Title:Â Direct Antimatter Detection in Space: From Cosmic Ray Puzzles to Future Technologies
Speaker: Roberto Iuppa, University of Trento, Italy
Abstract: Understanding the antimatter content of cosmic rays is central to addressing key questions about the composition and evolution of the universe. The observed dominance of matter over antimatter remains unexplained, and precise measurements of cosmic-ray antiparticles—such as positrons, antiprotons, and potentially anti-nuclei—may provide crucial clues. These observations could reveal signatures of dark matter interactions or even the existence of antimatter regions in the cosmos.
Over the past decades, balloon and space missions have progressively improved our ability to study cosmic antimatter. Experiments like HEAT, CAPRICE, and BESS laid the groundwork, while PAMELA and AMS-02 brought high-precision measurements of antiparticle fluxes across a wide energy range. Notably, AMS-02's detection of a rising positron fraction at high energies has sparked significant interest, pointing to possible new physics or astrophysical sources. Yet, heavier antinuclei remain undetected, and their observation would have profound implications.
This seminar will explore how upcoming missions aim to meet this challenge through technological innovation. Superconducting magnets are key to enabling precise charge and momentum measurements via strong, stable magnetic fields. Pixel silicon-based trackers offer high granularity and low noise, ensuring excellent spatial and temporal resolution to trace antiparticle trajectories with precision. Calorimeters, meanwhile, are essential for measuring energy deposition from antimatter interactions. Recent progress in materials and readout electronics is boosting their efficiency and accuracy, critical for identifying rare events.
Together, these technologies form the foundation of next-generation space missions like Aladino and AMS-100. The seminar will provide an integrated view of the scientific motivation, past results, and instrumental strategies driving the future of direct antimatter detection in space.
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