Searching for the GUT monopole

Technical Report · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5632654

McIntyre, P M; Webb, R C

Dirac suggested the possibility of the existence of magnetic monopoles almost fifty years ago. Since then, numerous searches have failed to detect them. These searches have led researchers to look for monopoles in terrestrial matter, lunar material, meteorites, cosmic ray interactions and high energy particle interactions at accelerators. Recent developments in the theories which attempt to unify the weak, electromagnetic and strong interactions have led to predictions that extremely heavy monopoles (M/sub m/ approx. 10/sup 16/ M/sub proton/) should be abundant in the universe. These predictions are consistent with present cosmological theories and observations and furthermore all previous searches for monopoles would have little or no sensitivity to such massive particles. An underground search specifically optimized to detect super-heavy monopoles is proposed. 40 references.

• Research Organization: Texas A and M Univ., College Station (USA). Dept. of Physics
• DOE Contract Number: AS05-81ER40039
• OSTI ID: 5632654
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/40039-4; ON: DE82011244
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645201* -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Interactions & Properties-Theoretical-- General & Scattering Theory
645400 -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BACKGROUND RADIATION
COLLISIONS
DETECTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY LOSSES
LOSSES
MAGNETIC MONOPOLES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MOLECULE COLLISIONS
MONOPOLES
NATURAL OCCURRENCE
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
PHOTOMULTIPLIERS
PHOTOTUBES
PLASTIC SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
POSTULATED PARTICLES
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATIONS
REVIEWS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SOLID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
STOPPING POWER
TELESCOPE COUNTERS