Nuclear matrix elements for neutrinoless double-beta decay and double-electron capture

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in calculating nuclear matrix elements crucial for interpreting neutrinoless double-beta decay and double-electron capture experiments, emphasizing a self-consistent quasiparticle random phase approximation approach.

Contribution

It introduces a self-consistent method for calculating nuclear matrix elements using modern realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials, accounting for nuclear deformation and short-range correlations.

Findings

Improved accuracy in nuclear matrix element calculations.

Inclusion of nuclear deformation effects.

Potential for phenomenological evaluation of matrix elements.

Abstract

A new generation of neutrinoless double beta decay experiments with improved sensitivity is currently under design and construction. They will probe inverted hierarchy region of the neutrino mass pattern. There is also a revived interest to the resonant neutrinoless double-electron capture, which has also a potential to probe lepton number conservation and to investigate the neutrino nature and mass scale. The primary concern are the nuclear matrix elements. Clearly, the accuracy of the determination of the effective Majorana neutrino mass from the measured 0\nu\beta\beta-decay half-life is mainly determined by our knowledge of the nuclear matrix elements. We review recent progress achieved in the calculation of 0\nu\beta\beta and 0\nu ECEC nuclear matrix elements within the quasiparticle random phase approximation. A considered self-consistent approach allow to derive the pairing, residual interactions and the two-nucleon short-range correlations from the same modern realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials. The effect of nuclear deformation is taken into account. A possibility to evaluate 0\nu\beta\beta-decay matrix elements phenomenologically is discussed.