Capability of the PAMELA Time-Of-Flight to identify light nuclei: Results from a beam test calibration

PAMELA is a space telescope orbiting around the Earth since June 2006. The scientific objectives addressed by the mission are the measurement of the antiprotons and positrons spectra in cosmic rays, the hunt for anti-nuclei as well as the determination of light nuclei fluxes from hydrogen to oxygen in a wide energy range and with very high statistics. In this paper the charge discrimination capabilities of the PAMELA Time-Of-Flight system for light nuclei, determined during a beam test calibration, will be presented. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.