Estimation of nuclear matrix elements of double-$β$ decay from shell model and quasiparticle random-phase approximation

Abstract

The nuclear matrix element (NME) of the neutrinoless double-$β$ ($0νββ$) decay is an essential input for determining the neutrino effective mass, if the half-life of this decay is measured. The reliable calculation of this NME has been a long-standing problem because of the diversity of the predicted values of the NME depending on the calculation method. In this paper, we focus on the shell model and the QRPA. The shell model have a rich amount of the many-particle many-hole correlations, and the QRPA can obtain the convergence of the result of calculation with respect to the extension of the single-particle space. It is difficult for the shell model to obtain the convergence of the $0νββ$ NME with respect to the valence single-particle space. The many-body correlations of the QRPA are insufficient depending on nuclei. We propose a new method to modify phenomenologically the results of the shell model and the QRPA compensating the insufficient point of each method by using the information of other method complementarily. Extrapolations of the components of the $0νββ$ NME of the shell model are made toward a very large valence single-particle space. We introduce a modification factor to the components of the $0νββ$ NME of the QRPA. Our modification method gives similar values of the $0νββ$ NME of the two methods for $^{48}$Ca. The NME of the two-neutrino double-$β$ decay is also modified in a similar but simpler manner, and the consistency of the two methods is improved.