Importance of neutrinoless double beta decay

TL;DR

This paper discusses the significance of neutrinoless double beta decay in revealing whether neutrinos are Majorana particles and in understanding lepton number violation, which has implications for fundamental physics and cosmology.

Contribution

It emphasizes the importance of neutrinoless double beta decay experiments in detecting lepton number violation and determining the Majorana nature of neutrinos.

Findings

Neutrinoless double beta decay indicates lepton number violation.

Detection would confirm neutrinos as Majorana particles.

Results could impact understanding of matter-antimatter asymmetry.

Abstract

A natural explanation for the smallness of the neutrino mass requires them to be Majorana particles violating lepton number by two units. Since lepton number violation can have several interesting consequences in particle physics and cosmology, it is of utmost importance to find out if there is lepton number violation in nature and what is its magnitude. The neutrinoless double beta decay experiment can answer these questions: if there is lepton number violation and if neutrinos are Majorana particles. In addition, the magnitude of neutrinoless double beta decay will constrain any other lepton number violating processes. This lepton number violation may also be relatd to the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe, dark matter and cosmological constant.