Speaker
Description
The observation of neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) would demonstrate lepton-number violation, showing physics Beyond the Standard Model, and would establish the Majorana nature of the neutrino. Despite decades of investigation, the search remains open, pursued through diverse isotopes and detection techniques. CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events), operating at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy, investigates the 0νββ decay of 130Te. The detector comprises 988 TeO2 crystals arranged in 19 compact towers, forming the first bolometric array to achieve a tonne-scale mass, maintained below 15 mK. Since 2017, CUORE has maintained around 90% live time, collecting more than 2.5 tonne-years of TeO2 exposure—the largest dataset to date in a high-resolution solid-state 0νββ search. The 2025 results include one of the most accurate determinations of the two-neutrino double beta decay (2νββ) half-life and spectral shape, along with an updated 0νββ analysis in 130Te. Building on CUORE's achievements, the next-generation experiment CUPID (CUORE Upgrade with Particle IDentification) aims to reach sensitivities corresponding to half-life limits beyond 10^27 years, probing the Inverted Hierarchy region of neutrino masses. CUPID will deploy 1596 lithium molybdate (Li2MoO4) crystals enriched in 100Mo, together with 1710 light detectors, enabling simultaneous heat-and-light readout. This approach allows powerful rejection of α-induced backgrounds—dominant in CUORE—thus enhancing both sensitivity and cleanliness. CUPID will reuse CUORE's cryogenic setup, improving its technology for lower backgrounds and superior performance. Current efforts focus on detector R&D, simulation studies, and optimization of the final design. Results from the first tower-like prototype, now operating at LNGS, provide a benchmark for a new CUPID module concept incorporating Neganov-Trofimov-Luke amplification for further background suppression. This work presents the latest CUORE results, recent findings from the CUPID demonstrator, and outlines the forthcoming milestones toward the realization of the CUPID experiment.
