The PAMELA space mission for antimatter and dark matter searches in space

M. Boezio, A. Bruno, O. Adriani, G. C. Barbarino, G. A. Bazilevskaya, R. Bellotti, E. A. Bogomolov, M. Bongi, V. Bonvicini, S. Borisov, S. Bottai, F. Cafagna, D. Campana, R. Carbone, P. Carlson, M. Casolino, G. Castellini, L. Consiglio, M. P. de Pascale, C. de SantisN. de Simone, V. Di Felice, A. M. Galper, W. Gillard, L. Grishantseva, G. Jerse, A. V. Karelin, M. D. Kheymits, S. V. Koldashov, S. Y. Krutkov, A. N. Kvashnin, A. Leonov, V. Malakhov, L. Marcelli, A. G. Mayorov, W. Menn, V. V. Mikhailov, E. Mocchiutti, A. Monaco, N. Mori, N. Nikonov, G. Osteria, F. Palma, P. Papini, M. Pearce, P. Picozza, C. Pizzolotto, M. Ricci, S. B. Ricciarini, L. Rossetto, R. Sarkar, M. Simon, R. Sparvoli, P. Spillantini, Y. I. Stozhkov, A. Vacchi, E. Vannuccini, G. Vasilyev, S. A. Voronov, Y. T. Yurkin, J. Wu, G. Zampa, N. Zampa, V. G. Zverev

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The PAMELA satellite-borne experiment has presented new results on cosmic-ray antiparticles that can be interpreted in terms of DM annihilation or pulsar contribution. The instrument was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome and it has been collecting data since July 2006. The combination of a permanent magnet silicon strip spectrometer and a silicon-tungsten imaging calorimeter allows precision studies of the charged cosmic radiation to be conducted over a wide energy range with high statistics. The primary scientific goal is the measurement of the antiproton and positron energy spectrum in order to search for exotic sources. PAMELA is also searching for primordial antinuclei (anti-helium), and testing cosmic-ray propagation models through precise measurements of the antiparticle energy spectrum and precision studies of light nuclei and their isotopes. This talk illustrates the most recent scientific results obtained by the PAMELA experiment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)147-158
Number of pages12
JournalHyperfine Interactions
Volume213
Issue number1-3
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Antimatter
  • Cosmic rays
  • Dark matter

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The PAMELA space mission for antimatter and dark matter searches in space'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this