Experimental limits on relativistic magnetic monopoles (MMs) are conventionally quoted as functions of detector velocity, leaving the astrophysically relevant quantity — MM mass — only loosely constrained, since the acceleration MMs undergo in cosmic magnetic fields has been treated as a free parameter. We close this gap by explicitly computing the MM velocity as a function of mass, combining...
We present a novel formalism for calculations involving quantum solitons which is much simpler than previous approaches. It has so far allowed the calculation of one and two-loop mass and tension corrections, quantum corrections to form factors, decay rates of excited states, binding energies of bound excitations and elastic and inelastic scattering amplitudes involving a soliton struck by...
Magnetic monopoles remain a compelling target in searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. In this talk, we discuss the cosmological consequences of a population of monopoles that is accelerated by galactic magnetic fields and, as a result, stops behaving like ordinary clustered cold dark matter.
We describe this process using a generic accelerating dark matter framework, in which a...
The standard model of particle physics is a good approximation for lower energy scales. In the early hot universe, however, it is assumed that there was a so-called grand unified theory, which unifies the three fundamental forces of particle physics: the electromagnetic, the weak, and the strong force. However, all attempts to unify these three forces lead to a possible overabundance of ‘t...
We present CRPropa 3.3, the latest release of the publicly available Monte Carlo framework for simulating the propagation of high-energy particles in astrophysical environments. This version introduces significant extensions that enables multi-messenger studies across a broad energy range, from GeV to ZeV. New features include explicit time tracking, time-dependent advection fields, and...
A recent event in Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) known as the Amaterasu particle is the foundation of a possible glimpse into beyond the standard model physics. The particle was detected by the Telescope Array Project in 2021 and later identified in 2023 with an energy exceeding 240 EeV. There exists a limit that applies to protons as UHECRs known as the GZK limit. It is derived by...
Clarifying origins and acceleration mechanisms of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) has been the centennial endeavor, being one of the most intriguing mysteries in an interdisciplinary research among astroparticle physics, high-energy physics and nuclear physics. With an ability to select events by the rigidity (E/Z), arrival directions of UHECRs can be exploited to probe the most...
Strange quark matter (SQM) has long been proposed as a possible true ground state of QCD at high baryon density, motivating extensive research on exotic compact objects and unusual cosmic-ray signatures. Recent observations strengthen this interest: the remnant HESS J1731-347 hosts an exceptionally low-mass neutron star, $M = 0.77^{+0.20}_{-0.17}\,M_\odot$ and $R =...
Magnetic monopoles arise generically in unified theories and offer a natural explanation of charge quantization. Beyond collider searches and cosmic-ray experiments, their flux is constrained by Parker-type bounds requiring galactic magnetic fields to survive monopole energy extraction. We formulate a self-consistent Parker bound anchored in the lowest eigenmode of the galactic mean-field...
A new type of photodetector — the Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), was developed using CMOS semiconductor technology. SiPM is an optical sensor that fully meets the requirements of modern applications. SiPM exhibits excellent performance, including single-photon response at room temperature (with an intrinsic multiplication gain of 10^6), high detection efficiency of 25-60%, and a fast response...
The origin and composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) remain unresolved, particularly for events exceeding the Greisen–Zatsepin–Kuzmin cutoff and and whose apparent arrival directions do not point to plausible sources.
This work investigates the hypothesis that a fraction of such events could be associated with low-mass magnetic monopoles (MMs) predicted in several theoretical...
We report the search for a magnetic monopole using the 2743-day exposure cosmic-ray triggered data collected by the NOvA far detector, which is a 14kt high segmented liquid scintillator one. The small overburden of the far detector helps us to extend the search to the low mass region that has been unexplored previously where the NOvA experiment has the best sensitivity.
