The investigation of high energy cosmic rays and their interactions is a very active field of research. This article summarizes the progress made during the last years as reflected by the contributions to the XIII International Symposium on Very High Energy Cosmic Ray Interactions held in Pylos, Greece.

Very High Energy Cosmic Rays and Their Interactions

Recently the CERN ALICE experiment, in its dedicated cosmic ray run, observed muon bundles of very high multiplicities, thereby confirming similar findings from the LEP era at CERN (in the CosmoLEP project). Originally it was argued that they apparently stem from the primary cosmic rays with a heavy masses. We propose an alternative possibility arguing that muonic bundles of highest multiplicity are produced by strangelets, hypothetical stable lumps of strange quark matter infiltrating our Universe. We also address the possibility of additionally deducing their directionality which could be of astrophysical interest. Significant evidence for anisotropy of arrival directions of the observed high multiplicity muonic bundles is found. Estimated directionality suggests their possible extragalactic provenance.

Muon Bundles as a Sign of Strangelets from the Universe

Stable lumps of quark matter may be present in cosmic rays at a flux level, which can be detected by high precision cosmic ray experiments sensitive to anomalous “nuclei” with high massto-charge ratio. The properties of these lumps, called strangelets, are described, and so is the production and propagation of strangelets in cosmic rays. Two experiments underway which are sensitive to a strangelet flux in the predicted range are briefly described. Finally it is summarized how strangelets circumvent the acceleration problem encountered by conventional candidates for ultra-high energy cosmic rays and move the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff to energies well above the observed maximum energies.

Stable quark matter in cosmic rays

Stable lumps of quark matter may be present in cosmic rays at a flux level, which can be detected by high precision cosmic ray experiments sensitive to anomalous "nuclei" with high mass-to-charge ratio. The properties of these lumps, called strangelets, are described, and so is the production and propagation of strangelets in cosmic rays. Two experiments underway which are sensitive to a strangelet flux in the predicted range are briefly described. Finally it is summarized how strangelets circumvent the acceleration problem encountered by conventional candidates for ultra-high energy cosmic rays and move the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff to energies well above the observed maximum energies.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/0512512.pdf

We discuss the possible imprints of Strange Quark Matter (SQM) in cosmic ray data. In particular, we investigate the propagation of SQM through the atmosphere and discuss: i) direct candidates for strangelets, ii) exotic events interpreted as signals of SQM and iii) muon bundles and delayed neutrons in Extensive Air Showers. The physics and astrophysics of SQM is shortly reviewed. We point out the possibility that extreme energy cosmic rays are the results of the decay of unstable primordial objects. Finally, the abundance of possible candidates for strangelets and their mass spectrum are estimated and compared with the astrophysical limits and prospects of the possible observation of SQM in accelerator experiments are outlined.

Can Cosmic Rays Provide Sign of Strangelets

Can cosmic rays provide sign of strangelets

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Can Cosmic Rays Provide Sign of Strangelets

Can cosmic rays provide sign of strangelets