AMS02 (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer) is the second version of a typical particle physics detector which will be installed, starting from summer 2010, on the International Space Station (ISS) to measure the spectrum of charged cosmic rays in the region 1 GeV–1 TeV, with a high capability of identifying and measuring energy and direction of photons. Thanks to the large acceptance, to the long flight duration (at least 3 years) and to the state of the art of the techniques for particle identification, AMS has the possibility of achieving the highest sensitivity in the search of WIMP Dark Matter in this energy domain, through the contemporary measuremnt of the absolute and relative spectra of electrons and positrons, protons and antiprotons, photons and, eventually, antideuterons.
The AMS02 experiment is also able to verify the existence of antimatter in the universe through the measurement of the ratio antihelium/helium at the level.
AMS02 will measure also with high precision the nuclei spectra up to iron, providing relevant informations on the theories of transport and diffusion of cosmic rays.