Detection of magnetic monopoles with the ANTARES detector

The ANTARES Collaboration is constructing a neutrino telescope on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The main goal of ANTARES is to detect high-energy cosmic neutrinos. The detection principle relies on the observation of Cerenkov light emitted by neutrino-induced muons. It is shown that this type of detector is also able to detect exotic particles such as magnetic monopoles. Above the Cerenkov limit, monopoles can be detected because of the emission of large amounts of direct Cerenkov light. Monopoles are also detectable below the Cerenkov limit through the production of delta rays, which in turn emit Cerenkov light. The development of a software trigger for ANTARES designed for monopole detection is presented. A simulation of the delta-ray-induced and direct Cerenkov light emission by monopoles has been made and used to study the trigger efficiency for the detection of monopoles. Techniques to suppress background at the trigger level are presented, and plans for the future are discussed.