Results on neutrinoless double beta decay from GERDA Phase I

Abstract

The GERmanium Detector Array, GERDA, is designed to search for neutrinoless double beta (0$\nu\beta\beta$) decay of $^{76}$Ge and it is installed in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) of INFN, Italy. In this review, the detection principle and detector setup of GERDA are described. Also, the main physics results by GERDA Phase I, are discussed. They include the measurement of the half-life of 2$\nu\beta\beta$ decay, the background decomposition of the energy spectrum and the techniques for the discrimination of the background, based on the pulse shape of the signal. In the last part of this paper, the estimation of a limit on the half-life of 0$\nu\beta\beta$ ($T^{0\nu}_{1/2} >2.1\cdot 10^{25}$ yr at 90% C.L.) and the comparison with previous results are discussed. GERDA data from Phase I strongly disfavour the recent claim of 0$\nu\beta\beta$ discovery, based on data from the Heidelberg-Moscow experiment.