Measuring nuclear reaction cross sections to extract information on neutrinoless double beta decay

M. Cavallaro, F. Cappuzzello, C. Agodi, L. Acosta, N. Auerbach, J. Bellone, R. Bijker, D. Bonanno, D. Bongiovanni, T. Borello-Lewin, I. Boztosun, V. Branchina (+63 others)
2018 Journal of Physics, Conference Series  
Neutrinoless double beta decay (0ve̱ṯa̱e̱ṯa̱) is considered the best potential resource to access the absolute neutrino mass scale. Moreover, if observed, it will signal that neutrinos are their own anti-particles (Majorana particles). Presently, this physics case is one of the most important research "beyond Standard Model" and might guide the way towards a Grand Unified Theory of fundamental interactions. Since the 0ve̱ṯa̱e̱ṯa̱ decay process involves nuclei, its analysis necessarily implies
more » ... clear structure issues. In the NURE project, supported by a Starting Grant of the European Research Council (ERC), nuclear reactions of double charge-exchange (DCE) are used as a tool to extract information on the 0ve̱ṯa̱e̱ṯa̱ Nuclear Matrix Elements. In DCE reactions and e̱ṯa̱e̱ṯa̱ decay indeed the initial and final nuclear states are the same and the transition operators have similar structure. Thus the measurement of the DCE absolute cross-sections can give crucial information on e̱ṯa̱e̱ṯa̱ matrix elements. In a wider view, the NUMEN international collaboration plans a major upgrade of the INFN-LNS facilities in the next years in order to increase the experimental production of nuclei of at least two orders of magnitude, thus making feasible a systematic study of all the cases of interest as candidates for 0ve̱ṯa̱e̱ṯa̱.
doi:10.1088/1742-6596/966/1/012021 fatcat:qmimr3ncp5gljbmuz73b2aissa