Search for New Physics with Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

Abstract

Neutrinoless double beta decay ($0νββ$) is one of the most sensitive approaches to test particle physics beyond the standard model. During the last years, besides the most restrictive limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, the analysis of new contributions by the Heidelberg group led to bounds on left-right-symmetric models, leptoquarks and R-parity violating models competitive to recent accelerator limits, which are of special interest in view of the HERA anomaly at large $Q^2$ and $x$. These new results deduced from the Heidelberg-Moscow double beta decay experiment are reviewed. Also an outlook on the future of double beta decay, the GENIUS proposal, is given.

Based on talks presented at the Int. Europhysics Conference on High-Energy Physics, Jerusalem, August 19-26, 1997 and TAUP97, Gran Sasso, Sept. 7-11 1997, 4 pages, Latex, 1 figure, requires espcrc2.sty