Double Beta Decay and the Majorana Mass of the Electron Neutrino

W. C. Haxton; G. J. Stephenson, Jr; D. Strottman

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.47.153

Double Beta Decay and the Majorana Mass of the Electron Neutrino

W. C. Haxton, G. J. Stephenson, Jr., and D. Strottman

Phys. Rev. Lett. 47, 153 – Published 20 July 1981

Abstract

We have calculated the two-neutrino and no-neutrino, lepton-number-nonconserving double beta decay rates for ${}^{76}{Ge}$ and ${}^{82}{Se}$ . Our result for the two-neutrino decay of ${}^{82}{Se}$ is in agreement with a recent cloud-chamber measurement and thus in disagreement with the geochemical determination. We find that a constraint on the Majorana mass of the electron neutrino of ${〈 m 〉}_{ν} ≳ 15$ eV follows from the comparison of our calculations and the experimental limits on the neutrinoless decays of ${}^{76}{Ge}$ and ${}^{82}{Se}$ .

Received 6 April 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.47.153

Authors & Affiliations

W. C. Haxton^*

Department of Physics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, and Theory Division, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545

G. J. Stephenson, Jr. and D. Strottman