delta T=0$) and isospin-changing ($\Delta T=2$) transitions are studied. We compare our resulting ground-state energies and NMEs to those of recent ab initio no-core shell model and coupled-cluster calculations, also with the same inputs. We show that the NMEs of $\Delta T=0$ transitions are in good agreement among all calculations, at the level of 10%. For $\Delta T=2$, relative deviations are more significant in some nuclei. The comparison with the exact IT-NCSM result allows us to analyze these cases in detail, and indicates the next steps towards improving the IMSRG-based approaches. The present study clearly demonstrates the power of consistent cross-checks that are made possible by ab initio methodology. This capability is crucial for providing meaningful many-body uncertainties in the NMEs for the $0\nu\beta\beta$ decays in heavier candidate nuclei, where quasi-exact benchmarks are not available.

Analysis of light neutrino exchange and short-range mechanisms in0νββdecay

Neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) is a crucial test for lepton number violation. Observation of this process would have fundamental implications for neutrino physics, theories beyond the Standard Model and cosmology. Focussing on so called short-range operators of $0\nu\beta\beta$ and their potential interplay with the standard light Majorana neutrino exchange, we present the first complete calculation of the relevant nuclear matrix elements, performed within the interacting boson model (IBM-2). Furthermore, we calculate the relevant phase space factors using exact Dirac electron wavefunctions, taking into account the finite nuclear size and screening by the electron cloud. The obtained numerical results are presented together with up-to-date limits on the standard mass mechanism and effective $0\nu\beta\beta$ short-range operators in the IBM-2 framework. Finally, we interpret the limits in the particle physics scenarios incorporating heavy sterile neutrinos, Left-Right symmetry and R-parity violating supersymmetry.

Benchmark neutrinoless double- β decay matrix elements in a light nucleus

We compute nuclear matrix elements of neutrinoless double-$\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay mediated by light Majorana-neutrino exchange in the $A=6$ system. The goal is to benchmark two many-body approaches, the no-core shell model and the multireference in-medium similarity renormalization group (SRG). We use a SRG-evolved next-to-next-to-next-to-leading chiral order two-body potential for the nuclear interaction, and make the approximation that the isospin is conserved. We compare the results of the two approaches as a function of the cutoff on the many-body basis space. Although differences are seen in the predicted nuclear radii, the ground-state energies and neutrinoless double-$\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay matrix elements produced by the two approaches show significant agreement. We discuss the implications for calculations in heavier nuclei.

Processes that break baryon number by two units and the Majorana nature of the neutrino

We employ the simplest possible models of scalar-fermion interactions that are consistent with the gauge symmetries of the Standard Model and permit no proton decay to analyze the connections possible among processes that break baryon number by two units. In this context we show how the observation of n-n¯ oscillations and of a pattern of particular nucleon–antinucleon conversion processes — all accessible through e-d scattering — namely, selecting from e−p→e+p¯, e−p→n¯ν¯, e−n→p¯ν¯, and e−n→e−n¯ would reveal that the decay π−π−→e−e− must occur also. This latter process is the leading contribution to neutrinoless double beta decay in nuclei mediated by new short-distance physics, in contrast to that mediated by light Majorana neutrino exchange. The inferred existence of π−π−→e−e− would also reveal the Majorana nature of the neutrino, though the absence of this inference would not preclude it.

Neutrinoless double- β decay in effective field theory: The light-Majorana neutrino-exchange mechanism

We present the first chiral effective theory derivation of the neutrinoless double beta-decay $nn\rightarrow pp$ potential induced by light Majorana neutrino exchange. The effective-field-theory framework has allowed us to identify and parameterize short- and long-range contributions previously missed in the literature. These contributions can not be absorbed into parameterizations of the single nucleon form factors. Starting from the quark and gluon level, we perform the matching onto chiral effective field theory and subsequently onto the nuclear potential. To derive the nuclear potential mediating neutrinoless double beta-decay, the hard, soft and potential neutrino modes must be integrated out. This is performed through next-to-next-to-leading order in the chiral power counting, in both the Weinberg and pionless schemes. At next-to-next-to-leading order, the amplitude receives additional contributions from the exchange of ultrasoft neutrinos, which can be expressed in terms of nuclear matrix elements of the weak current and excitation energies of the intermediate nucleus. These quantities also control the two-neutrino double beta-decay amplitude. Finally, we outline strategies to determine the low-energy constants that appear in the potentials, by relating them to electromagnetic couplings and/or by matching to lattice QCD calculations.

Neutrinoless double- β decay matrix elements in light nuclei

We present the first ab initio calculations of neutrinoless double beta decay matrix elements in $A=6$-$12$ nuclei using Variational Monte Carlo wave functions obtained from the Argonne $v_{18}$ two-nucleon potential and Illinois-7 three-nucleon interaction. We study both light Majorana neutrino exchange and potentials arising from a large class of multi-TeV mechanisms of lepton number violation. Our results provide benchmarks to be used in testing many-body methods that can be extended to the heavy nuclei of experimental interest. In light nuclei we have also studied the impact of two-body short range correlations and the use of different forms for the transition operators, such as those corresponding to different orders in chiral effective theory.

Neutrinoless double beta decay in chiral effective field theory: lepton number violation at dimension seven

We analyze neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) within the framework of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory. Apart from the dimension-five Weinberg operator, the first contributions appear at dimension seven. We classify the operators and evolve them to the electroweak scale, where we match them to effective dimension-six, -seven, and -nine operators. In the next step, after renormalization group evolution to the QCD scale, we construct the chiral Lagrangian arising from these operators. We develop a power-counting scheme and derive the two-nucleon 0νββ currents up to leading order in the power counting for each lepton-number-violating operator. We argue that the leading-order contribution to the decay rate depends on a relatively small number of nuclear matrix elements. We test our power counting by comparing nuclear matrix elements obtained by various methods and by different groups. We find that the power counting works well for nuclear matrix elements calculated from a specific method, while, as in the case of light Majorana neutrino exchange, the overall magnitude of the matrix elements can differ by factors of two to three between methods. We calculate the constraints that can be set on dimension-seven lepton-number-violating operators from 0νββ experiments and study the interplay between dimension-five and -seven operators, discussing how dimension-seven contributions affect the interpretation of 0νββ in terms of the effective Majorana mass mββ.

Interference between light and heavy neutrinos for 0νββ decay in the left–right symmetric model

Neutrinoless double-beta decay is proposed as an important low energy phenomenon that could test beyond the Standard Model physics. There are several potentially competing beyond the Standard Model mechanisms that can induce the process. It thus becomes important to disentangle the different processes. In the present study we consider the interference effect between the light left-handed and heavy right-handed Majorana neutrino exchange mechanisms. The decay rate, and consequently, the phase-space factors for the interference term are derived, based on the left–right symmetric model. The numerical values for the interference phase-space factors for several nuclides are calculated, taking into consideration the relativistic Coulomb distortion of the electron wave function and finite-size of the nucleus. The variation of the interference effect with the Q-value of the process is studied.

Limiting the effective mass and new physics parameters from0νββ

In the light of the recent result from KamLAND-Zen (KLZ) and GERDA Phase-II, we update the bounds on the effective mass and the new physics parameters, relevant for neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu \beta \beta$). In addition to the light Majorana neutrino exchange, we analyze beyond standard model contributions that arise in Left-Right symmetry and R-Parity violating supersymmetry. The improved limit from KLZ constrains the effective mass of light neutrino exchange down to sub-eV mass regime 0.06 eV. Using the correlation between the $^{136}\rm{Xe}$ and $^{76}\rm{Ge}$ half-lives, we show that the KLZ limit individually rules out the positive claim of observation of $0\nu\beta\beta$ for all nuclear matrix element compilation. For the Left-Right symmetry and R-parity violating supersymmetry, the KLZ bound implies a factor of 2 improvement of the effective mass and the new physics parameters. The future ton scale experiments such as, nEXO will further constrain these models, in particular, will rule out standard as well as Type-II dominating LRSM inverted hierarchy scenario.

Measurement of the2νββdecay half-life ofNd150and a search for0νββdecay processes with the full exposure from the NEMO-3 detector

We present results from a search for neutrinoless double-$\beta$ ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay using 36.6 g of the isotope $^{150}$Nd with data corresponding to a live time of 5.25 y recorded with the NEMO-3 detector. We construct a complete background model for this isotope, including a measurement of the two-neutrino double-$\beta$ decay half-life of $T^{2\nu}_{1/2}=$[9.34 $\pm$ 0.22 (stat.) $^{+0.62}_{-0.60}$ (syst.)]$\times 10^{18}$ y for the ground state transition, which represents the most precise result to date for this isotope. We perform a multivariate analysis to search for \zeronu decays in order to improve the sensitivity and, in the case of observation, disentangle the possible underlying decay mechanisms. As no evidence for \zeronu decay is observed, we derive lower limits on half-lives for several mechanisms involving physics beyond the Standard Model. The observed lower limit, assuming light Majorana neutrino exchange mediates the decay, is $T^{0\nu}_{1/2} >$ 2.0 $\times 10^{22}$ y at the 90% C.L., corresponding to an upper limit on the effective neutrino mass of $\langle m_{\nu} \rangle$ $<$ 1.6 - 5.3 eV..

Degeneracies of particle and nuclear physics uncertainties in neutrinolessββdecay

Theoretical estimates for the half life of neutrinoless double beta decay in candidate nuclei are affected by both particle and nuclear physics uncertainties, which may complicate the interpretation of decay signals or limits. We study such uncertainties and their degeneracies in the following context: three nuclei of great interest for large-scale experiments (76-Ge, 130-Te, 136-Xe), two representative particle physics mechanisms (light and heavy Majorana neutrino exchange), and a large set of nuclear matrix elements (NME), computed within the quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA). It turns out that the main theoretical uncertainties, associated with the effective axial coupling g_A and with the nucleon-nucleon potential, can be parametrized in terms of NME rescaling factors, up to small residuals. From this parametrization, the following QRPA features emerge: (1) the NME dependence on g_A is milder than quadratic; (2) in each of the two mechanisms, the relevant lepton number violating parameter is largely degenerate with the NME rescaling factors; and (3) the light and heavy neutrino exchange mechanisms are basically degenerate in the above three nuclei. We comment on the challenging theoretical and experimental improvements required to reduce such particle and nuclear physics uncertainties and their degeneracies.

Results of the search for neutrinoless double-βdecay inMo100with the NEMO-3 experiment

The NEMO-3 detector, which had been operating in the Modane Underground Laboratory from 2003 to 2010, was designed to search for neutrinoless double $\beta$ ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay. We report final results of a search for $0\nu\beta\beta$ decays with $6.914$ kg of $^{100}$Mo using the entire NEMO-3 data set with a detector live time of $4.96$ yr, which corresponds to an exposure of 34.3 kg$\cdot$yr. We perform a detailed study of the expected background in the $0\nu\beta\beta$ signal region and find no evidence of $0\nu\beta\beta$ decays in the data. The level of observed background in the $0\nu\beta\beta$ signal region $[2.8-3.2]$ MeV is $0.44 \pm 0.13$ counts/yr/kg, and no events are observed in the interval $[3.2-10]$ MeV. We therefore derive a lower limit on the half-life of $0\nu\beta\beta$ decays in $^{100}$Mo of $T_{1/2}(0\nu\beta\beta)> 1.1 \times 10^{24}$ yr at the $90\%$ Confidence Level, under the hypothesis of light Majorana neutrino exchange. Depending on the model used for calculating nuclear matrix elements, the limit for the effective Majorana neutrino mass lies in the range $\langle m_{\nu} \rangle < 0.33$--$0.62$ eV. We also report constraints on other lepton-number violating mechanisms for $0\nu\beta\beta$ decays.

Multiple Mechanisms in 2β0ν-decay

The 2β0ν-decay can be induced by more than one lepton charge nonconserving mechanisms. We analyze some mechanisms contributing to the 2β0ν decay amplitude in the general case of CP nonconservation e.g. light Majorana neutrino exchange, heavy left-handed (LH) and right-handed (RH) Majorana neutrino exchanges, lepton charge non-conserving coupling in SUSY theories with Rp breaking. We show the results of the analysis for the cases of two “non-interfering” and two “interfering” mechanisms. We investigate the possibility to discriminate between different pairs of such mechanisms using data on 2β0ν-decay half-lives of nuclei with largely different nuclear matrix elements (NMEs). This allows, in principle, to draw conclusions about the pair of non-interfering (interfering) mechanisms possibly inducing the 2β0ν-decay from data on the half-lives.

Searching for the Dirac Nature of Neutrinos: Combining Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay and Neutrino Mass Measurements

We studied the neutrinoless double beta decay process to tackle the issue about the nature of neutrino. Establishing the nature of neutrinos, whether they are Dirac or Majorana particles is one of the fundamental questions we need to answer in particle physics, and is related to the conservation of lepton number. Neutrinoless double beta decay ((ββ)0ν) is the tool of choice for testing the Majorana nature of neutrinos. However, up to now, this process has not been observed, but a wide experimental effort is taking place worldwide and soon new results will become available.Different mechanisms can induce (ββ)0ν-decay and might interfere with each other, potentially leading to suppressed contributions to the decay rate. This possibility would become of great interest if upcoming neutrino mass measurements from KATRIN and cosmological observations found that mν>0.2eV but no positive signal was observed in (ββ)0ν-decay experiments. We focus on the possible interference between light Majorana neutrino exchange with other mechanisms, such as heavy sterile neutrinos and R-parity violating supersymmetric models. We show that in some cases the use of different nuclei would allow to disentangle the different contributions and allow to test the hypothesis of destructive interference. Finally, we present a model in which such interference can emerge and we discuss the range of parameters which would lead to a significant suppression of the decay rate.

Multiple CP non-conserving mechanisms of (ββ)0ν -decay and nuclei with largely different nuclear matrix elements

We investigate the possibility to discriminate between different pairs of CP non-conserving mechanisms inducing the neutrinoless double beta $\betabeta$-decay by using data on $\betabeta$-decay half-lives of nuclei with largely different nuclear matrix elements (NMEs). The mechanisms studied are: light Majorana neutrino exchange, heavy left-handed (LH) and heavy right-handed (RH) Majorana neutrino exchanges, lepton charge non-conserving couplings in SUSY theories with R-parity breaking giving rise to the "dominant gluino exchange" and the "squark-neutrino" mechanisms. The nuclei considered are $^{76}$Ge, $^{82}$Se, $^{100}$Mo, $^{130}$Te and $^{136}$Xe. Four sets of nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) of the decays of these five nuclei, derived within the Self-consistent Renormalized Quasiparticle Random Phase Approximation (SRQRPA), were employed in our analysis. While for each of the five single mechanisms discussed, the NMEs for $^{76}$Ge, $^{82}$Se, $^{100}$Mo and $^{130}$Te differ relatively little, the relative difference between the NMEs of any two nuclei not exceeding 10%, the NMEs for $^{136}Xe$ differ significantly from those of $^{76}$Ge, $^{82}Se$, $^{100}$Mo and $^{130}$Te, being by a factor $\sim (1.3 - 2.5)$ smaller. This allows, in principle, to draw conclusions about the pair of non-interfering (interfering) mechanisms possibly inducing the $\betabeta$-decay from data on the half-lives of $^{136}Xe$ and of at least one (two) more isotope(s) which can be, e.g., any of the four, $^{76}Ge$, $^{82}Se$, $^{100}Mo$ and $^{130}Te$. Depending on the sets of mechanisms considered, the conclusion can be independent of, or can depend on, the NMEs used in the analysis. The implications of the EXO lower bound on the half-life of $^{136}Xe$ for the problem studied are also exploited.

Uncertainties in nuclear transition matrix elements forβ+β+andɛβ+modes of neutrinoless positron double-βdecay within the projected Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov model

Uncertainties in the nuclear transition matrix elements ${M}^{(0\ensuremath{\nu})}$ and ${M}^{(0N)}$ of the double-positron emission ${({\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+})}_{0\ensuremath{\nu}}$ and electron-positron conversion ${(\ensuremath{\varepsilon}{\ensuremath{\beta}}^{+})}_{0\ensuremath{\nu}}$ modes owing to the exchange of light and heavy Majorana neutrinos, respectively, are calculated for ${}^{96}$Ru, ${}^{102}$Pd, ${}^{106}$Cd, ${}^{124}$Xe, ${}^{130}$Ba, and ${}^{156}$Dy isotopes by employing the PHFB model with four different parametrizations of the pairing plus multipolar two-body interactions and three different parametrizations of the Jastrow short-range correlations. In all cases but for ${}^{130}$Ba the uncertainties are smaller than 14$%$ for light Majorana neutrino exchange and 35$%$ for the exchange of a heavy Majorana neutrino.

Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay in Particle Physics

Neutrinoless double beta decay is a process of fundamental importance for particle physics. It can be mediated by light massive Majorana neutrinos (standard interpretation) or by something else (non-standard interpretations). We review its dependence on the neutrino parameters, its complementarity to other observables sensitive to neutrino mass, and emphasize its ability to distinguish different neutrino mass models. Then we discuss mechanisms different from light Majorana neutrino exchange, and show what can be learned from those and how they could be tested.