The AMS Experiment on the International Space Station

Abstract

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a cosmic ray detector operating onboard the International Space Station since May 2011 conducting a unique, long-duration mission of fundamental physics research in space. The physics objectives include the precise studies of the origin of dark matter, antimatter, and cosmic rays as well as the exploration of new phenomena. A description of the detector and the main results obtained over 10 years of data taking are presented. This includes the fluxes of positrons, electrons, antiprotons, protons, and nuclei. These results provide unexpected information, which cannot be explained by the current theoretical models. The accuracy and characteristics of the data, simultaneously from many different types of cosmic rays, provide unique input to the understanding of origins, acceleration, and propagation of cosmic rays. The experiment AMS-02, thanks to the repair carried out in 2020, will continue to collect data for the lifetime of the International Space Station promising more interesting physics results on antimatter, cosmic rays particles and last but not least provide hints on dark matter search.