Muon bundles from the Universe

TL;DR

This paper discusses the observation of high multiplicity muon bundles from cosmic rays, suggesting their extragalactic origin and proposing strangelets as their possible source.

Contribution

It presents new experimental evidence of muon bundles with high multiplicity and proposes a novel explanation involving strangelets as their origin.

Findings

Confirmation of high multiplicity muon bundles by CERN ALICE

Evidence of anisotropic arrival directions of muon bundles

Possible extragalactic origin of the muon bundles

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). Significant evidence for anisotropy of arrival directions of the observed high multiplicity muonic bundles is found. Estimated directionality suggests their possible extragalactic provenance. We argue that muonic bundles of highest multiplicity are produced by strangelets, hypothetical stable lumps of strange quark matter infiltrating our Universe.