arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H. V. Klapdor-Kleingrothaus.
The present experimental status in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay is reviewed, with emphasis on the first indication for neutrinoless double beta decay found in the HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW experiment, giving first evidence for lepton number violation and a Majorana nature of the neutrinos. Future perspectives of the field are briefly outlined.
In this paper we will present the first results of applying a digital processing technology in low-level gamma spectroscopy with HPGE detectors. An experimental gamma spectrometer using Flash ADC module is built and tested. The test system is now under development and shows major advantages over the traditional analog technologies. It will be installed for the GENIUS-TF and GENIUS projects in Gran-Sasso in early 2003.
The present experimental status in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay is reviewed, with emphasis on the first indication for neutrinoless double beta decay found in the Heidelberg-Moscow experiment, giving first evidence for lepton number violation and a Majorana nature of the neutrinos. Future perspectives of the field are briefly outlined.
Double beta decay is indispensable to solve the question of the neutrino mass matrix together with $ν$ oscillation experiments. Recent analysis of the most sensitive experiment since nine years - the HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW experiment in Gran-Sasso - yields a first indication for the neutrinoless decay mode. This result is the first evidence for lepton number violation and proves the neutrino to be a Majorana particle. We give the present status of the analysis in this report. It excludes several of the neutrino mass scenarios allowed from present neutrino oscillation experiments - only degenerate scenarios and those with inverse mass hierarchy survive. This result allows neutrinos to still play an important role as dark matter in the Universe. To improve the accuracy of the present result, considerably enlarged experiments are required, such as GENIUS. A GENIUS Test Facility has been funded and will come into operation by early 2003.
We study the model-building conditions under which a sizeable $0νββ$-decay signal to the recently reported level of~0.4 eV is due to Kaluza--Klein singlet neutrinos in theories with large extra dimensions. Our analysis is based on 5-dimensional singlet-neutrino models compactified on an $S^1/Z_2$ orbifold, where the Standard--Model fields are localized on a 3-brane. We show that a successful interpretation of a positive signal within the above minimal 5-dimensional framework would require a non-vanishing shift of the 3-brane from the orbifold fixed points by an amount smaller than the typical scale (100 MeV)$^{-1}$ characterizing the Fermi nuclear momentum. The resulting 5-dimensional models predict a sizeable effective Majorana-neutrino mass that could be several orders of magnitude larger than the light neutrino masses. Most interestingly, the brane-shifted models with only one bulk sterile neutrino also predict novel trigonometric textures leading to mass scenarios with hierarchical active neutrinos and large $ν_μ$-$ν_τ$ and $ν_e$-$ν_μ$ mixings that can fully explain the current atmospheric and solar neutrino data.
One possible probe to physics beyond the standard model is to look for scalar bilinears, which couple to two fermions of the standard model. We point out that the scalar bilinears allow new diagrams contributing to the neutrinoless double beta decay. The upper bound on the neutrinoless double beta decay lifetime would then give new constraints on the ratio of the masses of these scalars to their couplings to the fermions.
Within the low-energy effective Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (effMSSM) we calculate the neutralino relic density taking into account slepton-neutralino, squark-neutralino and neutralino/chargino- neutralino coannihilation channels. By including squark (stop and sbottom) coannihilation channels we extend our comparative study to all allowed coannihilations and obtain the general result that all of them give sizable contributions to the reduction of the neutralino relic density. Due to these coannihilation processes some models (mostly with large neutralino masses) enter into the cosmologically interesting region for relic density, but other models leave this region. Nevertheless, in general, the predictions for direct and indirect dark matter detection rates are not strongly affected by these coannihilation channels in the effMSSM.
Double beta decay is indispensable to solve the question of the neutrino mass matrix together with $ν$ oscillation experiments. Recent analysis of the most sensitive experiment since eight years - the HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW experiment in Gran-Sasso - yields evidence for the neutrinoless decay mode. This result is the first evidence for lepton number violation and proves the neutrino to be a Majorana particle. We give the present status of the analysis in these Proceedings. It excludes several of the neutrino mass scenarios allowed from present neutrino oscillation experiments - essentially only degenerate and partially degenerate mass scenarios survive. This result allows neutrinos to still play an important role as dark matter in the Universe. To improve the present result, considerably enlarged experiments are required, such as GENIUS. A GENIUS Test Facility has just been funded and will come into operation by end of 2002.
Search for the neutrino mass and for cold dark matter in the Universe are at present two of the most exciting fields of particle physics and cosmology. This lecture will restrict itself on the search for neutralinos as cold dark matter, and for the absolute scale of the masses of neutrinos, which are the favoured hot dark matter candidates.
We consider all possible scalar bilinears, which couple to two fermions of the standard model. The various baryon and lepton number violating couplings allowed by these exotic scalars are studied. We then discuss which ones are constrained by limits on proton decay (to a lepton and a meson as well as to three leptons), neutron-antineutron oscillations, and neutrinoless double beta decay.
The new project GENIUS will cover a wide range of the parameter space of predictions of SUSY for neutralinos as cold dark matter. Together with DAMA it will be the only experiment which can probe the seasonal modulation signal. Concerning hot dark matter GENIUS will be able to fix the (effective) neutrino mass with high accuracy. A GENIUS Test Facility has just been funded and will come into operation by end of 2002.
The GENIUS (Germanium in Liquid Nitrogen Underground Setup) project has been proposed in 1997 [KK-BEY97] as first third generation double beta decay project, with a sensitivity aiming down to a level of an effective neutrino mass of < 0.01eV or less. Such sensitivity is important to fix the structure of the neutrino mass matrix with high accuracy, which cannot be done by neutrino oscillation experiments alone. GENIUS will allow broad access also to many other topics of physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics at the multi-TeV scale. For search of cold dark matter GENIUS will cover a large part of the parameter space of predictions of SUSY for neutralinos as dark matter [Bed-KK2,Ell,KK-LowNu2]. Finally, GENIUS has the potential to be a real-time detector for low-energy (pp and 7{Be}) solar neutrinos [Bau-KK,KK-LowNu2]. A GENIUS-Test Facility has just been funded and will come into operation by end of 2002.
The Heidelberg Dark Matter Search (HDMS) is an experiment designed for the search for WIMP dark matter. It is using a special configuration of Ge detectors, to efficiently reduce the background in the low-energy region below 100 keV. After one year of running the HDMS detector prototype in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory, the inner crystal of the detector has been replaced with a HPGe crystal of enriched $^{73}$Ge. The final setup started data taking in Gran Sasso in August 2000. The performance and the first results of the measurement with the final setup are discussed.
After our publication of the observed first indication for neutrinoless double beta decay in [KK-Evid01], a number of papers have been published [KK-Sar_Evid01,KK2-Sar_Evid01,KK3-Sar_Evid01,Ma02-Ev,Barg02-Ev,Ueh02-Ev,Mi n-Evid02,Chat-Evid02,Xing-Evid02,Ham-Evid02,Ahl-Kirch-Evid02,Ma-Evid2-02,Hab-Su z02,Mohap02-Evid,Kays02-Evid,Fodor02-Evid,Pakv02-Evid,Rodej02-Evid,Kowal02,Niel s02,He02-Evid,Josh02-Evid,Bran02-Evid,Cheng02-Evid,Smirn02-Evid,Wiss-Evid02] discussing its implications. In addition a 'Comment' has been put to the Internet February 7, 2002, [Comm-Evid02] ({\it version 1}) critisizing our publication [KK-Evid01]. (Meanwhile six of the nine claims in the 'Comment' have been withdrawn [Comm-Evid02] ({\it version 3}).) It is the purpose of this note to show that none of their claims is justified (the same is true, from the same arguments, for the criticism raised recently in [Harn-Id02]). We shall show this by answering this 'Comment' point by point.
We propose new solutions to the neutrino mass problem in theories with large extra dimensions in a thick wall scenario. It has recently been argued that our 3-brane could be a thick wall at the boundary of the bulk. The gauge bosons and the Higgs scalars have an almost flat profile on this wall, while fermions could have localized profile with left-handed and right-handed components displaced with respect to each other. We point out that with split fermions it is possible to generate Majorana neutrino masses contributing to the neutrinoless double beta decay. The almost degenerate neutrinos can also come out naturally in this case. Unlike other models of neutrino masses in extra dimensions there are no bulk fields in this scenario.
Within the low-energy effective Minimal Supersymmetric extension of Standard Model (effMSSM) we calculated the neutralino relic density taking into account slepton-neutralino and neutralino-chargino/neutralino coannihilation channels. We performed comparative study of these channels and obtained that both of them give sizable contributions to the reduction of the relic density. Due to these coannihilation processes some models (mostly with large neutralino masses) enter into the cosmologically interesting region for relic density, but other models leave this region. Nevertheless, in general, the predictions for direct and indirect dark matter detection rates are not strongly affected by these coannihilation channels in the effMSSM.
We study the possible structure of the neutrino mass matrix taking into consideration the solar and atmospheric neutrinos and the neutrinoless double beta decay. We emphasize on mass matrices with vanishing elements. There are only a very few possibilities remaining at present. We concentrate on three generation scenarios and find that with three parameters there are few possibilities with and without any vanishing elements. For completeness we also present a five parameter four neutrino (with one sterile neutrino) mass matrix which can explain all these experiments and the LSND result.
The data of the Heidelberg-Moscow double beta decay experiment for the measuring period August 1990 - May 2000 (54.9813 kg y or 723.44 molyears), published recently, are analyzed using the potential of the Bayesian method for low counting rates. First evidence for neutrinoless double beta decay is observed giving first evidence for lepton number violation. The evidence for this decay mode is 97% (2.2σ) with the Bayesian method, and 99.8% c.l. (3.1σ) with the method recommended by the Particle Data Group. The half-life of the process is found with the Bayesian method to be T_{1/2}^{0ν} = (0.8 - 18.3) x 10^{25} y (95% c.l.) with a best value of 1.5 x 10^{25} y. The deduced value of the effective neutrino mass is, with the nuclear matrix elements from [Sta90,Tom91] < m >= (0.11 - 0.56) eV (95% c.l.), with a best value of 0.39 eV. Uncertainties in the nuclear matrix elements may widen the range given for the effective neutrino mass by at most a factor 2. Our observation which at the same time means evidence that the neutrino is a Majorana particle, will be of fundamental importance for neutrino physics. PACS. 14.69.Pq Neutrino mass and mixing; 23.40.Bw Weak-interaction and lepton (including neutrino) aspects 23.40.-s Beta decay; double beta decay; electron and muon capture.