Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay and Neutrino Masses

Neutrinoless double beta decay is a promising test for lepton number violating physics beyond the standard model of particle physics. There is a deep connection between this decay and the phenomenon of neutrino masses. In particular, we will discuss the relation between neutrinoless double beta decay and Majorana neutrino masses provided by the so-called Schechter--Valle theorem in a quantitative way. Furthermore, we will present an experimental cross check to discriminate neutrinoless double beta decay from unknown nuclear background using only one isotope, i.e., within one experiment.