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T: Fachverband Teilchenphysik
T 35: Searches/BSM II
T 35.5: Talk
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 17:15–17:30, KH 02.018
Luminescence Simulation for the Search of Sub-Relativistic Magnetic Monopoles in IceCube — •Bryndis Kern, Jonas Häußler, and Christopher Wiebusch — III. Physikalisches Institut B, RWTH Aachen University
Magnetic monopoles are hypothetical particles predicted by various Grand Unified Theories, typically expected to have masses exceeding 1014 GeV. Such monopoles, as relics from the Big Bang, would propagate with sub-relativistic velocities, characterized by β < 10−2. In ice they can emit light through two mechanisms: the catalyzation of nucleon decays via the Rubakov-Callan effect and luminescence. This results in a distinct signature of a slow light-emitting track in the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Dedicated simulations of sub-relativistic monopole propagation and detector response are employed to model these signatures and to provide training data for Boosted Decision Trees (BDTs) used in event selection. This talk shows results from the inclusion of a new luminescence model into the monopole simulation framework.
Keywords: Magnetic Monopoles; IceCube; Luminescence