2008/02/14 by S. Balestra, Balestra, S., S. Cecchini +55
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Dark Matter and Cosmic Phenomena #FOS: Physical sciences #High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex) #Particle Detector Development and Performance #hep-ex
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.0802.2056
8 pages, 5 EPS figures
arxiv created 2008/02/14 · openalex publication_date 2008/02/14 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
During the analysis of the CR39 Nuclear Track Detectors (NTDs) of the SLIM experiment exposed at the high altitude lab of Chacaltaya (Bolivia) we observed a sequence of puzzling etch-pits. We made a detailed investigation of all the CR39 and Makrofol detectors in the same stack and in all the stacks around the candidate event. We found a second puzzling sequence of etch-pits (plus some single etch-pits). The analysis of this configuration was important because we were searching for rare particles (Magnetic Monopoles, Nuclearites, Q-balls) in the cosmic radiation. Thus we analyzed in detail the evolution with increasing etching time of the etch-pits. We concluded that the two sequences of the etch-pits (and some other background etch-pits) may have originated from a rare manufacture malfunctioning which involved 1 m2 of produced CR39.