CP-phase effects on the effective neutrino mass m_(ee) in the case of quasi-degenerate neutrinos

We study the possibility that the three mass states of the ordinary active neutrinos actually split into pairs of quasi-degenerate states, with $\Delta m^2_{kk'} \sim 10^{-12}$ eV$^2$ or less, as a result of mixing of active neutrinos with sterile neutrinos. Although these quasi-degenerate pairs will look in laboratory experiment identical to single active states, the CP phase factors associated with active-sterile mixing might cause cancellations in the effective electron neutrino mass $m_{ee}$ measured in the neutrinoless double beta decay experiments thereby revealing the split nature of states.