Searches for exotica and dark matter with neutrino telescopes

Neutrino telescopes are designed to search for neutrino sources in the Universe, exploiting the Cherenkov light emitted along the path of the charged particles produced in interactions occurring close to the detector volume. Their huge size and the shield offered by large water or ice overburden make them excellent tools to search for exotic and rare particles in the cosmic radiation. In particular, they are sensitive to particles not predicted by the Standard Model that could be messenger of new physics. An overview of the experimental scenario and the relevant results obtained looking for magnetic monopoles, dark matter candidates and other exotic relic particles with neutrino telescopes is given, together with the description of possible new perspectives. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Topological avatars of new physics’.