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LIMITS ON CHARGED PARTICLES IN COSMIC RAYS

Heavy Particle Flux in Cosmic Rays INSPIRE search

S015F

VALUE (cm${}^{-2}$sr${}^{-1}$s${}^{-1}$)

CL%

EVTS

DOCUMENT ID

TECN

COMMENT

• • • We do not use the following data for averages, fits, limits, etc. • • •

0

LZ

milli-charged particles from CRs

$<6.2 \times 10^{-10}$

90

0

DAMP

fractionally charged particles in space

superheavy DM $\rightarrow$ ${{\mathit \gamma}}$ rays

MAJD

Fractionally charged

$<1 \times 10^{-8}$

90

CDM2

$\mathit Q$ = 1/6

$\sim$$6 \times 10^{-9}$

2

$\mathit Q$ $\simeq{}$ 14, $\mathit m$ $\simeq{}$ 370${\mathit m}_{{{\mathit p}}}$

$<1.4 \times 10^{-12}$

90

0

CALO

$\mathit m$ ${}\geq{}$ 1 TeV

PLAS

$\mathit m$ $\sim{}$ 1 TeV

$<1.7 \times 10^{-11}$

99

0

CC

$<1. \times 10^{-9}$

90

0

CNTR

$\mathit Q$= 1, $\mathit m$ $\sim{}4.5{\mathit m}_{{{\mathit p}}}$

$2. \times 10^{-9}$

3

SPRK

$\mathit Q$= 1, $\mathit m$ $\sim{}4.5{\mathit m}_{{{\mathit p}}}$

3

SPRK

Fractionally charged

$3.0 \times 10^{-9}$

3

SPRK

$\mathit m$ $\sim{}$4.5 ${\mathit m}_{{{\mathit p}}}$

($4$ $\pm1$) $ \times 10^{-11}$

3

ELEC

$\mathit m$ ${}\geq{}$ 5 GeV

$<1.3 \times 10^{-9}$

90

CNTR

$\mathit m$ $>$1 GeV

$<1.0 \times 10^{-9}$

0

ELEC

$<7. \times 10^{-10}$

90

0

ELEC

$\mathit Q$ $>7{{\mathit e}}$ or $<-7{{\mathit e}}$

$>6. \times 10^{-9}$

5

CNTR

$\mathit m$ $>$6 GeV

$<3.0 \times 10^{-8}$

0

CNTR

$<1.5 \times 10^{-9}$

0

CNTR

$\mathit m$ $>$10 GeV

$<3.0 \times 10^{-10}$

0

CNTR

$\mathit m$ $>$5 GeV

$<5.0 \times 10^{-11}$

90

0

ELEC

$\mathit m=5-$15 GeV

¹ AALBERS 2025B report results of search for milli-charged particles which are produced in cosmic rays but detected at LZ. No signal observed. Limits placed in mass vs. fractional charge plane.

² ALEMANNO 2022 search for flux of fractionally charged particles (FCPs) in space; no signal observed; limits set in flux vs charge plane for mass as low as GeV.

³ CAO 2022 search for superheavy DM decaying to gamma rays; no signal observed; limits placed in mass vs. lifetime plane for m $\sim{}$ $10^{5} - 10^{9}$ GeV for DM decays to ${{\mathit b}}{{\overline{\mathit b}}}$ or ${{\mathit \tau}}{{\overline{\mathit \tau}}}$.

⁴ ALVIS 2018 search for fractional charged flux of cosmic matter at Majorana demonstrator; no signal observed and limits are set on the flux of lightly ionizing particles for charge as low as e/1000.

⁵ See AGNESE 2015 Fig. 6 for limits extending down to Q = 1/200.

⁶ SAITO 1990 candidates carry about 450 MeV/nucleon. Cannot be accounted for by conventional backgrounds. Consistent with strange quark matter hypothesis.

⁷ MINCER 1985 is high statistics study of calorimeter signals delayed by 20$-$200 ns. Calibration with AGS beam shows they can be accounted for by rare fluctuations in signals from low-energy hadrons in the shower. Claim that previous delayed signals including BJORNBOE 1968, DARDO 1972, BHAT 1982, SAKUYAMA 1983B below may be due to this fake effect.

⁸ SAKUYAMA 1983B analyzed 6000 extended air shower events. Increase of delayed particles and change of lateral distribution above $10^{17}$ eV may indicate production of very heavy parent at top of atmosphere.

⁹ BHAT 1982 observed 12 events with delay $>2. \times 10^{-8}~$s and with more than 40 particles. 1 eV has good hadron shower. However all events are delayed in only one of two detectors in cloud chamber, and could not be due to strongly interacting massive particle.

¹⁰ MARINI 1982 applied PEP-counter for TOF. Above limit is for velocity = 0.54 of light. Limit is inconsistent with YOCK 1980 YOCK 1981 events if isotropic dependence on zenith angle is assumed.

¹¹ YOCK 1981 saw another 3 events with $\mathit Q$ = $\pm1$ and $\mathit m$ about 4.5${\mathit m}_{{{\mathit p}}}$ as well as 2 events with $\mathit m$ $>5.3{\mathit m}_{{{\mathit p}}}$, $\mathit Q$ = $\pm0.75\pm0.05$ and $\mathit m$ $>2.8{\mathit m}_{{{\mathit p}}}$, $\mathit Q$ = $\pm0.70\pm0.05$ and 1 event with $\mathit m$ = ($9.3$ $\pm3.){\mathit m}_{{{\mathit p}}}$, $\mathit Q$ = $\pm0.89\pm0.06$ as possible heavy candidates.

¹² YOCK 1980 events are with charge exactly or approximately equal to unity.

¹³ BHAT 1978 is at Kolar gold fields. Limit is for $\tau $ $>10^{-6}$ s.

¹⁴ YOCK 1974 events could be tritons.

References:

PRL 134 241802

First constraint for atmospheric millicharged particles with the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment

PR D106 063026

Search for relativistic fractionally charged particles in space

PRL 129 261103

Constraints on Heavy Decaying Dark Matter from 570�Days of LHAASO Observations

PRL 120 211804

First Limit on the Direct Detection of Lightly Ionizing Particles for Electric Charge as Low as e/1000 with the Majorana Demonstrator

PRL 114 111302

First Direct Limits on Lightly Ionizing Particles with Electric Charge Less than e/6

PRL 65 2094

Is There Strange Quark Matter in Galactic Cosmic Rays?

PR D32 541

Search for Heavy Longlived Particles in High Energy Cosmic Rays

LNC 37 17

Evidence for a New Stable Particle with Heavy Mass Around $10^{17}$ eV

LNC 36 389

Heavy Particle with Long Life in Cosmic Rays above $10^{17}$ eV

NC 78A 147

Delayed Events in ($10^{15}−10^{18}$) eV Extensive Air Showers

NC 6C 371

Heavy Particle with Long Life in Cosmic Rays above $10^{15}$ eV

PR D25 2820

Delayed Energetic Events in Extensive Air Showers

PR D26 1777

Experimental Limits on Quarks, Tachyons and Massive Particles in Cosmic Rays

PR D23 1207

Further Evidence for Heavy Particles in the Cosmic Radiation

PR D22 61

Heavy Particles in the Cosmic Radiation?

PR D19 2572

Observation of Energetic Delayed Hadrons in Air Showers: New Massive Particles?

PRAM 10 115

A Search for Heavy Leptons in Cosmic Radiation Underground

NC 31A 553

Results of the Torino Search for Quarks

NP B86 216

Search for Highly Charged Particles in the Cosmic Rays

NP B76 175

Search for Heavy Particles in Cosmic Rays

NC 9A 319

Quark Candidates among Delayed Shower Particles at 70 M W.E. Underground

JP A5 569

Search for Massive Interacting Particles near the Cores of Extensive Air Showers of Energies of about 2 ${\times }$ $10^{14}$ $−$ $10^{16}$ eV

NC B53 241

Search for Long-lived Heavy Particles in Cosmic-Ray Events at Energies Above Several Thousand GeV

PR 164 1584

Search for Massive Particles in Cosmic Rays