Studying the production cross-section of cosmic-ray antimeter nuclei in high-energy inelastic collisions

With the increased sensitivity of cosmic-ray particle detectors at the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02 and

the General AntiParticle Spectrometer we can probe rare cosmic rays such as antideuterons and antihelium particles. 

We study the production cross-section of such antimatter particles from high-energy inelastic proton-proton

collisions, taking place in the interstellar medium. Using PYTHIA, we simulate particle collisions at various energies 

tracking the antimatter particles created. We are developing a parametric model for the production cross-section of

antideuterons and antihelium particles in such collisions by comparing with experimental findings from the Large

Hadron Collider.  The production of antideuterons, and further so antihelium particles, is highly suppressed in 

interstellar particle collisions. Alternative production mechanisms include large antimatter deposits or dark matter.