Observation of the Energy Dependence of Primary and Secondary Cosmic Rays with the AMS Detector on the International Space Station

V Formato,M De Vincenzi,A Morselli,A Capone

doi:10.1051/epjconf/201920901020

Abstract

Precision study of cosmic nuclei provides detailed knowledge on the origin and propagation of cosmic rays. AMS is a multi-purpose high energy particle detector designed to measure and identify cosmic ray nuclei with unprecedented precision. It is able to provide precision studies of nuclei simultaneously to multi-TeV energies. In 7 years on the Space Station, AMS has collected more than 120 billion both primary and secondary cosmic rays. Primary cosmic rays, such as p, He, C and O, are believed to be mainly produced and accelerated in supernova remnants, while secondary cosmic rays, such as Li, Be and B are thought to be produced by collisions of heavier nuclei with interstellar matter. Primary cosmic rays such as He, C, and O are found to have identical rigidity dependence, similarly to secondary cosmic rays (such as Li, Be and B) which share the same the same spectral shape. The peculiar case of Nitrogen being a mixture of a primary and secondary component will also be shown.

Highlights

Cosmic rays (CRs) are charged particles coming isotropically from outer space to the Earth atmosphere with an energy range spanning over several decades
It is still unclear where and how CRs are accelerated in the Galaxy, as well as how they propagate through the interstellar medium (ISM), and both these aspects are subjects of current research
Another fundamental aspect in CR physics is the search for any signal of new physics in the antimatter component of CRs that could be linked to the decay of dark matter (DM) particles or to the existence of primordial antimatter

Summary

Introduction

Cosmic rays (CRs) are charged particles coming isotropically from outer space to the Earth atmosphere with an energy range spanning over several decades. It is still unclear where and how CRs are accelerated in the Galaxy, as well as how they propagate through the interstellar medium (ISM), and both these aspects are subjects of current research. This is important for the theoretical prediction of the amount of secondary antimatter produced by CR propagation in the Galaxy, since this represents the natural background in the search for new physics in the antimatter channel.

The AMS-02 experiment

Data analysis

Conclusions