Physics Colloquium: Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay and the Nature of Massive Neutrinos

Neutrinos are the most elusive of the known elementary particles, due to their feeble interactions and tiny masses. One major unknown is the quantum mechanical nature of neutrinos—are massive neutrinos their own antiparticles? Addressing this question may hold the key to solving the mystery of how matter came to dominate over antimatter during cosmic evolution. In this colloquium, Vincenzo Cirigliano of the University of Washington will provide a theoretical perspective on nuclear neutrino-less double beta decay and its implications for the nature of massive neutrinos and the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. He will highlight the discovery potential of next-generation ton-scale experimental searches. Along the way, he will discuss the theoretical challenges and progress associated with the interpretation of experimental searches, as well as other avenues to probe the quantum mechanical nature of neutrinos and uncover the mechanism of neutrino mass generation.