Shell model calculations for neutrinoless double beta decay (original) (raw)

Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay The Nuclear Matrix Elements Revisited

Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2011

We explore the influence of the deformation on the nuclear matrix elements of the neutrinoless double beta decay (NME), concluding that the difference in deformation-or more generally in the amount of quadrupole correlations-between parent and grand daughter nuclei quenches strongly the decay. We correlate these differences with the seniority structure of the nuclear wave functions. In this context, we examine the present discrepancies between the NME's obtained in the framework of the Interacting Shell Model and the Quasiparticle RPA. In our view, part of the discrepancy can be due to the limitations of the spherical QRPA in treating nuclei which have strong quadrupole correlations. We surmise that the NME's in a basis of generalized seniority are approximately model independent, i. e. they are "universal". We discuss as well how varies the nuclear matrix element of the 76 Ge decay when the wave functions of the two nuclei involved in the transition are constrained to reproduce the experimental occupancies. In the Interacting Shell Model description the value of the NME is enhanced about 15% compared to previous calculations, whereas in the QRPA the NME's are reduced by 20%-30%. This diminishes the discrepancies between both approaches. In addition, we update the effects of the short range correlations on the NME's in the light of the recently proposed parametrizations obtained by renormalizing the 0νββ transition operator at the same footing than the effective interaction.

Present Status of Nuclear Shell-Model Calculations of 0νββ Decay Matrix Elements

Universe

Neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay searches are currently among the major foci of experimental physics. The observation of such a decay will have important implications in our understanding of the intrinsic nature of neutrinos and shed light on the limitations of the Standard Model. The rate of this process depends on both the unknown neutrino effective mass and the nuclear matrix element (M0ν) associated with the given 0νββ transition. The latter can only be provided by theoretical calculations, hence the need of accurate theoretical predictions of M0ν for the success of the experimental programs. This need drives the theoretical nuclear physics community to provide the most reliable calculations of M0ν. Among the various computational models adopted to solve the many-body nuclear problem, the shell model is widely considered as the basic framework of the microscopic description of the nucleus. Here, we review the most recent and advanced shell-model calculations of M0ν consider...

Study of nuclear effects in the computation of the 0νββ decay matrix elements

Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, 2013

We analyze the effects that different nuclear structure approximations associated with the short range correlations (SRC), finite nucleon size (FNS), higher order terms in the nucleon currents (HOC) and with some nuclear input parameters, have on the values of the nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) for the neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay. The calculations are performed with a new Shell Model(ShM) code which allows a fast computation of the two-body matrix elements of the transition operators. The treatment of SRC, FNS and HOC and the use of quenched or unquenched values for the axial vector coupling constant produces the most important effects on the NMEs values. Equivalent effects of some of these approximations are also possible, which may lead (accidentally) to close final results. We found that the cumulative effect of all these nuclear ingredients on the calculated nuclear matrix elements NMEs is significant. Since the NMEs values are often obtained with different approximations and/or with different input parameters, a convergent view point on their inclusion/neglecting and an uniformization of the calculations are needed, in order to enter in an era of precision concerning the computation of the NMEs for double beta decay.

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

Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics, 2012

A new generation of neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ-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 doubleelectron capture (0νECEC), 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 0νββ-decay half-life is mainly determined by our knowledge of the nuclear matrix elements. We review recent progress achieved in the calculation of 0νββ and 0νECEC 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 0νββ-decay matrix elements phenomenologically is discussed.

Anatomy of nuclear matrix elements for neutrinoless double-beta decay

Arxiv preprint arXiv: …, 2007

Abstract: We show that, within the Quasiparticle Random Phase Approximation (QRPA) and the renormalized QRPA (RQRPA) based on the Bonn CD nucleon-nucleon interaction, the competition between the pairing and the neutron-proton particle-particle and particle-hole ...

Calculation of Nuclear Matrix Elements for the Two-Neutrino Double Beta Decay of128,130Te Isotopes

2005

Bu calismada,128,130 Te izotoplarinin iki-notrinolu cift bozunumu (2νββ) icin nukleer matris elemanlari,yuk alisverisli etkilesmeyi parcacik-desik kanalinda dikkate alarak, Tamm-Dancoff Yaklasimi’nin (TDA) eziduler teoremiyle birlikte kullanilmasiyla hesaplandi. Hesaplamalar, kuresel cekirdek durumunda, Hartre Fock Yaklasimi’ni Sykrme-III kuvvetleri ile birlikte kullanarak elde edilen tek parcacik enerjileri bazinda yapildi.. Elde edilen sonuclar bu tip tek parcacik bazinin cift beta bozunumu nukleer matris elemani hesabinda alternatif bir yaklasim olarak kullanilabilecegini gostermektedir.

0νββ Decay Matrix Elements

2016

We analyze the effects that different nuclear structure approximations associated with the short range correlations (SRC), finite nucleon size (FNS), higher order terms in the nucleon currents (HOC) and with some nuclear input parameters, have on the values of the nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) for the neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay. The calculations are performed with a new Shell Model(ShM) code which allows a fast computation of the two-body matrix elements of the transition operators. The treatment of SRC, FNS and HOC and the use of quenched or unquenched values for the axial vector coupling constant produces the most important effects on the NMEs values. Equivalent effects of some of these approximations are also possible, which may lead (accidentally) to close final results. We found that the cumulative effect of all these nuclear ingredients on the calculated nuclear matrix elements NMEs is significant. Since the NMEs values are often obtained with different approximations and/or with different input parameters, a convergent view point on their inclusion/neglecting and an uniformization of the calculations are needed, in order to enter in an era of precision concerning the computation of the NMEs for double beta decay.

Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay and Realistic Shell Model

EPJ Web of Conferences

We report on the calculation of the neutrinoless double-ß decay nuclear matrix element for 76Ge within the framework of the realistic shell model. The effective shell-model Hamiltonian and the two-body transition operator describing the decay are derived by way of many-body perturbation theory. Particular attention is focused on the role played by the so-called Pauli blocking effect in the derivation of the effective operator.

Analysis of mechanisms that could contribute to neutrinoless double-beta decay

Physical Review D, 2016

Neutrinoless double-beta decay, is a beyond the Standard Model process that would indicate that neutrinos are Majorana fermions and the lepton number is not conserved. It could be interesting to use the neutrinoless double-beta decay observations to distinguish between several beyond Standard Model mechanisms that could contribute to this process. Accurate nuclear structure calculations of the nuclear matrix elements necessary to analyze the decay rates could be helpful to narrow down the list of contributing mechanisms. We investigate the information one can get from the angular and energy distribution of the emitted electrons, and from the half-lives of several isotopes, assuming that the right-handed currents exist. For the analysis of these distributions we calculate the necessary nuclear matrix elements using shell model techniques, and we explicitly consider interference terms.