Wednesday, June 5, 2013

1306.0580 (Julian Heeck et al.)

Neutrinoless Quadruple Beta Decay    [PDF]

Julian Heeck, Werner Rodejohann
We point out that lepton number violation is possible even if neutrinos are Dirac particles. We illustrate this by constructing a simple model that allows for lepton number violation by four units only. As a consequence, neutrinoless double beta decay is forbidden, but neutrinoless quadruple beta decay is possible: $(A,Z) \to (A,Z+4) + 4 e^-$. We identify three candidate isotopes for this decay, the most promising one being Nd-150 due to its high Q(0{\nu}4{\beta})-value of 2 MeV. Analogous processes, such as neutrinoless quadruple electron capture, are also possible. The expected lifetimes are extremely long, and experimental searches are challenging.
View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1306.0580

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