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    Limits on the Flux of Nuclearites and Other Heavy Compact Objects from the Pi of the Sky Project

    Lech Wiktor Piotrowski1,*, Katarzyna Małek2,3, Lech Mankiewicz4, Marcin Sokołowski5, Grzegorz Wrochna2, Adam Zadrożny2, and Aleksander Filip Żarnecki6

    • 1RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, 351-0198 Saitama, Japan
    • 2National Centre for Nuclear Research, Pasteura 7, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
    • 3Aix Marseille Univ. CNRS, CNES, LAM, 13388 Marseille, France
    • 4Centre for Theoretical Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
    • 5International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
    • 6Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland

    • *publ@lwp.email

    Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 091101 – Published 28 August, 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.091101

    Abstract

    Many theories predict the existence of very heavy compact objects, that in terms of sizes would belong to the realms of nuclear or atomic physics, but in terms of masses could extend to the macroscopic world, reaching kilograms, tonnes, or more. If they exist, it is likely that they reach our planet with high speeds and cross the atmosphere. Because of their high mass-to-size ratio and huge energy, in many cases, they would leave behind a trail in the form of sound and seismic waves, etches, or light in transparent media. Here we show results of a search for such objects in visual photographs of the sky taken by the “Pi of the Sky” experiment, illustrated with the most stringent limits on the isotropic flux of incoming so-called nuclearites, spanning between 5.4×10−20 and 2.2×10−21  cm−2 s−1 sr−1 for masses between 100 g and 100 kg. In addition we establish a directional flux limit under an assumption of a static “sea” of nuclearites in the Galaxy, which spans between 1.5×10−18 and 2.1×10−19  cm−2 s−1 in the same mass range. The general nature of the limits presented should allow one to constrain many specific models predicting the existence of heavy compact objects and both particle physics and astrophysical processes leading to their creation, and their sources.

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