SLIM
The Collaboration:
Laboratory: Laboratorio de Fisica Cosmica de Chacaltaya, Bolivia.
National Responsible: L. Patrizii (Bo)
1. Goal of the experiment
The SLIM experiment is a new large area array ( 400 m2 ) of nuclear track detectors whichsearches for magnetic monopoles of intermediate masses (106 1010GeV) and nuclearites (aggregates of quarks u, d,s, and electrons) in cosmic rays. It is installed at the high altitude Laboratory of Chacaltaya (Bolivia) at 5230 m a.s.l. In four years of operation it will reach a sensitivity to a monopole flux at the level of the Parker bound (i.e. ~ 10-15 cm2 s-1 sr-1).
2.
Activities during 2001
-The installation of the detector was completed (400 m22 ) in July 2001, as planned.
-The calibration of the detector, based on the exposure to a relativistic ion beam, was not performed due to the lack of the beam; it is postponed to 2002.
Milestones 2002
Environmental measurements at Chacaltaya, with special regard to the Rn-222 and neutron background | 31-07-2002 |
Analysis of about 30 sq m of the installed detector in order to estimate the background and the sensistivity | 31-12-2002 |
3. INFN contribution to the experiment in terms of manpower and financial support
4. Publications in refereed journals (in 2001):
5. Number of conference talks (in 2001): 2
6. Number of undergraduate and doctoral thesis of the experiment
n.1 Laurea diploma
n.1 Ph. D. thesis
7. Leadership roles and primary responsibilities in the experiment
Spokesperson of the SLIM Collaboration is dr. Laura Patrizii, from INFN Sezione di Bologna. The Bologna group is the leading group in the collaboration.
8. Innovative instruments
The experiment uses a nuclear track detector ( CR39) of high sensitivity, developed by the Bologna group in collaboration with the industry.
9. Competive experiment
No other experiment of this kind (large area and high altitude) is in operation or planned.
10. International committee which has reviewed the experiment
None