Measurement of cosmic ray nuclei with AMS-02 experiment

Resumo

The proposed research activity will be developed in the field of astroparticle physics, at the boundary between astrophysics, particle physics and cosmology. The main goal of the present project is to strenghten the synergy between MIT scientists and the members of the AMS-02 group at the Instituto de Fisica de Sao Carlos, of the University of Sao Paulo, by' means of regular exchanges, focused on the analysis of AMS-02 data aiming at providing an updated estimation of the astrophysical antiproton background, via the precise measurement of cosmic ray nuclei with the AMS-02 experiment. The AMS-02 experiment is a cosmic ray detector launched successfully in 2011, taking data abord the International Space Station at 400 km altitude. AMS-02 detects cosmic rays before the interact with the atmosphere: given its large acceptance- the long duration of the mission (foreseen to be concluded in 2024) and the excellent performance in terms of particle identification and energy/momentum resolution, the detector is providing extremely precise data. One of the main goals of the AMS-02 experiment is the indirect search for dark matter, looking at the fluxes on the antimatter component of cosmic rays (positrons and antiprotons). In the present project, we aim at performing the measurement of cosmic ray nuclei, such as Carbon, Lithium and Boron, to provide an updated estimation of the antiproton flux from conventional astrophysical mechanisms. The estimation of the background is very important in the search for dark matter, since one of the most crucial issues in the field is to update the uncertainty ranges of ordinary astrophysics, in view of more recent and precise experimental results. This is fundamental to perform dark matter search on solid basis. (AU)