Pair correlations in the neutrinoless double-β decay candidate 130Te

Pair correlations in the ground state of 130Te have been investigated using pair-transfer experiments to explore the validity of approximations in calculating the matrix element for neutrinoless double-β decay. This nucleus is a candidate for the observation of such decay, and a good understanding of its structure is crucial for eventual calculations of the neutrino mass, should such a decay indeed be observed. For proton-pair adding, strong transitions to excited 0+ states had been observed in the Te isotopes by Alford et al. [Nucl. Phys. A 323, 339 (1979)], indicating a breaking of the BCS approximation for protons in the ground state. We measured the neutron-pair removing (p,t) reaction on 130Te and found no indication of a corresponding splitting of the BCS nature of the ground state for neutrons.