Capability of the CALET experiment for measuring elemental abundances of galactic cosmic ray nuclei heavier than nickel (Z=28)

The CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) is an imaging calorimeter planned for launch to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013. The instrument consists of a segmented plastic scintillator charge measuring module, an imaging calorimeter consisting of 8 scintillating fiber planes with a total of 3 radiation lengths of tungsten plates interleaved with the fiber planes, and a total absorption calorimeter consisting of crossed lead tungstate (PWO) logs with a total of 27 radiation lengths depth. The primary objectives of the experiment are to measure electron energy spectra from 1 GeV to 20 TeV, to detect gamma-rays over the energy range from 10 GeV to 10 TeV, and to measure the energy spectra of nuclei from protons through iron. In this paper we discuss the capabilities of the instrument for measuring the abundances of nuclei heavier than nickel (Z=28). In particular we will present the maximum charge that can be detected due to instrument dynamic range, the expected charge resolution, and an estimate of the numbers of events expected in 5 years of space flight in the ISS 51.6 degree inclination orbit.