The PAMELA space experiment : First year of operation

• On the 15th of June 2006 the PAMELA experiment, mounted on the Resurs DK1 satellite, was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome and it has been collecting data since July 2006. PAMELA is a satellite-borne apparatus designed to study charged particles in the cosmic radiation, to investigate the nature of dark matter, measuring the cosmic-ray antiproton and positron spectra over the largest energy range ever achieved, and to search for antinuclei with unprecedented sensitivity. The apparatus comprises a time-of-flight system, a silicon-microstrip magnetic spectrometer, a silicon-tungsten electromagnetic calorimeter, an anticoincidence system, a shower tail catcher scintillator and a neutron detector. The combination of these devices allows charged particle identification over a wide energy range. © 2008 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Charged particles

Cosmic rays

Cosmology

Anticoincidence systems

Charged particle identification

Cosmic ray antiprotons

Electromagnetic calorimeter

Magnetic spectrometers

Silicon micro-strip

Space experiments

Time of flight systems

High energy physics

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)