Kevin O'Sullivan
(LBNL)
Sensitivity of Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Search with the LUX-ZEPLIN Experiment
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment is a future project to search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) a dark matter candidate, using 7 tons of liquid xenon. As a result, the detector has very low backgrounds, three-dimensional position reconstruction, and large mass. As a result, LZ will also be provide a very sensitive search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0nubb). Typical standard model two-neutrino double beta decay occurs in isotopes where single beta decay is energetically forbidden, and results in the nucleus emitting two electrons and two anti-electron neutrinos. However, if neutrinos are their own anti-particles (so called Majorana particles) then it is possible to have a process where the nucleus emits two electrons and no neutrinos, call neutrinoless double beta decay. Discovery of 0nubb would imply the existence of Majorana fermions, lepton number violation, and B - L violation. I will give some background on double beta decay, the LZ experiment, and discuss the potential sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta decay.