This study investigates the short-range nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) for the light-neutrino exchange mechanism of $\beta \beta$ decay using the microscopic interacting boson model (IBM-2). The NMEs are calculated with both Argonne and CD-Bonn short-range correlations, and the coupling, that is currently not well constrained, is estimated from charge-independence breaking terms. Our results are compared with those obtained using the proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation and the nuclear shell model (NSM). We find that the short-range NMEs calculated with IBM-2 and NSM are remarkably similar, particularly for heavier nuclei. The effect of the short-range component on the half-life estimates of neutrinoless $\beta \beta$ decay is also examined, demonstrating its relevance for interpreting experimental results. This study highlights the impact of short-range contributions, derived from chiral effective field theory ($\chi \mathrm{EFT}$), on nuclear matrix element calculations within the IBM-2 framework. While the IBM-2 model is not derived from $\chi \mathrm{EFT}$, the inclusion of $\chi \mathrm{EFT}$-based short-range operators provides valuable insight into the role of short-distance physics in $0\nu \beta \beta$ decay. These findings emphasize the importance of incorporating short-range effects to better understand and constrain theoretical uncertainties, even within phenomenological models.

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• Neutrinoless double beta decay
• 59 ≤ A ≤ 89
• 90 ≤ A ≤ 149
• Models based on symmetries
• Nuclear structure & decays