Cosmic ray "anomalies'': an update on data and interpretations

by Dr Pasquale Serpico (CERN)

Wednesday 13 May 2009, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Zurich

1/1-025 (CERN)

In the last year, the ATIC balloon experiment and the PAMELA satellite have suggested some cosmic ray "anomalies". I will give an overview of the present status of these anomalies, recapitulate the basics physics behind astrophysical explanations, and summarize the existing issues in interpreting the data via dark matter. I'll also discuss a recently proposed mechanism possibly at work in mature SNRs which might beautifully explain several puzzles while making distinctive predictions for antiproton spectrum. I'll finally comment on the original rationale behind the "indirect dark matter search" programs, since it deviates significantly from most of the recent data-fitting activity with exotic dark matter models.