Fresh insights on properties of particle fluxes in cosmic rays measured with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the international space station

Abstract

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is a particle physics detector focusing on the search for dark matter, the existence of antimatter, the origin and composition of cosmic rays from primordial sources in the universe and the exploration of new physics in space. Important features of the elementary particle (proton, antiproton, positron and election) fluxes in cosmic rays are presented: (1) The proton spectrum has a smooth hardening from 200 GeV; (2) antiproton and positron spectra show excess from traditional physics background; (3) in particular, the positron flux shows a source term with a cutoff energy of 810 GeV, which raises the question of its source; (4) the origin of the energetic electrons is different from that of positrons and (5) the identical momentum dependence of primary and secondary cosmic ray nuclei fluxes are also reviewed.