Phenomenology of neutrinoless double beta decay

Neutrinoless double beta decay violates lepton number by two units, a positive observation therefore necessarily implies physics beyond the standard model. Here, three possible contributions to neutrinoless double beta decay are briefly reviewed: (a) The mass mechanism and its connection to neutrino oscillations; (b) Left-right symmetric models and the lower limit on the right-handed W boson mass; and (c) R-parity violating supersymmetry. In addition, the recently published ``extended black box'' theorem is briefly discussed. Combined with data from oscillation experiments this theorem provides proof that the neutrinoless double beta decay amplitude must receive a non-zero contribution from the mass mechanism, if neutrinos are indeed Majorana particles