Spectrum of antiprotons confined in the Earth's magnetosphere

Abstract

We have demonstrated a reasonably satisfactory agreement between the theoretically simulated geomagnetically confined antiproton fluxes and the Pamela experimentally observed antiproton fluxes within the Earth's magnetosphere. The antiprotons were considered created partially in nuclear reactions of direct proton/antiproton production (p+p, p+pbar+p+p) and to an even larger extent in nuclear reactions of neutron/antineutron (indirect) pair production (p+p, n+nbar+p+p) both processes resulting from cosmic rays interactions with the Earth's upper atmosphere. Although the theoretically predicted spectrum of trapped antiprotons is not a perfect match in all details with the in-situ observed flux spectra, we do note an excellent antiproton flux match around 1 GeV kinetic energy. Thus, we conclude that what we earlier had largely predicted, the Pamela antiproton detection experiment has now observed.