Search for Magnetic Monopole using ICAL at INO

TL;DR

This paper explores ICAL at INO's potential to detect sub-relativistic magnetic monopoles, focusing on sensitivity across a wide mass and velocity range, with implications for GUT-era monopoles.

Contribution

It assesses ICAL's sensitivity to magnetic monopoles in a broad mass and velocity spectrum, including prototype studies overground, filling a gap in monopole detection capabilities.

Findings

ICAL can detect monopoles with large time intervals between signals.

Sensitivity is limited by rock cover for lower mass monopoles at INO.

Prototype ICAL can address lower mass monopoles not detectable at INO.

Abstract

Sub-relativistic magnetic monopoles are predicted from the GUT era by theory. To date there have been no confirmed observations of such exotic particles. The Iron CALorimeter (ICAL) at India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) aims to measure the neutrino oscillation parameters precisely. As it is a tracking detector there is also the possibility of detecting magnetic monopoles in the sub-relativistic region. Using ICAL the magnetic monopole event is characterised by the large time intervals of upto 30 microsec between the signals in successive layers of the active detectors. The aim of this study is to identify the sensitivity of ICAL for a particle carrying magnetic charge in the mass range from 10^{5} to 10^{17} GeV with beta ranging from 10^{-5} to 9 x 10^{-1} for ICAL at INO. A similar study has also been carried out for the ICAL prototype which will be placed overground. Due to the rock cover of approximately 1.3 km, ICAL at INO will not be able to place bounds on the flux of the lower mass magnetic monopoles. This mass region is however addressed by the prototype ICAL.