Neutrino masses, oscillations and neutrinoless double-beta decay

AbstraktAbstract

The theory of neutrino-neutrino and neutrino-antineutrino oscillations is revisited. The neutrino production and detection processes are part of a single Feynman diagram with initial and final states represented by plane waves. The revised S-matrix approach guarantees the energy-momentum conservation in neutrino oscillations. The formalism is manifested in the processes involving v mu mu - ve e and v mu mu - ve e oscillations. The obtained results address the question about the justification of disentanglement of the three involved processes- production, propagation, and absorption of neutrinos. Further, a connection between the neutrinoless double- beta decay (0v33-decay) and neutrino-antineutrino oscillations is discussed. It is pointed out that if the effective Majorana mass governing the 0v33-decay is strongly suppressed, a more favorable process of proving the Majorana nature of neutrinos is that which incorporates neutrino-antineutrino (or vice versa) oscillations at certain distances. The question remains: what should be the neutrino source in such a case?

The theory of neutrino-neutrino and neutrino-antineutrino oscillations is revisited. The neutrino production and detection processes are part of a single Feynman diagram with initial and final states represented by plane waves. The revised S-matrix approach guarantees the energy-momentum conservation in neutrino oscillations. The formalism is manifested in the processes involving v mu mu - ve e and v mu mu - ve e oscillations. The obtained results address the question about the justification of disentanglement of the three involved processes- production, propagation, and absorption of neutrinos. Further, a connection between the neutrinoless double- beta decay (0v33-decay) and neutrino-antineutrino oscillations is discussed. It is pointed out that if the effective Majorana mass governing the 0v33-decay is strongly suppressed, a more favorable process of proving the Majorana nature of neutrinos is that which incorporates neutrino-antineutrino (or vice versa) oscillations at certain distances. The question remains: what should be the neutrino source in such a case?