Majorana Neutrinos, Neutrino Mass Spectrum, CP-Violation and Neutrinoless Double Beta-Decay: I. The Three-Neutrino Mixing Case

Assuming mixing of three massive Majorana neutrinos, we study the implications of the neutrino oscillation solutions of the solar and atmospheric neutrino problems and of the results of the CHOOZ experiment for the predictions of the effective Majorana mass in neutrinoless double beta decay, |< m >|. The general case of CP-nonconservation is investigated. The predicted values of |< m >|, depend strongly on the type of the neutrino mass spectrum, on the solution of the solar neutrino problem, as well as on the values of the two Majorana CP-violating phases, present in the lepton mixing matrix. We find that i) $|< m >| \lesssim 0.02 $eV for a hierarchical neutrino mass spectrum, ii) $|< m >| \lesssim 0.09 $eV if the spectrum is of the inverted hierarchy type, and iii) $|< m >| \leq m$ in the case of three quasi-degenerate neutrinos, m > 0 being the common neutrino mass scale which is limited by the bounds from the $^3$H $\beta-$decay experiments, $m < 2.5 $eV. The observation of the $(\beta \beta)_{0\nu}-$decay with a rate corresponding to $|< m >| \gtrsim 0.02 $eV can provide unique information on the neutrino mass spectrum and on the CP-violation in the lepton sector, and if CP-invariance holds - on the relative CP-parities of the massive Majorana neutrinos.