Nuclear Physics for Matter, Anti-matter, and Neutrinos

Why does matter dominate over anti-matter in our universe? This is one of the biggest mysteries in physics. If neutrinos are Majorana fermions, that is, their own antiparticles, it is possible for matter to transform into anti-matter and vice-versa. The easiest way to determine whether neutrinos are Majorana or Dirac fermions is to see neutrino-less double-β (0νββ) decay. The rate of decay of 0νββ decay, however, depends on nuclear matrix elements that must be accurately calculated to allow experimentalists to plan efficiently and interpret results. In this talk, I will review past and recent work on 0νββ nuclear matrix elements in a wide variety of nuclear models. In particular, I will outline recent developments in the Hamiltonian-based generator coordinate method, which enables treatment of systems presently unreachable by other methods. I will discuss some strengths and weaknesses and give a prospectus for future improvements.