The term 'neutrinoless double beta decay' is more accurate and descriptive than the proposed alternative 'Majorana double beta decay'.
Defining Absence: The Origin of "Neutrinoless" and How it Obscures the Physics of Matter Creation
1 Pith paper cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
abstract
The term 'neutrinoless' is a cornerstone of modern particle physics, yet it defines a fundamental process by what is missing rather than what is created. We trace the origins of this privative neologism to a 1953 experimental claim and show how a 'sociology of suspicion' transformed Ettore Majorana's affirmative ontology into an agnostic shorthand. By examining this linguistic shift, we argue that our current terminology may obscure the profound physical meaning of the search. Reclaiming the language of 'matter creation' is not merely a semantic choice, but a timely conceptual shift to bridge the gap between experimental caution and the radical character of the laws of nature we aim to uncover.
fields
hep-ph 1years
2026 1verdicts
UNVERDICTED 1representative citing papers
citing papers explorer
-
"Neutrinoless double beta decay" is the correct name for neutrinoless double beta decay
The term 'neutrinoless double beta decay' is more accurate and descriptive than the proposed alternative 'Majorana double beta decay'.