Measurement of the Cosmic Ray B/C Ratio with the AMS-01 Experiment

TL;DR

This paper reports on the measurement of the boron-to-carbon (B/C) ratio in cosmic rays using data from the AMS-01 experiment, providing insights into cosmic ray propagation.

Contribution

It presents the first measurement of the B/C ratio in the 0.4-19 GeV/nucleon energy range using AMS-01 data, contributing to cosmic ray propagation models.

Findings

B/C ratio measured in 0.4-19 GeV/nucleon range

Data supports models of cosmic ray propagation

Preliminary results align with existing theories

Abstract

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a particle physics detector designed for a high precision measurement of cosmic rays in space. AMS phase-2 (AMS-02) is scheduled to be installed on the ISS for at least three years from September 2010. The AMS-01 precursor experiment operated successfully during a 10-day NASA shuttle flight in June 1998. The orbital inclination was 51.7{\deg} at a geodetic altitude between 320 to 380 km. Nearly 200,000 Z>2 nuclei were observed by AMS-01 in the rigidity range 1-40 GV. Using these data, it is possible to investigate the relative abundances and the energy spectra of the primary cosmic rays, providing relations with their sources and propagation processes. Preliminary results on the B/C ratio in 0.4-19 GeV/nucleon kinetic energy are presented.