The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a space-borne particle physics experiment designed to measure with very high accuracy the composition of Cosmic Rays near Earth up to the TeV region, during a three-year mission on the International Space Station.

With a large acceptance (0.5 m²), an intense magnetic field from a 0.14 T magnet and a very efficient particle identification, AMS-02 will achieve a sensitivity to the existence of anti-Helium nuclei in the Cosmic Rays of one part in a billion, as well as provide important information on the origin of Dark Matter.

The Rome group is located at the Dipartimento di Fisica of Rome University La Sapienza and was responsible for:

• the design and construction of the Transition Radiation Detector gas system mechanical structure;
• the design and construction of the Star Tracker mechanical structure;
• the design and construction of the Transition Radiation Detector gas system electronics.

AMS-02 was launched with the STS-134 mission of the Shuttle Endeavour and was installed on the ISS on May 19, 2011. The detector has since collected billions of Cosmic Ray events and has recently published its first physics results.

Last modified: Feb 09, 2016 © AMS-02 Roma