Searching for $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay in $^{136}$Xe -- towards the tonne-scale and beyond

Understand

The quest for neutrinoless double-beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) is a promising experimental approach to search for lepton number violation in weak interactions, a key ingredient in generating the matter-antimatter asymmetry through models of Leptogenesis.

• The $^{136}$Xe-based $0\nu\beta\beta$ experiments KamLAND-Zen and EXO-200 currently set the most stringent limits on this process using two very different techniques.
• Each are preparing the next generation experiment, which will search for $0\nu\beta\beta$ in the parameter space corresponding to the inverted hierarchy for neutrino mass.
• Both of these techniques scale well to larger volumes while incorporating interesting new techniques.