Nuclear matrix elements for double- β decay

Background: Direct determination of the neutrino mass through double-β decay is at the present time one of the most important areas of experimental and theoretical research in nuclear and particle physics. - Purpose: We calculate nuclear matrix elements for the extraction of the average neutrino mass in neutrinoless double-β decay. - Methods: The microscopic interacting boson model (IBM-2) is used. - Results: Nuclear matrix elements in the closure approximation are calculated for 48Ca, 76Ge, 82Se, 96Zr, 100Mo, 110Pd, 116Cd, 124Sn, 128Te, 130Te, 148Nd, 150Nd, 154Sm, 160Gd, and 198Pt decay. - Conclusions: Realistic predictions for the expected half-lives in neutrinoless double-β decay with light and heavy neutrino exchange in terms of neutrino masses are made and limits are set from current experiments.