Lithium and Beryllium isotopes with the PAMELA experiment

TL;DR

This paper reports measurements of lithium and beryllium isotopic ratios in cosmic rays using the PAMELA satellite experiment, providing insights into cosmic ray interactions and propagation in the interstellar medium.

Contribution

First measurement of lithium and beryllium isotopic ratios in cosmic rays over a broad energy range using satellite data.

Findings

Isotopic ratios $^{7}$Li/$^{6}$Li and $^{7}$Be/($^{9}$Be + $^{10}$Be) obtained between 150 and 1100 MeV/n.

Data supports models of cosmic ray interactions with the interstellar medium.

Results improve understanding of cosmic ray propagation and secondary isotope production.

Abstract

The cosmic-ray lithium and beryllium ($^{6}$Li, $^{7}$Li, $^{7}$Be, $^{9}$Be, $^{10}$Be) isotopic composition has been measured with the satellite-borne experiment PAMELA, which was launched into low-Earth orbit on-board the Resurs-DK1 satellite on June 15th 2006. The rare lithium and beryllium isotopes in cosmic rays are believed to originate mainly from the interaction of high energy carbon, nitrogen and oxygen nuclei with the interstellar medium (ISM), but also on "tertiary" interactions in the ISM (i.e. produced by further fragmentation of secondary beryllium and boron). In this paper the isotopic ratios $^{7}$Li/$^{6}$Li and $^{7}$Be/($^{9}$Be + $^{10}$Be) measured between 150 and 1100 MeV/n using two different detector systems from July 2006 to September 2014 will be presented.