Related papers: Prospects for strangelet detection with large-scal…
The true ground state of hadronic matter may be strange quark matter (SQM). Consequently, the observed pulsars may actually be strange quark stars, but not neutron stars. However, proving or disproving the SQM hypothesis still remains to be…
We present the cosmic neutrino detecting potential of the Telescope Array for quasihorizontally downward and upward air showers initiated by very high energy neutrinos penetrating the air and the Earth respectively. We adopted model…
Strange stars are one of the hypothetical compact stellar objects that can be formed after a supernova explosion. The existence of these objects relies on the absolute stability of strange {\it collapsed} quark matter with respect to…
Ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are particles, likely protons and/or nuclei, with energies up to $10^{20}$ eV that are observed through the giant air showers they produce in the atmosphere. These particles carry the information on…
After a brief introduction to the physics of bulk strange quark matter (SQM) this review focuses on the properties of low baryon number strangelets presently searched for in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion experiments at CERN and Brookhaven.…
Quark nuggets are theoretical objects composed of approximately equal numbers of up, down, and strange quarks and are also called strangelets and nuclearites. They have been proposed as a candidate for dark matter, which constitutes about…
This paper gives an overview of the properties of all possible equilibrium sequences of compact strange-matter stars with nuclear crusts, which range from strange stars to strange dwarfs. In contrast to their non-strange counterparts,…
At greater than nuclear densities, matter may convert into a mixture of nucleons, hyperons, dibaryons, and strangelets, thus facilitating the formation of strange matter even before the onset of the quark-matter phase transition. From a…
We present results from several searches for various exotic physics phenomena like large extra dimensions, leptoquarks, and dark matter, in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 and 8 TeV delivered by the LHC and collected with the CMS…
Astronomers occasionally detect an object having unexpected shape, unexplainable photometry, or unprecedented spectra that are inconsistent with our contemporary knowledge of the universe. Upon careful assessment, many of these anomalies…
We discuss possible ways to observationally detect the superdense cosmic objects composed of hypothetical sub-constituent fermions beneath the quark/lepton level, recently proposed by us. The characteristic mass and size of such objects…
We propose a model of clustered u-d-s quark matter that leads to stable bulk strange quark matter. We discuss qualitatively consequences of impacts by sub-planetary mass strangelets on rocky solar system bodies.
This paper gives an overview of the properties of all possible equilibrium sequences of compact strange-matter stars with nuclear crusts, which range from strange stars to strange dwarfs. In contrast to their non-strange counterparts,…
We explore the feasibility of using the atmosphere of Jupiter to detect Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR's). The large surface area of Jupiter allows us to probe cosmic rays of higher energies than previously accessible. Cosmic ray…
Transits of bright stars offer a unique opportunity to study detailed properties of extrasolar planets that cannot be determined through radial-velocity observations. We propose a technique to find such systems using all-sky small-aperture…
We construct strangelets, taking into account electrostatic effects, including Debye screening, and arbitrary surface tension sigma of the interface between vacuum and quark matter. We find that there is a critical surface tension…
The Pierre Auger Observatory has collected data for more than 15 years, accumulating the world's largest exposure to ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). The energy spectrum of the UHECRs has been measured up to $10^{20.2}$ eV, and their…
The goal of the Pierre Auger Observatory is to determine the still unknown nature and origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. The study of these elusive particles probes astrophysical sites of particle acceleration as well as fundamental…
Macroscopic dark matter (aka macros) constitutes a broad class of alternatives to particulate dark matter. We calculate the luminosity produced by the passage of a single macro as a function of its physical cross section. A general…
We present a search for ultra-relativistic magnetic monopoles with the Pierre Auger Observatory. Such particles, possibly a relic of phase transitions in the early universe, would deposit a large amount of energy along their path through…