Test of the CRASH experiment counters at GSI

The CRASH (Cosmic RAys and Strange Hadronic matter) balloon- borne experiment is specifically designed for the detection of the Strange Quark Matter, which according to theory is probably present in the cosmic-ray radiation at the top of the atmosphere. The detection technique is based on the measure of the A/Z ratio of the nuclei crossing the detector. The charge, the velocity and the mass of the incoming nuclei are determined using both active and passive detectors. First results of the tests of the Cerenkov and scintillation counters performed at GSI Darmstadt with heavy ions (Ar and Ni) of different energies are reported.