SLIM

The Collaboration:

- Italy: Dipar.to di Fisica dell'Universita’ di Bologna and INFN; Dipar.ti di Fisica Sperimentale e Generale dell'Universita’ di Torino and INFN; Istituto TeSRE/CNR, Bologna.
- Bolivia: Laboratorio de Fisica Cosmica de Chacaltaya,UMSA, La Paz
- Canada: Centre for Subatomic Research, Univ. of Alberta.
- Pakistan: RPD, PINSTECH, P.O. Nilore, Islamabad.
- Romania: Institute for Space Sciences, Bucharest.

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

- Manpower: 10 researchers (3.7 FTE)
- Budget for the Year 2002: 13.5 kEuro

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