With the largest dataset of its kind, the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events has put new limits on neutrinoless double beta decay – an extremely rare and sought-after process tied to one of the biggest mysteries in physics.

The coldest cubic meter in the universe is the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events, or CUORE. This chilly nuclear physics experiment looks for tiny fluctuations in temperature from a never-before-seen process called “neutrinoless double beta decay,” which could help explain why our universe is full of matter. That extreme sensitivity means CUORE also records other activity, too: the sounds of scientists talking, the pulse of waves crashing on the shore 50 kilometers away, and earthquakes on the other side of the world. With the largest dataset of its kind, double the amount previously published, the CUORE collaboration has set new limits on how often neutrinoless double beta decay occurs in an atom of tellurium: on average, no more than once every 50 septillion – that’s a trillion trillion – years. The results are published in the journal Science.

The CUORE team includes researchers, technologists and technicians from the INFN division of Rome and the Physics Department of Sapienza.

Read the full press release at: https://www.infn.it/nuovi-risultati-sul-neutrino-di-majorana-grazie-a-un-algoritmo-anti-rumore/

Link to the paper on the Science website: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp6474