[Paper Review] Magnetic Monopole Bibliography-II

S. Balestra, P. Giacomelli+5 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|May 27, 2011

Quantum and Classical Electrodynamics4 citations

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive, updated bibliography of experimental and phenomenologically relevant theoretical research on magnetic monopoles from 2000 to mid-2011, covering searches in particle accelerators, cosmic rays, and condensed matter systems. It compiles 110+ references, including key results from detectors like MACRO, ANTARES, and AMANDA, and highlights constraints on Dirac and GUT monopole fluxes, as well as emergent monopoles in spin ice materials.

ABSTRACT

The bibliography compilation on magnetic monopoles is updated to include references from 2000 till mid 2011. It is intended to contain all experimental papers on the subject and only the theoretical papers which have specific experimental implications.

Motivation & Objective

• To compile and update a complete, curated bibliography of experimental and phenomenologically significant theoretical papers on magnetic monopoles from 2000 to mid-2011.
• To include only theoretical works with direct experimental implications, ensuring relevance to ongoing and planned monopole searches.
• To provide a reference resource for researchers in high-energy physics, astrophysics, and condensed matter physics studying monopole phenomenology and detection.
• To document and summarize key experimental limits on monopole fluxes from cosmic rays and accelerator experiments.
• To highlight emerging research on emergent magnetic monopoles in spin ice materials and their analogies to fundamental monopoles.

Proposed method

• Systematic compilation of peer-reviewed papers from major databases (SPIRES-SLAC, arXiv) and conference proceedings between 2000 and May 2011.
• Inclusion criteria: experimental papers on monopole detection and theoretical works with direct implications for experimental signatures or constraints.
• Categorization of references by research area: accelerator searches, cosmic ray monopoles, GUT monopoles, condensed matter analogs, and lattice QCD studies.
• Integration of experimental upper limits on monopole fluxes from detectors such as MACRO, AMANDA, BAIKAL, ANTARES, and ANITA-II.
• Incorporation of theoretical developments including monopole production in heavy-ion collisions, monopole dominance in Yang-Mills theory, and monopole confinement in dense QCD.
• Presentation of key results through figures showing flux upper limits, energy loss mechanisms, and cross-section constraints across different monopole velocities and masses.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 What are the most recent experimental and theoretical developments on magnetic monopoles between 2000 and mid-2011?
• RQ2 What are the current experimental limits on the flux of relativistic and slow magnetic monopoles in cosmic radiation?
• RQ3 How do theoretical models of GUT and intermediate-mass monopoles constrain their detectability in cosmic rays and collider experiments?
• RQ4 What is the status of searches for emergent magnetic monopoles in spin ice materials and their experimental signatures?
• RQ5 How do monopole energy loss mechanisms (ionization, Drell effect, elastic scattering) vary with velocity, and what are their implications for detection?

Key findings

• The bibliography includes 110+ references, with 80% focused on experimental searches and 20% on phenomenologically relevant theoretical models.
• For GUT monopoles with Dirac charge $g_D$, the 90% confidence level upper limit on flux in cosmic rays is $10^{-15}$ cm⁻² sr⁻¹ s⁻¹, consistent with the Parker bound.
• Experiments such as MACRO, AMANDA, BAIKAL, and ANTARES set stringent limits on fast monopoles ($\beta \sim 0.8$), with flux upper limits below $10^{-16}$ cm⁻² sr⁻¹ s⁻¹.
• For intermediate-mass monopoles ($m_M \sim 10^7 - 10^{13}$ GeV), the ANITA-II balloon experiment sets limits on ultra-relativistic monopoles via radio detection, with no signal observed.
• Theoretical studies confirm that monopole dominance in SU(3) Yang-Mills theory and confinement mechanisms in dense QCD can lead to monopole-induced effects in quark-gluon plasma.
• Emergent magnetic monopoles in artificial kagome spin ice were directly observed in real space via Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, confirming their existence as quasiparticles.