Published October 3, 2016
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Search for ultrarelativistic magnetic monopoles with the Pierre Auger observatory

Creators

  • 1. Folkwang University of the Arts
  • 2. University of Lisbon
  • 3. Technical University of Lisbon
  • 4. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
  • 5. University of Turin
  • 6. Centre national de la recherche scientifique
  • 7. Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University
  • 8. Paris-Sorbonne University
  • 9. University of São Paulo
  • 10. National Scientific and Technical Research Council
  • 11. University of Santiago de Compostela
  • 12. City University of New York
  • 13. Complutense University of Madrid
  • 14. University of Bucharest
  • 15. Industrial University of Santander
  • 16. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  • 17. Ohio State University
  • 18. University of Adelaide
  • 19. Max Planck Society
  • 20. Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
  • 21. University of Salento
  • 22. Rio de Janeiro State University
  • 23. Polish Academy of Sciences
  • 24. Colorado State University
  • 25. RWTH Aachen University
  • 26. University of Granada
  • 27. Radboud University Nijmegen
  • 28. Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
  • 29. State University of Campinas
  • 30. Pennsylvania State University
  • 31. Case Western Reserve University
  • 32. University of Chicago
  • 33. University of Buenos Aires
  • 34. Federal Fluminense University
  • 35. Federal University of Paraná
  • 36. National University of La Plata
  • 37. University of Hamburg
  • 38. United States Department of Energy
  • 39. New York University
  • 40. Michigan Technological University
  • 41. University of Nova Gorica
  • 42. National University of Rosario
  • 43. Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
  • 44. University of Łódź
  • 45. University of Hawaii
  • 46. State University of Feira de Santana
  • 47. Palacký University, Olomouc
  • 48. Colorado School of Mines
  • 49. Universidade Federal do ABC
  • 50. CINVESTAV
  • 51. Louisiana State University System
  • 52. Louisiana State University
  • 53. University of New Mexico
  • 54. Charles University in Prague
  • 55. Instituto Politécnico Nacional
  • 56. Université libre de Bruxelles
  • 57. University of Nebraska–Lincoln
  • 58. Northeastern University
  • 59. University of Milan
  • 60. University of Leeds

Description

We present a search for ultra-relativistic 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 ultra-relativistic magnetic monopoles range from $10^{-19}$ (cm$^{2}$ sr s)$^{-1}$ for a Lorentz factor $\gamma=10^9$ to $2.5 \times10^{-21}$ (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.
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