Nuclear structure effects in double-beta decay

Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1988 · Phys. Rev. C; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.37.731· OSTI ID:5640889

Engel, J; Vogel, P; Zirnbauer, M R

Using the quasiparticle random phase approximation, we calculate the nuclear matrix elements governing two-neutrino and neutrinoless double-beta decay. We show that a consistent treatment, including both particle-hole and particle-particle interactions, helps to resolve the longstanding discrepancy between experimental and calculated two-neutrino decay rates. The particle-particle force, which allows us to bring calculated EC/..beta../sup +/ decay rates in semimagic nuclei into closer agreement with experiment, is in large part responsible for suppressing calculated two-neutrino decay rates that are otherwise too fast. We test the validity of our procedure by comparing quasiparticle random phase approximation results with exact solutions for a solvable model, in which the suppression of two-neutrino decay by the particle-particle interaction is confirmed. We then extend our approach to the neutrinoless decay associated with a finite Majorana neutrino mass and, conceivably, with majoron emission, and demonstrate that the nuclear matrix elements governing these processes are also suppressed. We present predicted half-lives for both two-neutrino and neutrinoless double-beta decay in several candidate nuclei, and discuss the difficulties associated with the calculation of such highly suppressed quantities.

• Research Organization: Physics Department, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
• OSTI ID: 5640889
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. C; (United States), Vol. 37:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
DOUBLE BETA DECAY
RANDOM PHASE APPROXIMATION
BETA-PLUS DECAY
ELECTRON CAPTURE DECAY
GAMOW-TELLER RULES
HALF-LIFE
MATRIX ELEMENTS
NEUTRINOS
NUCLEAR STRUCTURE
NUCLEON-NUCLEON INTERACTIONS
PARITY
PARTICLE-HOLE MODEL
PHASE SPACE
QUASI PARTICLES
SHELL MODELS
SPIN
SUM RULES
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
BARYON-BARYON INTERACTIONS
BETA DECAY
BETA-MINUS DECAY
DECAY
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EQUATIONS
FERMIONS
HADRON-HADRON INTERACTIONS
INTERACTIONS
LEPTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
NUCLEAR MODELS
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
SPACE
653005* - Nuclear Theory- Radioactive Decay