Double beta decay experiments: current status and prospects

Double beta decay experiments are reviewed and the results of the most sensitive of them are examined. Current half-life values for two-neutrino double beta decay are presented together with the best available limits on neutrinoless double beta decay and decay with a Majoron emission. The most promising next-generation experiments with a Majorana-neutrino mass sensitivity of 0.01–0.1 eV are described.