Transmission of positrons with aβ + energy distribution through thin films

The transmission through Al foils of isotropically implanted positrons from a²²Na ⁺ source has been measured. It is shown that the transmission is reasonably well-described using an exponential profile once backscattering is accounted for, except for thicknesses below approximately 7 mg/cm². Below this thickness, the measured transmission is slightly less than that predicted by the exponential profile. Such a deviation has previously been observed for collimated positrons, suggesting that the implantation profile has no significant dependence on the spatial distribution of the incident positrons. This deviation is critical for the proper interpretation of positron lifetime experiments on thin films using a conventional positron lifetime spectrometer.     

Characterization of diamond single crystals by means of double-crystal X-ray diffraction and positron annihilation

The crystallinity of synthesized and natural crystals of diamond was characterized by double-crystal X-ray diffraction and positron annihilation. The two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation and positron lifetime measurements revealed that in natural crystals positroniums are formed in a high fraction. The synthesized crystal Ib showed both an extremely small width for the diffraction and a positron lifetime spectrum with a single component of the lifetime of 115 ps. In contrast, the natural diamonds contain a long-lived component of lifetime longer than 2 ns. The diffusion length of positrons was also measured by a variable-energy positron beam. In the synthesized crystal IIa, a diffusion length of about 100.8 nm was observed.Paper presented at the 132nd WE-Heraeus-Seminar on Positron Studies of Semiconductor Defects, Halle, Germany, 29 August to 2 September 1994     

Compact positron beam for measurement of transmission moderator efficiencies and positron yields of encapsulated sources

We have constructed a simple positron beam for measuring both the efficiencies of positron moderator foils and the positron yields of encapsulated positron beam sources. The slow-positron emission rate from the moderator is determined from the positron annihilation radiation. This technique is also applied to measure source yields. In addition to the coincidence technique, the source yield is determined by measuring electric currents generated by the annihilating positrons. The performance of the system is demonstrated with different tungsten moderator foils before and after heat treatments, and several sources with primary activities in the range 1-50 mCi.     

Low energy positron scattering from atoms in and on solids observed with low energy positron diffraction and reemission microscopy

The present status of low energy positron diffraction (LEPD) and positron reemission microscopy (PRM) is reviewed in the context of unanswered questions regarding the elastic scattering of positrons in the 1–300 eV energy range from atoms in solids and at solid surfaces. Recent LEPD studies yield an agreement between theoretical and experimental diffraction intensities for semiconductors that has never been equalled in electron diffraction studies. This situation is discussed in terms of the repulsive interaction between the positron and the embedded atomic potential and the lack of exchange with the nonspherically distributed valence electrons. The scattering of re-emitted positrons in PRM from atoms chemisorbed or physisorbed on the re-emitting surface has not yet received the same theoretical attention as scattering from embedded atoms in LEPD. Possible ways in which positron scattering from overlying atomic structures manifests itself in PRM as well as positron re-emission holography are discussed, both from the practical viewpoint of observing these structures and in the context of fundamental questions regarding the positron re-emission process itself.     

Intense source of slow positrons from pulsed electron accelerators

A pulsed LINAC is used for pair production in a tantalum target of 2.5 radiation lengths in an energy range from 80 to 260 MeV. Several well-annealed tungsten vanes are placed immediately behind the target and thermalize a small fraction of the fast positrons. The slow positrons are extracted from the target region and magnetically guided over a distance of 17 m to the detector at the end of an S-shaped solenoid. Two Nal detectors with well-known detection efficiency are used to register the 511 keV annihilation-rays. To reduce pile-up effects 50 mm of Pb were placed in front of the detectors. At an average electron current of 1 A we could detect about 10⁷ slow positrons per second. The positron yield is proportional to the electron current, and shows an increase with the electron energy for our target. The positron energy distribution has a FWHM of 1.8 eV.     

Semi-insulating GaAs: A possible substrate for a field-assisted positron moderator

Positron lifetime spectroscopy measurements have been carried out for semi-insulating GaAs with applied electric fields in the samples directed towards, and away from the positron injecting contact. The lifetime spectra have been decomposed into two components, the longer of which (400 ps) is characteristic of open volume defects at the metal-semiconductor interface through which positrons are injected. The interesting feature of these experiments is the large increase in the intensity of this interface component as the field is directed towards the contact. We show that this increase is caused by a significant fraction of implanted positrons drifting under the influence of a strong electric field produced by a layer of space-charge formed adjacent to the positron injecting contact. The general trend of the intensity variation is well explained by the proposed model. Experiments involving the application of an ac bias to the samples strengthen the suggestion that the space charge region is largely formed from ionized EL2 donors. The results of the present work indicate that semi-insulating GaAs possesses properties that make it a suitable material for the fabrication of a high efficiency (10%) room-temperature field-assisted positron moderator. The extraction of positrons from the GaAs substrate into the vacuum through a thin metalization is discussed based upon available positron affinities for the GaAs and various elemental metals. These data suggest that a few monolayers of a strongly electronegative metal such as Au or Pd may allow vacuum emission through quantum tunneling.     

On the interpretation of positron-annihilation data in powders and fine-grained materials

Monte-Carlo simulations of positron diffusion are carried out for powders consisting of spherical and ellipsoidal particles with and without defects. Following Bergersen et al. [1], elastic positron-phonon interaction is considered to be dominant for scattering processes in positron diffusion. The central question is which fraction of the positrons would be able to reach the particle boundaries. Hence, we calculate the Fraction of Positrons reaching particle Surface (FPS). The presence of defects in the particles can drastically reduce FPS depending on the defect concentration and capture rate. We demonstrate that for small-grained materials the grain surface can influence the lifetime signal significantly.Paper presented at the 132nd WE-Heraeus-Seminar on Positron Studies of Semiconductor Defects, Halle, Germany, 29 August to 2 September 1994     

Equivalent resonance radius of contoured AT-cut quartz resonators

A new positron field-assisted (FA) moderator based on the drift of positrons across a cooled silicon crystal is proposed. Using estimates for both the ⁺ implantation profile and attainable drift velocities, the efficiency of drift to a slow e⁺ emitting surface is calculated using a diffusion equation which incorporates terms describing positron drift and annihilation. It is conjectured that efficiencies of up to 10% can be achieved. The use of epitaxially grown metallic suicide contacts to facilitate the application of the electric field is described and the consequences of using such contacts are fully discussed. Applications of the FA transmission mode moderator described here to produce timed brightness enhanced beams are briefly discussed.     

真空电子偶素原子的产生

用慢正电子束入射固体靶表面,通过测量湮没光子能谱随靶温度和入射慢正电子能量的变化,用“峰法”确定慢正电子产生电子偶素原子的转换率。转换率依赖于靶材料、靶温度和入射慢正电子能量。对材料锗转换率可达80％。 关键词：     

Temperature dependence of positron annihilation characteristics on the surfaces of graphite powders

Positron lifetime measurements have been made on graphite powders, grafoils, and pyrolytic graphite crystals with different surface areas in the temperature range between 25° and 600 °C. Three positron lifetimes were found in these systems: a short-lived component (0.2 ns) due to positrons in the bulk; a component (0.45 ns) due to surface-trapped positrons; and a long-lived component (2 ns) ofo-Ps in the voids or the interfacial spaces of powders. Both bulk and surface positron lifetimes increase as a function of temperature. Correlations between the intensity of surface-trapped positrons and the surface area and between Ps formation and the surface area of graphite are found. The Ps formation probability increases as a function of temperature. A thermal desorption model interprets the emission process of Ps atoms from the surface of graphite to the vacuum and gives an activation energy of 0.23±0.02 eV.Preliminary results of this paper were presented at the March Meeting of American Physical Society, Los Angeles. Bull. Am. Phys. Soc.28, 347 (1983)     

Demonstration of positron re-emission microscopy using an immersion objective

Hulett et al. have suggested forming a magnified image of the positrons re-emitted from a surface having a negative positron affinity as a new kind of microscope, the positron re-emission microscope (PRM). We have built an immersion objective (cathode lens) for the PRM and obtained the first images using a Ni film back-illuminated with 5 keV positrons from a brightness enhanced slow positron beam. The magnification at the detector plane is 330x and the resolution is better than 1m. With the addition of a projector lens the magnification and resolution should be sufficient to observe defect structures and large molecules on the surface.     

Experiments at the Giessen source TEPOS with low energy positrons

The TEPOS facility at the Giessen LINAC delivers intense positron beams in the energy range between some eV and 6 keV; with postacceleration up to 80 keV. Results for remoderation and positron storage will be discussed. Further the energy-loss of positrons in thin aluminium foils at incident energies of 6–20 keV was measured. Cross sections for K- and L-shell ionization of thin silver and gold targets by positron and electron impact were determined at projectile energies of 30–70 keV. The experimental results are presented in detail; they are confirmed by calculations in plane wave Born approximation (PWBA) which include an electron exchange term and take into account the deceleration or acceleration of the incident projectile in the nuclear field of the target atom.     

Influence of surface conditions on thermal positron reemission spectra from W(100)

Our measurements trace the temporal dependence of positron reemission spectral features, namely, the reemission intensity, energy and angular distributions with post-cleaning time and oxygen exposure. The unwanted inelastic component in the reemission spectra can be kept at less than 6 % of the total reemitted positrons during long and continuous operation by simply ensuring the cleanliness of the sample with better vacuum level. Simultaneously the other optimized spectral features of the beam can be maintained except for the reemission spectral intensity which decreased with increasing time after cleaning. Even though oxygen at high temperature is used normally in the cleaning process of the tungsten moderators, exposure of the sample to oxygen at room temperature caused an exponential reduction in the reemission yield with exposure time.     

An Alternative Approach to Understanding the Observed Positron Fraction

Space-based observations by PAMELA (Adriani et al., Nature 458, 607, 2009), Fermi-LAT (Ackerman et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 01103, 2012), and AMS (Aguilar et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 141102, 2013) have demonstrated that the positron fraction (e+/total-e) increases with increasing energy above about 10 GeV. According to the propagation model for Galactic cosmic rays in widespread use (Moskalenko & Strong, Astrophys. J. 493, 693, 1998), the production of secondary positrons from interaction of cosmic-ray protons and heavier nuclei with the interstellar medium gives a generally falling positron fraction between 10 and 100 GeV, with secondary positrons accounting for only ～20 % of the observed positron fraction at 100 GeV; so some other physical phenomena have been proposed to explain the data. An alternative approach to interpreting the positron observations is to consider these data as presenting an opportunity for re-examining models of Galactic cosmic-ray propagation. Following release of the PAMELA data, three groups published propagation models (Shaviv, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 111302, 2009, Cowsik and Burch, Phys. Rev. D. 82, 023009, 2010, Katz et al., Mon. Not. R. Aston. Soc. 405, 1458 2010) in which the observed positron fraction is explained entirely by secondary positrons produced in the interstellar medium. In May of this year, stimulated by the AMS extension of the positron data to higher energy with excellent statistics, two of those groups presented further development of their calculations (Cowsik et al. 2013, Blum et al. 2013), again concluding that the observed positrons can be understood as secondaries. None of the authors of these five papers was registered for the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC). Although I am not an author of any of these papers, I have some close familiarity with one of these recent papers, so the conference organizers invited me to bring this alternative approach to the attention of the conference. The present paper is a summary of the material I presented, along with a brief comment about reaction at the conference to this approach.     

Diffusion of positrons to surfaces

Low-energy positrons implanted into a crystal can diffuse to the surface where they may be detected, for instance, by observing the formation of positronium. We describe the positron motion by a one-dimensional diffusion equation, and discuss the measurement of vacancy activation energies, positron diffusion constants, and positron stopping profiles.     

Experimentelle Untersuchung der direkten Elektron-Positron-Paarerzeugung in Kupfer durch Elektronen von 5,8 MeV kinetischer Energie

The direct production of positrons by electrons in copper was investigated using the 5.8 MeV electron beam from the 6 MeV microtron of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. Cross sections were derived from the measurements under the assumption that the positrons produced directly and those produced indirectly by bremsstrahlung photons have the same angular distribution. The values obtained are greater than those calculated numerically by Löns by a factor of 1.3 to 1.45. It is shown that there is an essential contribution of direct positron production to the electron positron conversion factor in thin foils consisting of elements with low atomic number. The experimental set-up is described in detail. Its main feature is the use of a special positron transmission line with bending magnet in order to overcome background difficulties.     

Geminga contribution to the cosmic-ray positron excess according to the gamma-ray observations

We attempt to interpret the cosmic-ray positron excess by injection from the nearby pulsar Geminga, assuming a two-zone diffusion scenario and an injection spectrum with a low energy cutoff. Since the high energy positrons and electrons from Geminga can induce γ rays via inverse Compton scattering, we take into account the extended γ-ray observations around Geminga from HAWC for ∼10 TeV and from Fermi-LAT for ${ \mathcal O }(10)$ GeV. According to the extended γ-ray observation claimed by an analysis of Fermi-LAT data, we find that Geminga could explain the positron excess for a 30% energy conversion efficiency into positrons and electrons. However, based on the constraint on the extended γ rays given by another Fermi-LAT analysis, positrons from Geminga would be insufficient to account for the positron excess. Further robust analysis of Fermi-LAT data for the extended γ rays would be crucial to determine whether Geminga can explain the positron excess or not.     

Structural and IR studies on Cu-Ti mixed ferrite

The sensitivity of the positron to the internal electric fields in good quality thin (100 nm) Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE)-grown layers is experimentally demonstrated. Both a thin intrinsic layer grown on a p-type substrate and a highly n-doped profile buried in intrinsic silicon form effective barriers to positron diffusion although no defects can be detected. We also extract, from a full treatment of the positron diffusion, a quantitative estimate of the concentration, below the detection limits of other methods, of large vacancy clusters in a thick (680 nm) film.     

GaN-a new material for positron moderation

GaN with its wide bandgap might be of interest as a positron moderation material in much the same way as SiC is. To investigate this, positron beam experiments have been performed to establish the diffusion behaviour and surface branching of positrons implanted with energies varying from 0 to 25 keV into an epitaxially grown layer of semi-insulating GaN on a sapphire substrate. The measured diffusion length of the positrons amounted to 19.3 ± 1.4 nm. The surface branching ratios were as follows: 48% positron emission, 12% positronium formation and 40% trapping at the surface. The positron workfunction was shown to be negative with a value of 2.4 ± 0.3 eV. The materials feasibility for positron moderation and its possible use in field assisted moderation is discussed.     

Positron annihilation studies of vacancy-type defects

The annihilation radiation of low energy positrons gives information on the electronic and defect structure of solids. There are three conventionally measurable quantities: the positron lifetime, the angular correlation of 2 annihilation radiation and the Doppler-broadened annihilation line shape. In the presence of lattice defects the annihilation characteristics show considerable changes. This is due to positron trapping at defects like vacancies and their agglomerates, voids, dislocations and grain boundaries. The concentration of defects can be deduced from the ratio of trapped and free positrons.The annihilation characteristics are different for different defect configurations. Positrons reveal vacancy agglomeration and the lifetime of trapped positrons gives estimates on the size of microvoids in the range of 2–10 Å. Various examples on the study of equilibrium and non-equilibrium defects, radiation damage and defect annealing are presented. Special emphasis is given to vacancy recovery and vacancy-impurity interactions in electron and neutron irradiated bcc transition metals like Fe, Mo, Nb, Ta.