The NUMEN project: NUclear Matrix Elements for Neutrinoless double beta decay

Understand

The article describes the main achievements of the NUMEN project together with an updated and detailed overview of the related R&D activities and theoretical developments.

• NUMEN proposes an innovative technique to access the nuclear matrix elements entering the expression of the lifetime of the double beta decay by cross section measurements of heavy-ion induced Double Charge Exchange (DCE) reactions.
• Despite the two processes, namely neutrinoless double beta decay and DCE reactions, are triggered by the weak and strong interaction respectively, important analogies are suggested.
• The basic point is the coincidence of the initial and final state many-body wave-functions in the two types of processes and the formal similarity of the transition operators.