Manifesto: a side-channel attack for a decisive 0νββ measurement
We are not short on ideas. We are short on decisive execution at scale. This manifesto lays out a side-channel attack on the bottlenecks that have slowed neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) for decades.
Why this measurement matters
If neutrinos are Majorana particles, lepton number is violated and the door opens to mechanisms that explain mass generation and matter–antimatter asymmetry. 0νββ is the only experimentally feasible path to test this directly. With half-life limits already beyond 1026 years, moving into the inverted- and normal-hierarchy regions demands a dramatic jump in scale and control.
The bottleneck is execution, not invention
Excellent energy resolution, low-background materials, background rejection, topological discrimination, and daughter identification have all been demonstrated independently. The challenge is integrating them together at scale with schedule discipline and ruthless clarity on what is buildable, testable, and maintainable.
Integration is the experiment
Cross-contamination, calibration coupling, and analysis complexity emerge only when subsystems meet. This is where projects stall.
Why the status quo is inadequate
- Dispersed expertise: Massive collaborations slow iteration and diffuse ownership.
- Competing duties: PIs, students, and postdocs cannot sustain full-time focus for years.
- Inefficient allocation: Grant cycles reward breadth over integrated execution.
- Funding volatility: Agency priorities and economic shifts threaten long timelines.
What this has delivered so far
Decades of investment totaling hundreds of millions have yielded impressive R&D but only limited ton-scale operation, with another decade of incremental progress projected under the same model.
Our model: a side-channel attack
“Side-channel attack” is borrowed from information security: when the main path is blocked, you exploit an indirect path that bypasses the bottleneck. We do the same with funding and organization.
- 100% dedicated funding: Private and nontraditional capital flows into a single-purpose nonprofit.
- Full-time commitment: A small, expert team commits exclusively for five years.
- Open data: Once stable, data is released without embargo to maximize scientific return.
- Lean operations: After commissioning, maintain with a small technical crew for the wider community.
Team size and focus
The target is a core team of roughly ten experts who can iterate weekly rather than annually, with no competing academic or grant obligations.
Governance: single-point accountability
Large democratic structures dilute responsibility. Our model puts a single, empowered leader in charge—a “benevolent dictator” model—with clear ownership of direction, risk, and outcome. Speed comes from accountability.
Benevolent dictator for life
This model is intentionally explicit: one person holds decision authority, bears the responsibility, and can move the program without committee drag.
Our commitment
All proceeds from the founder’s autonomous-vehicle and instrumentation ventures will support this effort. We commit to transparent reporting, technical milestones, and an unwavering focus on delivering a decisive 0νββ result within five years of full funding.
Personal stake
Once the funding threshold is met, the founder will resign his current appointment and commit full-time to execution.
Call to action
- Pledge resources: personal, professional, or philanthropic capital earmarked for 0νββ.
- Join the core team: commit your expertise and full-time effort.
- Amplify the mission: share this manifesto and recruit aligned supporters.
If you want the answer on a human timescale, now is the moment to act.
No alternative
This side-channel attack is presented as the only viable path to a decisive answer on a timeline that matters.
Why this is singular
There is no other direct experimental path to test lepton number violation, the absolute neutrino mass scale, and mechanisms tied to baryogenesis on this timescale.