Searching for massive, non-relativistic particles in space with the SQM-ISS detector

SQM-ISS is a detector that will look for massive particles among cosmic rays from the International Space Station. Some of these candidates include strange quark matter, Q-balls, lumps of fermionic exotic compact stars, primordial black holes, mirror matter, Fermi balls and others. These compact and dense objects are expected to be much heavier than normal nuclei, to travel at speeds typical of objects on their way to the centre of a galaxy, and to be able to penetrate deeply. Some of these particles might account for all or part of the non-baryonic dark matter inferred by cosmology without requiring new fundamental physics. The SQM-ISS detector is made up of a layer of scintillator and piezoelectric elements that provide information on both charge state and mass. Experimental tests have validated its ability to discriminate between particle types based on charge and velocity measurements (v$~>~$220 km/s), with timing data further supporting velocity determination. The experiment was already chosen by ESA through the Open Space Innovation Platform. The integration of advanced data acquisition and real-time processing systems further enhances operational reliability, ensuring accurate measurements in the challenging space environment. This effort not only advances detector technology, but also opens the way for exploring fundamental questions about the composition and evolution of the universe. The experimental results are expected to provide crucial insights into the dynamics of non-standard cosmic ray components, potentially revising our understanding of high-energy astrophysics and the search for new states of matter beyond the Standard Model. In this work I will describe the detector, its observational capabilities and its potential for advancing our understanding of exotic cosmic particles.