Galactic cosmic ray spectral measurements with the DAMPE space mission

by Pierpaolo Savina (Gran Sasso Science Institute)

Tuesday 8 Apr 2025, 16:00 → 17:00 Europe/Berlin

ENC-D308

The Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a space-based particle detector operating onboard a sun-synchronous orbit satellite since December 2015. Its main scientific goals include the measurement of hadronic cosmic ray fluxes, from protons and helium to heavier nuclei, up to hundreds of TeV, and the indirect search for dark matter signatures in the cosmic electron and gamma-ray spectra. Additionally, DAMPE performs high-energy gamma-ray astronomy above a few GeV.

Recent results from DAMPE include the measurement of proton and helium spectra, which revealed new spectral features, providing insights into cosmic-ray acceleration and propagation. Further ongoing analyses are focused on light, medium, and heavy mass nuclei, extending our understanding of cosmic-ray composition across a wide energy range. Moreover, studies on secondary-to-primary flux ratios offer valuable constraints on cosmic-ray propagation models.

On the other hand, the High Energy cosmic-Radiation Detection (HERD) facility is a future space mission dedicated to the direct detection of high-energy cosmic rays, scheduled for launch in 2027. HERD will feature a geometric acceptance exceeding that of current in-orbit experiments by more than an order of magnitude. HERD's primary goal is to measure proton and nuclei fluxes up to the so-called knee of the all-particle spectrum, with the capability to resolve individual nuclear species' energy spectra.

A detailed overview of the latest DAMPE results and the scientific objectives of HERD will be presented, with an emphasis on ongoing analyses and future activities.