Search for Magnetic Monopoles in Polar Volcanic Rocks

• Published in: Physical Review Letters
• Main Authors: Bendtz, K., Milstead, D., Hächler, H. -P., Hirt, A. M., Mermod, P., Michael, P., Sloan, T., Tegner, Christian, Thorarinsson, S. B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Antarctic; Arctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/634d7059-3cbf-41ff-a1f8-89dcc63a632a; https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.121803

For a broad range of values of magnetic monopole mass and charge, the abundance of monopoles trapped inside Earth would be expected to be enhanced in the mantle beneath the geomagnetic poles. A search for magnetic monopoles was conducted using the signature of an induced persistent current following the passage of igneous rock samples through a SQUID-based magnetometer. A total of 24.6 kg of rocks from various selected sites, among which 23.4 kg are mantle-derived rocks from the Arctic and Antarctic areas, was analyzed. No monopoles were found, and a 90% confidence level upper limit of 9.8 x 10(-5)/g is set on the monopole density in the search samples. DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.121803