Search for Cosmic-Ray Antiparticles with Balloon-borne Experiments

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of balloon-borne experiments, specifically the PEBS detector, to measure antiparticle fluxes in cosmic rays, focusing on polar flights, solar modulation effects, and atmospheric interactions.

Contribution

It presents a detailed analysis of the PEBS detector's capabilities and the systematic effects affecting cosmic-ray antiparticle measurements at high altitudes.

Findings

Polar balloon flights provide unique sky coverage.

Solar modulation effects can be studied down to 0.1 GeV.

Atmospheric interactions significantly impact measurements.

Abstract

This work discusses the prospects of antiparticle flux measurements with the proposed PEBS detector. The project foresees long duration balloon flights at one of Earth's poles at an altitude of 40 km. The sky coverage of flights at the poles is presented. In addition, cosmic-ray measurements at the poles (small rigidity cut-offs) give the possibility to study solar modulation effects down to energies of about 0.1 GeV. Furthermore, systematic effects due to interactions of cosmic rays in the atmosphere are important. These effects were studied with the Planetocosmics simulation software based on GEANT4 in the energy range 0.1 - 1000 GeV.