Pulsar electrons detection in AMS-02 experiment. Model status and discovery potential

TL;DR

This paper discusses the AMS-02 experiment's potential to detect pulsar-origin electrons in cosmic rays, highlighting its improved accuracy in understanding the positron excess and the electron flux spectrum.

Contribution

It evaluates the current model status and discovery potential of AMS-02 for identifying pulsar-produced electrons in cosmic rays.

Findings

AMS-02 has high potential to clarify the positron excess origin.

The experiment can distinguish pulsar contributions from other sources.

Results may provide evidence supporting pulsars as a source of cosmic-ray electrons.

Abstract

The measurements of electrons from cosmic rays have begun a new era a few years ago with high precision experiments like PAMELA and Fermi-LAT. The positron fraction seems to indicate an unknown component above the standard background described in the last 40 years, mostly by HEAT. In the last few years, the PAMELA satellite has confirmed the positron fraction excess above 10 GeV, and studying Fermi-LAT data, the electron flux seems to be steeper than expected. While these new measurements have not closed the debate, results from AMS-02 are expected to reach the accuracy needed to determine a full description of this excess and possibly give some evidence on the possible source. We will present in this note, the AMS-02 capacity in the case of positrons produced by pulsars.