Ionization-based search for magnetic monopoles using the NOvA Far Detector

TL;DR

This paper reports a search for magnetic monopoles using the NOvA Far Detector over 2,713 days, setting new flux limits across a wide range of speeds and masses, but finds no monopole signals.

Contribution

First large-scale search for magnetic monopoles with the NOvA detector, establishing the strongest flux limits for various monopole speeds and masses to date.

Findings

No magnetic monopoles were detected.

Set new upper limits on monopole flux for different mass and speed ranges.

Achieved the most stringent flux limits reported so far in several regions.

Abstract

We report a search for highly-ionizing magnetic monopoles in the cosmic-ray flux using a 2,713-day dataset collected during 2015--2025 with the NOvA Far Detector, a 14-kiloton segmented detector located on the Earth's surface in Minnesota, United States. The search is sensitive to monopoles across a wide range of speeds, $7 \times 10^{-4} < \beta < 0.995$, and is sensitive to masses as low as $2 \times 10^5~\mathrm{GeV}$ for the fastest monopoles. No signal was observed. With the detector's large surface area and minimal overburden, we achieve the strongest flux limits reported to date in several regions of speed and mass. For heavy monopoles with masses above $10^{13}$ GeV that are able to reach the detector from above or -- crossing the Earth -- from below, we find a flux limit $\phi_{90\%} < 2 \times 10^{-16}\, \mathrm{ cm^{-2} s^{-1} sr^{-1}}$ (90\% C.L.) for monopoles with $0.005 < \beta < 0.8$. Across the same range of speeds, we report a limit ${\phi_{90\%}} < 8 \times 10^{-16}\, \mathrm{ cm^{-2} s^{-1} sr^{-1}}$ for light monopoles with masses above $10^8$ GeV that can reach the detector from above.