Speaker
Description
The Majorana nature of the neutrino, i.e., whether it is its own antiparticle, remains an open problem in modern physics. The observation of the hypothesized second order weak interaction, Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay (0$\nu\beta\beta$), is the only known experimental signature which would conclusively establish the Majorana nature of neutrinos. It would also demonstrate lepton number violation and could provide insight into the absolute neutrino mass scale. Previous experimental searches for 0$\nu\beta\beta$ in $^{76}Ge$ achieved the lowest background indexes and energy resolutions of all 0$\nu\beta\beta$ searches. Combining the technologies and techniques from the GERDA and Majorana Demonstrator experiments, the next generation tonne-scale germanium experiment LEGEND-1000 is projected to have a background index of $10^{-5}$ counts/(keV.kg.yr) and sensitivity to a decay half-life beyond $10^{28}$ yr. In phase 1, LEGEND-200 will operate 200 kg of enriched detectors in the upgraded GERDA cryostat at LNGS, Italy. In a planned phase 2, LEGEND-1000 will operate 1000 kg of enriched detectors at a site that is yet to be finalized. Currently, the first phase of the experiment LEGEND-200 is being commissioned at LNGS, with 142 kg of germanium detectors acquiring data. In this talk, the status and science outlook of LEGEND will be presented, on behalf of the collaboration.
