Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

First Results on the Search for Lepton Number Violating Neutrinoless Double-𝛽 Decay with the LEGEND-200 Experiment

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/25tk-nctn· OSTI ID:3010197
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [5];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [8];  [10];  [11];  [5];  [2];  [12];  [13];  [1];  [14] more »;  [15];  [16];  [17];  [12];  [1];  [18];  [2];  [10];  [19];  [9];  [10];  [20];  [21];  [22];  [17];  [23];  [11];  [14];  [24];  [1];  [8];  [5];  [25];  [1];  [10];  [26];  [11];  [26];  [16];  [9];  [14];  [3];  [27];  [24];  [1];  [28];  [29];  [1];  [1];  [30];  [31];  [9];  [32];  [17];  [33];  [34];  [15];  [31];  [13];  [19];  [35];  [17];  [30];  [9];  [36];  [1];  [32];  [37];  [30];  [38];  [1];  [31];  [31];  [13];  [33];  [39];  [40];  [37];  [41];  [36];  [1];  [15];  [26];  [2];  [42];  [43];  [1];  [26];  [44];  [9];  [45];  [30];  [46];  [18];  [9];  [47];  [13];  [48];  [2];  [30];  [33];  [2];  [9];  [33];  [47];  [46];  [49];  [26];  [31];  [13];  [7];  [9];  [26];  [1];  [29];  [43];  [26];  [8];  [3];  [50];  [16];  [2];  [11];  [25];  [33];  [13];  [17];  [51];  [37];  [42];  [37];  [3];  [52];  [10];  [29];  [53];  [32];  [27];  [51];  [30];  [36];  [16];  [54];  [45];  [55];  [56];  [45];  [46];  [16];  [33];  [26];  [1];  [11];  [26];  [27];  [44];  [57];  [34];  [5];  [43];  [58];  [24];  [47];  [26];  [58];  [3];  [31];  [56];  [9];  [11];  [34];  [58];  [29];  [29];  [9];  [33];  [31];  [39];  [10];  [3];  [2];  [12];  [51];  [59];  [33];  [16];  [26];  [24];  [60];  [24];  [34];  [37];  [26];  [2];  [43];  [13];  [5];  [19];  [33];  [33];  [33];  [42];  [2];  [42];  [61];  [8];  [42];  [33];  [1];  [16];  [25];  [5];  [30];  [42];  [30];  [62];  [2];  [63];  [9];  [11];  [11];  [64];  [29];  [33];  [24];  [10];  [16];  [33];  [13];  [9];  [26];  [19];  [27];  [3];  [29];  [36];  [65];  [36];  [16];  [45];  [3];  [27];  [33];  [52];  [31];  [8];  [33];  [43];  [45] « less
  1. University of North Carolina; Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  2. Max-Planck-Institut fĂźr Kernphysik
  3. University College London
  4. Simon Fraser University
  5. University of ZĂźrich
  6. University of South Carolina; Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  7. University of Texas at Austin
  8. National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”
  9. Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
  10. Duke University; Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  11. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  12. UniversitĂ  degli Studi di Roma Tre; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  13. Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences
  14. Gran Sasso Science Institute; Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
  15. North Carolina State University; Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory
  16. University of Washington
  17. Politecnico di Milano; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  18. University of Liverpool
  19. Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell’Università degli Studi di Padova; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  20. University of ZĂźrich; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  21. UniversitĂ  degli Studi di Milano Bicocca; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  22. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare; UniversitĂ  degli Studi di Milano
  23. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  24. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  25. South Dakota Mines
  26. Technical University of Munich
  27. University of South Dakota
  28. University of Tennessee; Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  29. Los Alamos National Laboratory
  30. University TĂźbingen
  31. Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  32. University of New Mexico
  33. Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
  34. Indiana University
  35. Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati
  36. Technical University of Munich; Max-Planck-Institut fĂźr Kernphysik
  37. Max-Planck-Institut fĂźr Physik
  38. North Carolina State University; Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory; Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  39. Technical University of Munich; Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
  40. Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Max-Planck-Institut fĂźr Physik
  41. Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso; Jagiellonian University
  42. Czech Technical University in Prague
  43. Technische Universität Dresden
  44. Joint Research Centre
  45. Jagiellonian University
  46. Lancaster University
  47. Comenius University
  48. Tennessee Tech University
  49. National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute)
  50. University of California; University of California
  51. Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche e Chimiche dell’Università degli Studi dell’Aquila; Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
  52. Queen’s University
  53. University of North Carolina; Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory; Los Alamos National Laboratory
  54. University of Tennessee
  55. Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso; Gran Sasso Science Institute
  56. University of Warwick
  57. Technical University of Munich; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  58. UniversitĂ  degli Studi di Milano; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  59. University of Zürich; Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell’Università degli Studi di Padova; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  60. Indiana University; Los Alamos National Laboratory
  61. University of California
  62. Leibniz-Institut fĂźr Polymerforschung Dresden e.V.
  63. Leibniz-Institut fĂźr KristallzĂźchtung
  64. University of South Carolina
  65. University of North Carolina; Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory; Oak Ridge National Laboratory
+ Show Author Affiliations
The LEGEND Collaboration is searching for neutrinoless double-beta (0⁢𝜈⁢𝛽⁢𝛽) decay by operating high-purity germanium detectors enriched in 76Ge in a low-background liquid argon environment. Building on key technological innovations from the GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment and the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR experiment, LEGEND-200 has performed a first 0⁢𝜈⁢𝛽⁢𝛽 decay search based on 61.0 kg yr of data. Over half of this exposure comes from our highest performing detectors, including newly developed inverted-coaxial detectors, and is characterized by an estimated background level of 0.5$$^{+0.3}_{−0.2}$$ ⁢cts/(keV ton yr) in the 0⁢𝜈⁢𝛽⁢𝛽 decay signal region. A combined analysis of data from GERDA, the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, and LEGEND-200, characterized by a 90% confidence level exclusion sensitivity of 2.8 ×1026 yr on the half-life of 0⁢𝜈⁢𝛽⁢𝛽 decay, reveals no evidence for a signal and sets a new observed lower limit at 𝑇$$^{⁢0𝜈}_{1/2}$$ > 1.9 × 1026 yr (90% confidence level). Assuming the decay is mediated by Majorana neutrinos, this corresponds to an upper limit on the effective Majorana mass in the range 𝑚𝛽⁢𝛽< 75–200 meV, depending on the adopted nuclear matrix element.
Research Organization:
Duke University; North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States); arXiv
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)
Contributing Organization:
LEGEND Collaboration
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; AC05-00OR22725; FG02-97ER41020; FG02-97ER41033; FG02-97ER41041; FG02-97ER41042; SC0012612; SC0014445; SC0017594; SC0018060
OSTI ID:
3010197
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 3001447
OSTI ID: 3010829
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 136; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN 1079-7114
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (76)

Processing the signals from solid-state detectors in elementary-particle physics journal January 1986
Teoria simmetrica dell’elettrone e del positrone journal April 1937
Modeling of GERDA Phase II data journal March 2020
The search for neutrinoless double-beta decay journal January 2024
BAT.jl: A Julia-Based Tool for Bayesian Inference journal April 2021
μ→eγ at a rate of one out of 109 muon decays? journal April 1977
Barygenesis without grand unification journal June 1986
A novel HPGe detector for gamma-ray tracking and imaging
  • Cooper, R. J.; Radford, D. C.; Hausladen, P. A.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 665 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2011.10.008
journal February 2011
Reduction of radioactive backgrounds in electroformed copper for ultra-sensitive radiation detectors
  • Hoppe, E. W.; Aalseth, C. E.; Farmer, O. T.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 764 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.06.082
journal November 2014
Background-free search for neutrinoless double-β decay of 76Ge with GERDA journal April 2017
Discrepancy between experimental and theoretical β-decay rates resolved from first principles journal March 2019
Liquid Argon Instrumentation and Monitoring in LEGEND-200 journal January 2021
Neutrinoless ββ decay mediated by the exchange of light and heavy neutrinos: the role of nuclear structure correlations journal December 2017
Use of poly(ethylene naphthalate) as a self-vetoing structural material journal July 2019
Design and performance of the GERDA low-background cryostat for operation in water journal February 2022
The Majorana Demonstrator readout electronics system journal May 2022
Optical properties of low background PEN structural components for the Legend-200 experiment journal September 2022
Calibration sources for the LEGEND-200 experiment journal February 2023
The Front-End electronics for the liquid Argon instrumentation of the LEGEND-200 experiment journal September 2023
Energy calibration of germanium detectors for the Majorana Demonstrator journal September 2023
Calculation of the neutrinoless double- β decay matrix element within the realistic shell model journal April 2020
Charge trapping correction and energy performance of the Majorana Demonstrator journal April 2023
Double- β -decay Q values of Se 74 and Ge 76 journal March 2010
Large-scale calculations of the double- β decay of 76 Ge , 130 Te , 136 Xe , and 150 Nd in the deformed self-consistent Skyrme quasiparticle random-phase approximation journal June 2013
Nuclear matrix elements for 0 ν β β decays with light or heavy Majorana-neutrino exchange journal February 2015
0 ν β β and 2 ν β β nuclear matrix elements in the interacting boson model with isospin restoration journal March 2015
Nuclear matrix element of neutrinoless double- β decay: Relativity and short-range correlations journal February 2017
Neutrinoless double- β decay matrix elements in large shell-model spaces with the generator-coordinate method journal November 2017
0 ν β β -decay nuclear matrix element for light and heavy neutrino mass mechanisms from deformed quasiparticle random-phase approximation calculations for Ge 76 ,   Se 82 ,   Te 130 ,   Xe 136 , and Nd 150 with isospin restoration journal April 2018
0 ν β β and 2 ν β β nuclear matrix elements evaluated in closure approximation, neutrino potentials and SU(4) symmetry journal December 2018
Multisite event discrimination for the majorana demonstrator journal June 2019
Analysis of light neutrino exchange and short-range mechanisms in 0 ν β β decay journal November 2020
Neutrinoless double- β decay in SU(2)×U(1) theories journal June 1982
Results of the search for neutrinoless double- β decay in Mo 100 with the NEMO-3 experiment journal October 2015
Energy Density Functional Study of Nuclear Matrix Elements for Neutrinoless β β Decay journal December 2010
Shape and Pairing Fluctuation Effects on Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Nuclear Matrix Elements journal September 2013
New Leading Contribution to Neutrinoless Double- β Decay journal May 2018
Search for Neutrinoless Double- β Decay with the Complete EXO-200 Dataset journal October 2019
Final Results of GERDA on the Search for Neutrinoless Double- β Decay journal December 2020
Toward Complete Leading-Order Predictions for Neutrinoless Double β Decay journal April 2021
Final Result on the Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay of Se82 with CUPID-0 journal September 2022
Final Result of the Majorana Demonstrator’s Search for Neutrinoless Double- β Decay in Ge76 journal February 2023
Final Results of GERDA on the Two-Neutrino Double- β Decay Half-Life of Ge76 journal October 2023
Ab Initio Uncertainty Quantification of Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay in Ge76 journal April 2024
Improved Limit on Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay of Mo100 from AMoRE-I journal February 2025
Toward the discovery of matter creation with neutrinoless ββ decay journal May 2023
Search for Majorana Neutrinos with the Complete KamLAND-Zen Dataset journal December 2025
Cryogenic readout techniques for Germanium detectors conference April 2015
Readout electronics testing during mass production of FlashCam cameras for the Cherenkov Telescope Array conference August 2017
FlashCam: a fully digital camera for the Cherenkov telescope array medium-sized telescopes conference September 2019
Constraints on lepton number violation with the 2 tonne ¡ year CUORE dataset journal December 2025
Asymptotic formulae for likelihood-based tests of new physics journal February 2011
Erratum to: Asymptotic formulae for likelihood-based tests of new physics journal July 2013
The performance of the Muon Veto of the Gerda experiment journal May 2016
Mitigation of $$^{42}$$42Ar/$$^{42}$$42K background for the GERDA Phase II experiment journal January 2018
Upgrade for Phase II of the Gerda experiment journal May 2018
Virtual depth by active background suppression: revisiting the cosmic muon induced background of Gerda Phase II journal July 2018
Final results on $${}^\mathbf{82 }{\hbox {Se}}$$ double beta decay to the ground state of $${}^\mathbf{82 }{\hbox {Kr}}$$ from the NEMO-3 experiment journal October 2018
Characterization of 30 $$^{76}$$Ge enriched Broad Energy Ge detectors for GERDA Phase II journal November 2019
Charge-carrier collective motion in germanium detectors for $$\beta \beta $$-decay searches journal January 2021
Characterization of inverted coaxial $$^{76}$$Ge detectors in GERDA for future double-$$\beta $$ decay experiments journal June 2021
Calibration of the Gerda experiment journal August 2021
Pulse shape analysis in Gerda Phase II journal April 2022
R &D of wavelength-shifting reflectors and characterization of the quantum efficiency of tetraphenyl butadiene and polyethylene naphthalate in liquid argon journal May 2022
Final results on the $$0\nu \beta \beta $$ decay half-life limit of $$^{100}$$Mo from the CUPID-Mo experiment journal November 2022
Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay: Status and Prospects journal October 2019
A Study of Majorana Demonstrator Backgrounds with Bayesian Statistical Modeling text January 2023
An Improved Background Model and Two-Neutrino Double-Beta Decay Measurement for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR text January 2023
legend-daq2lh5 software April 2024
legend-pydataobj software May 2024
pygama software October 2024
dspeed software October 2024
BAT.jl software January 2025
legend-exp/ZeroNuFit.jl: v2.3.1 software April 2025
cenpa/freqfit: v0.2 software April 2025
Supplemental Material for "First Results on the Search for Lepton Number Violating Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay with the LEGEND-200 Experiment" dataset January 2025

Similar Records

Investigation of ASIC-based signal readout electronics for LEGEND-1000
Journal Article · Tue Sep 15 20:00:00 EDT 2020 · Journal of Instrumentation · OSTI ID:1756164

Related Subjects

Baryon &amp; lepton number symmetries
FOS: Physical sciences
High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex)
Majorana neutrinos
Neutrino mass
Neutrinoless double beta decay
Nuclear Experiment (nucl-ex)
Rare decays
Solid-state detectors