Muon bundles as a sign of strangelets from the Universe

TL;DR

This paper suggests that high-multiplicity muon bundles observed in cosmic ray experiments may originate from strangelets, stable strange quark matter, and discusses their potential extragalactic sources and directional anisotropy.

Contribution

It proposes strangelets as an alternative source for high-multiplicity muon bundles, supported by evidence of anisotropic arrival directions indicating extragalactic origins.

Findings

Evidence of anisotropy in muon bundle directions

Possible extragalactic origin of high multiplicity muons

Strangelets as a novel explanation for observed phenomena

Abstract

Recently the CERN ALICE experiment, in its dedicated cosmic ray run, observed muon bundles of very high multiplicities, thereby confirming similar findings from the LEP era at CERN (in the CosmoLEP project). Originally it was argued that they apparently stem from the primary cosmic rays with a heavy masses. We propose an alternative possibility arguing that muonic bundles of highest multiplicity are produced by strangelets, hypothetical stable lumps of strange quark matter infiltrating our Universe. We also address the possibility of additionally deducing their directionality which could be of astrophysical interest. Significant evidence for anisotropy of arrival directions of the observed high multiplicity muonic bundles is found. Estimated directionality suggests their possible extragalactic provenance.