Steve Elliott, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Double-beta decay and the neutrino
We now know that neutrinos have
mass. The oscillation experiments have shown that at least one neutrino has
a mass greater than about 45 meV. However, these experiments do not measure
the absolute mass scale of the neutrino. Beta decay experiments, large-scale
structure measurements, and double-beta decay experiments are the most
promising techniques to determine this scale. In addition, double-beta decay
experiments provide the only feasible technique to determine whether the
neutrino is its own anti-particle. The current situation is enticing as the
oscillation results give hope that upcoming double-beta decay experiments
will see a signal. This, and because the neutrino plays an important role in
nuclear physics, particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, the science
of double-beta decay has stimulated great interest recently. This
presentation will summarize the science and the experimental prospects.