Why is there an unexplained excess of antimatter in our cosmic rays?
In short: The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer aboard the International Space Station has detected a surplus of high-energy positrons. This video explores how these rare antiparticles might act as messengers for new physics or dark matter.
The AMS-02 instrument collects data on roughly 573 charged particle events every second, totaling over 18 billion events annually. By analyzing these high-energy cosmic rays, researchers aim to understand the origins of such rays and investigate whether they provide evidence for the existence of dark matter or antimatter.
While visible matter, such as planets and stars, accounts for only about five percent of the universe's known mass, the remainder consists of dark energy, dark matter, or antimatter. Because Earth receives a limited amount of energetic antimatter, these antiparticles serve as unique signatures of high-energy cosmic phenomena.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Space Station Instrument Finds Excess Antimatter
- Also: Space Station AMS-02 Instrument Works on the Mystery of Dark Matter - NASA
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