Cosmic rays (CRs) are a powerful tool for the investigation of the structure of the magnetic fields in the galactic halo and the properties of the interstellar medium. Two parameters of the CR propagation model—the galactic halo (half-)thickness $H$ and the diffusion coefficient $D$—are loosely constrained by current CR flux measurements; in particular, a large degeneracy exists being only $H/D$ well measured. The ${}^{10}\mathrm{Be}/{}^9\mathrm{Be}$ isotopic flux ratio (thanks to the 2 My lifetime of ${}^{10}\mathrm{Be}$) can be used as a radioactive clock, providing the measurement of CR residence time in the galaxy. This is an important tool for solving the $H/D$ degeneracy. Past measurements of the ${}^{10}\mathrm{Be}/{}^9\mathrm{Be}$ isotopic flux ratio in CRs are scarce, limited to low energy, and affected by large uncertainties. Here, a new technique to measure the ${}^{10}\mathrm{Be}/{}^9\mathrm{Be}$ isotopic flux ratio with a data-driven approach in magnetic spectrometers is presented. The analysis with the data driven approach of beryllium events collected by the PAMELA experiment is shown as an example. It is possible to measure the ${}^{10}\mathrm{Be}/{}^9\mathrm{Be}$ flux ratio avoiding the uncertainties related to the Monte Carlo simulation.

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• Cosmic ray & astroparticle detectors
• Cosmic ray composition & spectra
• Cosmic ray propagation
• Cosmic rays & astroparticles