Search for relativistic magnetic monopoles with IceCube

• Published in: Physical Review D
• Main Author: Hill, G.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Physical Soc 2013
• Subjects: Ice cap; Polar Ice Cap
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2440/80361; https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.87.022001

Article part of CHORUS Pilot We present the first results in the search for relativistic magnetic monopoles with the IceCube detector, a subsurface neutrino telescope located in the South Polar ice cap containing a volume of 1 km³. This analysis searches data taken on the partially completed detector during 2007 when roughly 0.2 km³ of ice was instrumented. The lack of candidate events leads to an upper limit on the flux of relativistic magnetic monopoles of Φ(90%C.L.)∼3×10⁻¹⁸ cm⁻² sr⁻¹ s⁻¹ for β≥0.8. This is a factor of 4 improvement over the previous best experimental flux limits up to a Lorentz boost γ below 10⁷. This result is then interpreted for a wide range of mass and kinetic energy values. R. Abbasi . G. C. Hill . et al. (IceCube Collaboration)