Topological dark matter

Kibble mechanism drastically underestimates the production of point-like topological defects, as confirmed recently in atomic and condensed matter systems If non-thermally produced, they can be cosmological dark matter of mass 1-10 PeV or heavier If thermalized, skyrimon of mass 1-10 TeV is also a viable dark matter candidate, whose decay may explain e(+/-) spectra in cosmic rays recently measured by PAMELA, FERMI, and HESS Collaborations Models that produce magnetic monopoles below the inflation scale, such as Pati-Salam unification, are ruled out unless new annihilation mechanism for monopoles is introduced (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved