@article{b3663b2f79404ee6bd7fc97d7b456f77,
title = "Search for ultrarelativistic magnetic monopoles with the Pierre Auger observatory",
abstract = "We present a search for ultrarelativistic 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 ultrarelativistic magnetic monopoles range from 10-19(cm2 sr s)-1 for a Lorentz factor γ=109 to 2.5×10-21(cm2 sr s)-1 for γ=1012. These results - the first obtained with a UHECR detector - improve previously published limits by up to an order of magnitude.",
author = "{Pierre Auger Collaboration} and A. Aab and P. Abreu and M. Aglietta and {Al Samarai}, I. and Albuquerque, {I. F.M.} and I. Allekotte and A. Almela and {Alvarez Castillo}, J. and J. Alvarez-Mu{\~n}iz and M. Ambrosio and Anastasi, {G. A.} and L. Anchordoqui and B. Andrada and S. Andringa and C. Aramo and F. Arqueros and N. Arsene and H. Asorey and P. Assis and J. Aublin and G. Avila and Badescu, {A. M.} and A. Balaceanu and {Barreira Luz}, {R. J.} and C. Baus and Beatty, {J. J.} and Becker, {K. H.} and Bellido, {J. A.} and C. Berat and Bertaina, {M. E.} and X. Bertou and Biermann, {P. L.} and P. Billoir and J. Biteau and Blaess, {S. G.} and A. Blanco and J. Blazek and C. Bleve and M. Boh{\'a}{\v c}ov{\'a} and D. Boncioli and C. Bonifazi and N. Borodai and Botti, {A. M.} and J. Brack and I. Brancus and T. Bretz and A. Bridgeman and Briechle, {F. L.} and P. Buchholz and R. Pelayo",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016 American Physical Society.",
year = "2016",
month = oct,
day = "3",
doi = "10.1103/PhysRevD.94.082002",
language = "Ingl{\'e}s",
volume = "94",
journal = "Physical Review D",
issn = "2470-0010",
number = "8",
}