NURE: An ERC project to study nuclear reactions for neutrinoless double beta decay

• Main Authors: Cavallaro, M, Aciksoz, E, Acosta, L, Agodi, C, Auerbach, N, Bellone, J, Bijker, R, Bianco, S, Bonanno, D, Bongiovanni, D, Borello, T, Boztosun, I, Branchina, V, Bussa, M. P, Busso, L, Calabrese, S, Calabretta, L, Calanna, A, Calvo, D, Cappuzzello, F, Carbone, D, Lomeli, E. R. Chavez, Colonna, M, Agostino, G. D, Deshmuk, N, de Faria, P. N, Ferraresi, C, Ferreira, J. L, Finocchiaro, P, Fisichella, M, Foti, A, Gallo, G, Garcia, U, Giraudo, G, Greco, V, Hacisalihoglu, A, Kotila, J, Iazzi, F, Introzzi, R, Lanzalone, G, Lavagno, A, La Via, F, Lay, J. A, Lenske, H, Linares, R, Litrico, G, Longhitano, F, Presti, D. Lo, Lubian, J, Medina, N, Mendes, D. R, Muoio, A, Oliveira, J. R. B, Pakou, A, Pandola, L, Petrascu, H, Pinna, F, Pirri, F, Reito, S, Rifuggiato, D, Rodrigues, M. R. D, Russo, A. D, Russo, G, Santagati, G, Santopinto, E, Sgouros, O, Solakci, S. O, Souliotis, G, Soukeras, V, Torresi, D, Tudisco, S, Vsevolodovna, R. I. M, Wheadon, R, Zagatto, V. A. B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 27-01-2020
• Subjects: Physics - Nuclear Experiment
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2002.02761

Neutrinoless double beta decay (0{\nu}\b{eta}\b{eta}) is considered the best
potential resource to determine the absolute neutrino mass scale. Moreover, if
observed, it will signal that the total lepton number is not conserved and
neutrinos are their own anti-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
\b{eta}\b{eta} decay process involves nuclei, its analysis necessarily implies
nuclear structure issues. The 0{\nu}\b{eta}\b{eta} decay rate can be expressed
as a product of independent factors: the phase-space factors, the nuclear
matrix elements (NME) and a function of the masses of the neutrino species.
Thus the knowledge of the NME can give information on the neutrino mass scale,
if the 0{\nu}\b{eta}\b{eta} decay rate is measured. In the NURE project,
supported by a Starting Grant of the European Research Council, nuclear
reactions of double charge-exchange (DCE) will be used as a tool to extract
information on the \b{eta}\b{eta} NME. In DCE reactions and \b{eta}\b{eta}
decay, the initial and final nuclear states are the same and the transition
operators have similar structure. Thus the measurement of the DCE absolute
crosssections can give crucial information on \b{eta}\b{eta} matrix elements.