In
particle physics
Particle physics or high-energy physics is the study of Elementary particle, fundamental particles and fundamental interaction, forces that constitute matter and radiation. The field also studies combinations of elementary particles up to the s ...
, the crypton is a hypothetical superheavy particle, thought to exist in a
hidden sector
In particle physics, the hidden sector, also known as the dark sector, is a hypothetical collection of yet to be observed quantum fields and their corresponding hypothetical particles. The interactions between the hidden sector particles and the ...
of
string theory
In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and intera ...
. It has been proposed as a candidate particle to explain the
dark matter
In astronomy, dark matter is an invisible and hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is implied by gravity, gravitational effects that cannot be explained by general relat ...
content of the
universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...
. Cryptons arising in the hidden sector of a
superstring
Superstring theory is an theory of everything, attempt to explain all of the Elementary particle, particles and fundamental forces of nature in one theory by modeling them as vibrations of tiny supersymmetry, supersymmetric String (physics), st ...
-derived
flipped SU(5)
The Flipped SU(5) model is a grand unified theory (GUT) first contemplated by Stephen Barr in 1982, and by Dimitri Nanopoulos and others in 1984. Ignatios Antoniadis, John Ellis, John Hagelin, and Dimitri Nanopoulos developed the supersymmetri ...
GUT model have been shown to be metastable with a lifetime exceeding the age of the universe. Their slow decays may provide a source for the
ultra-high-energy cosmic ray
In astroparticle physics, an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) is a cosmic ray with an energy greater than 1 EeV (1018 electronvolts, approximately 0.16 joules), far beyond both the rest mass and energies typical of other cosmic ray part ...
s (UHECR).
References
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Hypothetical elementary particles
String theory
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