The PAMELA experiment: shedding new light on Dark Matter? -- Roberta Sparvoli -- University of Rome Tor Vergata and INFN (Italy)

mercredi 6 mai 2009, 15:00 → 16:00 Europe/Paris

The PAMELA apparatus has been launched in space on June 15, 2006 and is continuously taking data since July 2006. The experiment is devoted to the precise and extensive measurements of cosmic rays in space, with main focus on antiprotons and positrons in the 100 MeV - 200 GeV energy range. Light nuclei spectra are also measured with great precision, and many solar physics and geomagnetic related aspects can be investigated with high statistics and long time exposure. This talk will present the results of the first analysis of the PAMELA data, with emphasis on the antiproton/proton and positron/electron ratios up to 100 GeV. In particular, the measured positron/electron ratio at high energy deviate significantly from the predictions of secondary production models, and may constitute the first indirect evidence of dark matter particles annihilations; different dark matter models will be discussed, together with possible explanations in terms of review of secondary production processes or of primary positron yield by astrophysical sources.

Slides sparvoli_LPNHE_2009.pdf