LEPTON CONSERVATION AND DOUBLE BETA-DECAY

Journal Article · Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1960 · Annals of Physics (New York) (U.S.)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-4916(60)90010-5· OSTI ID:4070480

Greuling, E; Whitten, R C

Double beta decay was investigated without assuming lepton conservation. If the lepton pant of the universal V-A current operator is linear in the massless Majorana neutrino field, leptons are conserved. The intermediate state neutrino is completely polarized and may not be reabsorbed to produce a neutrinoless double beta decay final state. Two slight modifications of the interaction, (1) finite neutrino mass, and/or (2) a deviation from exact equality of the effective V and A lepton currents, result in the creation of an incompletely polarized irtermediate state neutrino which may then be reabsorbed. Neutrinoless double beta decay, in violation of lepton conservation, is then possible. These neutrinoless modes of double beta decay are computed for several nuclei and are compared with the usual lepton conserving two-neutrino mode. Measurable competition between these decay modes may exist. The abandonment of lepton conservation does not alter significantly any of the predictions of the universal V-A Fermi interaction for all first-order beta processes. (auth)

• Research Organization: Duke Univ., Durham, N.C.
• NSA Number: NSA-15-012084
• OSTI ID: 4070480
• Journal Information: Annals of Physics (New York) (U.S.), Vol. Vol: 11; Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-61
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

PHYSICS
ABSORPTION
BETA DECAY
CHARGED PARTICLES
DIPOLES
ELECTRIC MOMENTS
EXCITATION
FERMI GAS
FERMI GAS MODEL
FIELD THEORY
INTERACTIONS
INTERNAL CONVERSION
LEPTONS
MAGNETIC MOMENTS
MASS
MATHEMATICS
MULTIPOLES
NEUTRINOS
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR MODELS
NUCLEAR THEORY
NUCLEONS
PHOTONS
POLARIZATION
PROTONS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
TRANSIENTS