LUMINEU: A search for neutrinoless double beta decay based on ZnMoO₄ scintillating bolometers

The LUMINEU is designed to investigate the possibility to search for neutrinoless double
beta decay in $^{100}$Mo by means of a large array of scintillating bolometers based on ZnMoO$_{4}$
crystals enriched in $^{100}$Mo. High energy resolution and relatively fast detectors, which are
able to measure both the light and the heat generated upon the interaction of a particle in a
crystal, are very promising for the recognition and rejection of background events. We present
the LUMINEU concepts and the experimental results achieved aboveground and underground
with large-mass natural and enriched crystals. The measured energy resolution, the α/β
discrimination power and the radioactive internal contamination are all within the specifications
for the projected final LUMINEU sensitivity. Simulations and preliminary results confirm that
the LUMINEU technology can reach zero background in the region of interest (around 3 MeV)
with exposures of the order of hundreds kg x years, setting the bases for a next generation 0ν2β
decay experiment capable to explore the inverted hierarchy region of the neutrino mass pattern.