Chasing the Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay - with a Dark Matter Detector

• Fabian Kuger (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg)

The detection of lepton number violating decays would open up a window to physics beyond the Standard Model. A prime candidate for such a process is the neutrinoless double beta decay, the lepton number violating counterpart to the Standard Model's two-neutrino mode. Its detection could provide key insights into the nature of neutrinos, the absolute masses of neutrinos, and their mass hierarchy. The experimental search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of different isotopes is a rapidly evolving field, with multiple efforts underway worldwide. This talk will provide a review of the current experimental status of this field, highlighting the complementarities and similarities of dedicated double beta decay experiments. This reveals why future dark matter experiments with large xenon targets are well-suited to join the hunt for this rare nuclear decay. We'll evaluate the double beta science case of the DARWIN observatory and discuss the role of this dark matter detector in the chase for the nature of the neutrino.