Using the updated proton and helium fluxes just released by the Ams-02 experiment we reevaluate the secondary astrophysical antiproton to proton ratio and its uncertainties, and compare it with the ratio preliminarly reported by Ams-02. We find no unambiguous evidence for a significant excess with respect to expectations. Yet, some preference for a flatter energy dependence of the diffusion coefficient (with respect to the Med benchmark often used in the literature) starts to emerge. Also, we provide a first assessment of the room left for exotic components such as Galactic Dark Matter annihilation or decay, deriving new stringent constraints. *

This article aims at establishing new benchmark scenarios for Galactic cosmic-ray propagation in the GV-TV rigidity range, based on fits to the AMS-02 B/C data with the usine v3.5 propagation code. We employ a new fitting procedure, cautiously taking into account data systematic error correlations in different rigidity bins and considering Solar modulation potential and leading nuclear cross section as nuisance parameters. We delineate specific low, intermediate, and high-rigidity ranges that can be related to both features in the data and peculiar microphysics mechanisms resulting in spectral breaks. We single out a scenario which yields excellent fits to the data and includes all the presumably relevant complexity, the BIG model. This model has two limiting regimes: (i) the SLIM model, a minimal diffusion-only setup, and (ii) the QUAINT model, a convectionreacceleration model where transport is tuned by non-relativistic effects. All models lead to robust predictions in the high-energy regime ( 10 GV), i.e. independent of the propagation scenario: at 1σ, the diffusion slope δ is [0.43 − 0.53], whereas K10, the diffusion coefficient at 10 GV, is [0.26 − 0.36] kpc 2 Myr −1 ; we confirm the robustness of the high-energy break, with a typical value ∆ h ∼ 0.2. We also find a hint for a similar (reversed) feature at low rigidity around the B/C peak (∼ 4 GV) which might be related to some effective damping scale in the magnetic turbulence. CONTENTS 7 4. The fitting procedure 8 IV. Results 8 A. Best-fit values and 1σ uncertainties 8 B. Possible interpretation and microphysics 10 C. Robustness of low-, intermediate-, and high-rigidity parameters 10 V. Summary, conclusions, and perspectives 11 Acknowledgments 11 A. On the high-rigidity break from C, O and the fitting procedure 11 1. Consistency check 12 2. Break vs no-break 13 B. Fit parameters dependence upon low-rigidity cutoff 13 C. Scaling of propagation parameters with L in 1D model 13 arXiv:1904.08917v2 [astro-ph.HE]

Primordial black holes (PBHs) with a mass M 10 17 g are expected to inject sub-GeV electrons and positrons in the Galaxy via Hawking radiation. These cosmic rays are shielded by the solar magnetic field for Earth-bound detectors, but not for Voyager 1, which is now beyond the heliopause. We use its data to constrain the fraction of PBHs to the dark matter in the Galaxy, finding that PBHs with M < 10 16 g cannot contribute more than 0.1% (or less for a log-normal mass distribution). Our limits are based on local Galactic measurements and are thus complementary to those derived from cosmological observations. *

Context. The vertical diffusive halo size of the Galaxy, L, is a key parameter for dark matter indirect searches. It can be better determined thanks to recent AMS-02 data. Aims. We set constraints on L from Be/B and 10Be/Be data, and we performed a consistency check with positron data. We detail the dependence of Be/B and 10Be/Be on L and forecast on which energy range better data would be helpful for future L improvements. Methods. We used USINE V3.5 for the propagation of nuclei, and e+ were calculated with the pinching method. Results. The current AMS-02 Be/B (∼3% precision) and ACE-CRIS 10Be/Be (∼10% precision) data bring similar and consistent constraints on L. The AMS-02 Be/B data alone constrain L = 5−2+3 kpc at a 68% confidence level (spanning different benchmark transport configurations), a range for which most models do not overproduce positrons. Future experiments need to deliver percent-level accuracy on 10Be/9Be anywhere below 10 GV to further constrain L. Conclusions. Forthcoming AMS-02, HELIX, and PAMELA 10Be/9Be results will further test and possibly tighten the limits derived here. Elemental ratios involving radioactive species with different lifetimes (e.g. Al/Mg and Cl/Ar) are also awaited to provide complementary and robuster constraints.

Context. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) measured several secondary-to-primary ratios enabling a detailed study of Galactic cosmic-ray transport. Aims. We constrain previously derived benchmark scenarios (based on AMS-02 B/C data only) using other secondary-to-primary ratios to test the universality of transport and the presence of a low-rigidity diffusion break. Methods. We use the 1D thin disc/thick halo propagation model of USINE V3.5 and a χ2 minimisation accounting for a covariance matrix of errors (AMS-02 systematics) and nuisance parameters (cross-sections and solar modulation uncertainties). Results. The combined analysis of AMS-02 Li/C, Be/C, and B/C strengthens the case for a diffusion slope of δ = 0.50 ± 0.03 with a low-rigidity break or upturn of the diffusion coefficient at GV rigidities. Our simple model can successfully reproduce all considered data (Li/C, Be/C, B/C, N/O, and 3He/4He), although several issues remain: (i) the quantitative agreement depends on the assumptions made on the poorly constrained correlation lengths of AMS-02 data systematics; (ii) combined analyses are very sensitive to production cross-sections, and we find post-fit values differing by ∼5 − 15% from their most likely values (roughly within currently estimated nuclear uncertainties); (iii) two very distinct regions of the parameter space remain viable, either with reacceleration and convection, or with purely diffusive transport. Conclusions. To take full benefit of combined analyses of AMS-02 data, better nuclear data and a better handle on energy correlations in the data systematic are required. AMS-02 data on heavier species are eagerly awaited to explore cosmic-ray propagation scenarios further.

The AMS-02 experiment has ushered cosmic-ray physics into precision era. In a companion paper, we designed an improved method to calibrate propagation models on B/C data. Here we provide a robust prediction of thep flux, accounting for several sources of uncertainties and their correlations. Combined with a correlation matrix for thep data, we show that the latter are consistent with a secondary origin. This Letter presents key elements relevant to dark matter search in this channel, notably by pointing out the inherent difficulties in achieving predictions at the percent-level precision. arXiv:1906.07119v1 [astro-ph.HE]

Context. AMS-02 on the International Space Station has been releasing data of unprecedented accuracy. This poses new challenges for their interpretation. Aims. We refine the methodology to get a statistically sound determination of the cosmic-ray propagation parameters. We inspect the numerical precision of the model calculation, nuclear cross-section uncertainties, and energy correlations in data systematic errors. Methods. We used the 1D diffusion model in USINE. Our χ2 analysis includes a covariance matrix of errors for AMS-02 systematics and nuisance parameters to account for cross-section uncertainties. Mock data were used to validate some of our choices. Results. We show that any mis-modelling of nuclear cross-section values or the energy correlation length of the covariance matrix of errors biases the analysis. It also makes good models (χmin2/d.o.f. ≈ 1) appear as excluded (χmin2/d.o.f. ≫ 1). We provide a framework to mitigate these effects (AMS-02 data are interpreted in a companion paper). Conclusion. New production cross-section data and the publication by the AMS-02 collaboration of a covariance matrix of errors for each data set would be an important step towards an unbiased view of cosmic-ray propagation in the Galaxy.

Context. The positron fraction in cosmic rays has recently been measured with improved accuracy up to 500 GeV, and it was found to be a steadily increasing function of energy above ∼10 GeV. This behaviour contrasts with standard astrophysical mechanisms, in which positrons are secondary particles, produced in the interactions of primary cosmic rays during their propagation in the interstellar medium. The observed anomaly in the positron fraction triggered a lot of excitement, as it could be interpreted as an indirect signature of the presence of dark matter species in the Galaxy, the so-called weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). Alternatively, it could be produced by nearby sources, such as pulsars. Aims. These hypotheses are probed in light of the latest AMS-02 positron fraction measurements. As regards dark matter candidates, regions in the annihilation cross section to mass plane, which best fit the most recent data, are delineated and compared to previous measurements. The explanation of the anomaly in terms of a single nearby pulsar is also explored. Methods. The cosmic ray positron transport in the Galaxy is described using a semi-analytic two-zone model. Propagation is described with Green functions as well as with Bessel expansions. For consistency, the secondary and primary components of the positron flux are calculated together with the same propagation model. The above mentioned explanations of the positron anomaly are tested using χ 2 fits. The numerical package MicrOMEGAs is used to model the positron flux generated by dark matter species. The description of the positron fraction from conventional astrophysical sources is based on the pulsar observations included in the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) catalogue. Results. The masses of the favoured dark matter candidates are always larger than 500 GeV, even though the results are very sensitive to the lepton flux. The Fermi measurements point systematically to much heavier candidates than the recently released AMS-02 observations. Since the latter are more precise, they are much more constraining. A scan through the various individual annihilation channels disfavours leptons as the final state. On the contrary, the agreement is excellent for quark, gauge boson, or Higgs boson pairs, with best-fit masses in the 10 to 40 TeV range. The combination of annihilation channels that best matches the positron fraction is then determined at fixed WIMP mass. A mixture of electron and tau lepton pairs is only acceptable around 500 GeV. Adding b-quark pairs significantly improves the fit up to a mass of 40 TeV. Alternatively, a combination of the four-lepton channels provides a good fit between 0.5 and 1 TeV, with no muons in the final state. Concerning the pulsar hypothesis, the region of the distance-to-age plane that best fits the positron fraction for a single source is determined. Conclusions. The only dark matter species that fulfils the stringent gamma ray and cosmic microwave background bounds is a particle annihilating into...