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[PAST EVENT] Physics Seminar

April 30, 2020
3:30pm - 4:30pm
Location
Remote via Zoom
Access & Features
  • Open to the public

Speaker: Jordy De Vries, University of Massachusetts
Title: “Neutrinoless double beta decay in effective field theory" 
Host: C. Monahan

Time: 3:30 pm April 30, 2020 
https://cwm.zoom.us/j/98098663147 

Abstract: 
Next-generation neutrinoless double-beta decay (0vbb) experiments aim to discover lepton number violation in order to shed light on the nature of neutrino masses. A non-zero signal would have profound implications by demonstrating the existence of elementary Majorana particles and possibly pointing towards a solution of matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. However, the interpretation of the experimental signal (or lack thereof) requires care as complicated particle, hadronic, and nuclear input is required to connect the experimental data to a fundamental description of lepton-number violation. In this talk, I use effective field theories to connect 0vbb measurements to the fundamental lepton-number-violating source. In particular, I will argue that interpretation in terms of a light Majorana neutrino mass is more complicated than normally considered.