Search for ultrarelativistic magnetic monopoles with the Pierre Auger observatory

0468802 - FZÚ 2021 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Aab, A. - Abreu, A. - Aglietta, M. - Blažek, Jiří - Boháčová, Martina - Chudoba, Jiří - Ebr, Jan - Mandát, Dušan - Palatka, Miroslav - Pech, Miroslav - Prouza, Michael - Řídký, Jan - Schovánek, Petr - Trávníček, Petr - Vícha, Jakub … Total 413 authors
Search for ultrarelativistic magnetic monopoles with the Pierre Auger observatory.
Physical Review D. Roč. 94, č. 8 (2016), s. 1-12, č. článku 082002. ISSN 2470-0010. E-ISSN 2470-0029
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT LG15014; GA ČR(CZ) GA14-17501S
Research Infrastructure: AUGER-CZ - 90038
Institutional support: RVO:68378271
Keywords : Pierre Auger Observatory * detector * cosmic rays
OECD category: Particles and field physics
Impact factor: 4.557, year: 2016
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.94.082002

We present a search for ultrarelativistic magnetic monopoles with the Pierre Auger observatory. Such particles, possibly a relic of phase transitions in the early Universe, would deposit a large amount of energy along their path through the atmosphere, comparable to that of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). The air-shower profile of a magnetic monopole can be effectively distinguished by the fluorescence detector from that of standard UHECRs. No candidate was found in the data collected between 2004 and 2012, with an expected background of less than 0.1 event from UHECRs. The corresponding 90% confidence level (C.L.) upper limits on the flux of ultrarelativistic magnetic monopoles range from 10(-1)9 (cm(2) sr s)(-1) for a Lorentz factor gamma = 10(9) to 2.5 x 10(-21) (cm(2) sr s)(-1) for gamma = 10(12). These results-the first obtained with a UHECR detector-improve previously published limits by up to an order of magnitude.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0266621