Sensitivity of LHC experiments to exotic highly ionising particles

• Published in: The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields Particles and fields, 2012-04, Vol.72 (4), p.1-18, Article 1985
• Main Authors: De Roeck, A., Katre, A., Mermod, P., Milstead, D., Sloan, T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Astronomy; Astrophysics and Cosmology; Detectors; Elementary Particles; Exact sciences and technology; Experiments; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; Large Hadron Collider; Magnetic induction; Magnetic monopoles; Measurement Science and Instrumentation; Nuclear Energy; Nuclear Physics; Object recognition; Patients' rights; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Field Theories; Quantum Field Theory; Regular Article - Experimental Physics; Sensitivity; String Theory; The physics of elementary particles and fields; Toy industry
• ISSN: 1434-6044; 1434-6052; 1434-6052
• DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-012-1985-2

The experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are able to discover or set limits on the production of exotic particles with TeV-scale masses possessing values of electric and/or magnetic charge such that they behave as highly ionising particles (HIPs). In this paper the sensitivity of the LHC experiments to HIP production is discussed in detail. It is shown that a number of different detection methods are required to investigate as fully as possible the charge-mass range. These include direct detection as the HIPs pass through either passive or active detectors and, in the case of magnetically charged objects, the so-called induction method with which magnetic monopoles which stop in accelerator and detector material could be observed. The benefit of using complementary approaches to HIP detection is discussed.