Garchinger Maier-Leibnitz-Kolloquium: LEGEND: Search for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay with a Discovery Sensitivity beyond 10^28 Years

by Dr Patrick Krause (Physik Department E15, TUM)

Thursday 21 Dec 2023, 16:15 → 17:15 Europe/Berlin

Lecture Hall, ground floor (west) (LMU building, Am Coulombwall1, campus Garching)

The discovery that neutrinos are Majorana fermions would have profound implications for particle physics and cosmology. The Majorana character of neutrinos would make neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay, a matter-creating process without the balancing emission of antimatter, possible. The LEGEND Collaboration pursues a phased,  ^76Ge-based double-beta decay experimental program. The first phase, LEGEND-200, deploys up to 200 kg of germanium detectors highly enriched in ^76Ge. When integrating the region around the expected peak position of the 0νββ decay over the exposure, less than one background event will be accumulated. It constitutes a quasi-background-free operation of LEGEND-200, which enables a discovery sensitivity for the 0νββ decay at a half-life of at least 10^27 years. The second phase, LEGEND-1000, will deploy 1000 kg of enriched germanium and targets a discovery sensitivity beyond 10^28 years. This talk will portray the physics, technologies, and first results of LEGEND.

Hybrid access via ZOOM:
https://lmu-munich.zoom.us/j/98457332925?pwd=TWc3V1JkSHpyOTBPQVlMelhuNnZ1dz09
Meeting ID: 984 5733 2925
Passcode: 979953

 

kolloquium-21-12-23.pdf