Method of positron detection using the Earth magnetic field in orbital experiment

Abstract

The phenomenon of a positron anomaly in cosmic rays at energies above 10 GeV can not be explained within the framework of secondary positron production mechanisms into interstellar media. One possible explanation can be that positron excess is generated by ~ TeV dark matter particles annihilation or decay. Very high energies are not available for modern magnetic spectrometers because of their small size, but magnetic analysis with geomagnetic field extending for thousands of kilometres can be used. One approach to the high energy positron detection deals with allowed and forbidden trajectories Earth s magnetic field. It was shown that at the equatorial position of the detector it is possible to separate positrons and electrons using only a position-sensitive electromagnetic calorimeter up to energies ~ 250 GeV using detector with angular resolution of about 5 degrees. Second approach consists in the joint registration of an electron, or positron, and the synchrotron photons emitted by them into magnetosphere. It is shown that for space born detector at about ~ 400 km orbit identification of positrons up to tens TeV is possible using synchrotron radiation detector and imaging calorimeter.