Erlangen 2026 – scientific programme

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HK: Fachverband Physik der Hadronen und Kerne

HK 10: Invited Talks

HK 10.4: Invited Talk

Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 12:30–13:00, MED 00.915

Probing neutrinos with the KATRIN and LEGEND experiments — •Susanne Mertens — Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg

The absolute mass scale and fundamental nature of the neutrino remain among the most pressing open questions in astroparticle physics today. Beta decay experiments provide unique laboratory probes of these properties. In particular, the kinematics of single beta decay allow for a model-independent determination of the absolute neutrino mass. The KATRIN experiment currently sets the most stringent direct limit on this quantity. The observation of neutrinoless double beta decay would demonstrate that neutrinos are their own antiparticles. The LEGEND experiment is designed to achieve unprecedented sensitivity to this rare process. This talk will present the KATRIN and LEGEND experiments, highlighting recent results and outlining future prospects.