Antimatter and Dark Matter search in space with AMS-02

Francesca R. Spada

Published 2008-10-21Version 1

AMS-02 is a space-borne magnetic spectrometer designed to measure with very high accuracy the composition of Cosmic Rays near Earth. With a large acceptance of 5000 squared centimeters, an intense magnetic field from a superconducting magnet (0.7 T) and a very efficient particle identification, AMS-02 will provide the highest precision in Cosmic Rays measurements up to the TeV region. During a three-years mission on board of the International Space Station, AMS-02 will achieve a sensitivity to the existence of anti-Helium nuclei in the Cosmic Rays of one part in a billion, as well as provide important information on the origin and nature of the Dark Matter.