Search for Dark Matter in Cosmic Rays with the AMS-02 space spectrometer

Abstract

The cosmic rays spectrometer AMS-02 will be placed on the ISS Space Station in April 2011 and should take data for at least 10 years. After a short review of the impressive observational data collected in the last few years by satellites and underground experiments in the quest for Dark Matter (DM), we describe the AMS-02 space spectrometer with its powerful particle identification capabilities. The performances of the experimental apparatus and the perspectives opened by this new powerful observational instrument for the DM search will be briefly reviewed. In particular the extension at the TeV scale of the positron and electron spectra with high statistical significance well beyond the PAMELA results will hopefully clarify the quest for Dark Matter evidence in cosmic rays. Finally the present status of the AMS-02 payload for the Shuttle transportation and installation on the International Space Station, and the implementation of the Control Center for data collection and analysis is reviewed.