The PAMELA (Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light nuclei Astrophysics) experiment is a satellite-borne apparatus that will make long duration measurements of the cosmic radiation with a particular focus on antiparticles and light nuclei. The main scientific objective of the PAMELA mission is to investigate the nature of the dark matter that pervades the universe, the apparent absence of cosmological antimatter, the origin and evolution of matter in the Galaxy. Specifically PAMELA will measure the cosmic-ray antiproton and positron spectra over the largest energy range ever achieved and will search for antinuclei with unprecedented sensitivity. Furthermore, it will measure the light nuclear component of cosmic rays from Hydrogen up to Oxygen in the interval 200 MeV/n–150 GeV/n. Accurate measurements of the elemental composition are required in order to understand the origin, propagation and lifetime of the cosmic radiation. The primary cosmic rays (e.g. C, N and O), produced at the sources, propagate through the interstellar medium giving information about the composition at the source. Secondary elements (e.g. Li, Be, and B) are tracers of amount of matter traversed by the cosmic rays. The relative abundances of the constituents of galactic cosmic rays provide information about cosmic-ray transport within the Galaxy. PAMELA consists of a magnetic spectrometer, a Time-of-Flight and trigger system, an electromagnetic calorimeter, an anticoincidence system, a shower tail catcher scintillator and a neutron detector. The combination of these devices allows antiparticles to be reliably identified from a large background of other charged particles. This paper reviews the capability of the PAMELA subdetectors to identify light nuclei. Analysis techniques to discriminate light-charged particles will be presented.
Identification of the light nuclei component of cosmic rays with the PAMELA experiment / Marcelli, L.; Adriani, O.; Barbarino, G.C.; Bazilevskaya, G.A.; Bellotti, R.; Boezio, M.; Bogomolov, E.A.; Bongi, M.; Bonvicini, V.; Borisov, S.; Bottai, S.; Bruno, A.; Cafagna, F.; Campana, D.; Carbone, R.; Carlson, P.; Casolino, M.; Castellini, G.; Consiglio, L.; De Pascale, M.P.; De Santis, C.; De Simone, N.; Di Felice, V.; Galper, A.M.; Gillard, W.; Grishantseva, L.; Jerse, G.; Karelin, A.V.; Kheymits, M.D.; Koldashov, S.V.; Krutkov, S.Y.; Kvashnin, A.N.; Leonov, A.; Malakhov, V.; Mayorov, A.G.; Menn, W.; Mikhailov, V.V.; Mocchiutti, E.; Monaco, A.; Mori, N.; Nikonov, N.; Osteria, G.; Palma, F.; Papini, P.; Pearce, M.; Picozza, P.; Pizzolotto, C.; Ricci, M.; Ricciarini, S.B.; Rossetto, L.; Sarkar, R.; Simon, M.; Sparvoli, R.; Spillantini, P.; Stozhkov, Y.I.; Vacchi, A.; Vannuccini, E.; Vasilyev, G.; Voronov, S.A.; Yurkin, Y.T.; Wu, J.; Zampa, G.; Zampa, N.; Zverev, V.G.. - In: NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH. SECTION A, ACCELERATORS, SPECTROMETERS, DETECTORS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT. - ISSN 0168-9002. - ELETTRONICO. - 630:(2011), pp. 58-62. [10.1016/j.nima.2010.06.027]
Identification of the light nuclei component of cosmic rays with the PAMELA experiment
ADRIANI, OSCAR;BONGI, MASSIMO;
2011
Abstract
The PAMELA (Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light nuclei Astrophysics) experiment is a satellite-borne apparatus that will make long duration measurements of the cosmic radiation with a particular focus on antiparticles and light nuclei. The main scientific objective of the PAMELA mission is to investigate the nature of the dark matter that pervades the universe, the apparent absence of cosmological antimatter, the origin and evolution of matter in the Galaxy. Specifically PAMELA will measure the cosmic-ray antiproton and positron spectra over the largest energy range ever achieved and will search for antinuclei with unprecedented sensitivity. Furthermore, it will measure the light nuclear component of cosmic rays from Hydrogen up to Oxygen in the interval 200 MeV/n–150 GeV/n. Accurate measurements of the elemental composition are required in order to understand the origin, propagation and lifetime of the cosmic radiation. The primary cosmic rays (e.g. C, N and O), produced at the sources, propagate through the interstellar medium giving information about the composition at the source. Secondary elements (e.g. Li, Be, and B) are tracers of amount of matter traversed by the cosmic rays. The relative abundances of the constituents of galactic cosmic rays provide information about cosmic-ray transport within the Galaxy. PAMELA consists of a magnetic spectrometer, a Time-of-Flight and trigger system, an electromagnetic calorimeter, an anticoincidence system, a shower tail catcher scintillator and a neutron detector. The combination of these devices allows antiparticles to be reliably identified from a large background of other charged particles. This paper reviews the capability of the PAMELA subdetectors to identify light nuclei. Analysis techniques to discriminate light-charged particles will be presented.
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