Elastic and inelastic scattering of positrons from hydrogenlike ions

Summary The total elastic cross-sections of the collisions of positrons with various hydrogenlike targets (with nuclear chargeZ=1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 11) are determined at 13 values of the incident energy lying below 6.8 e V(the positronium formation threshold of e⁺-H scattering). The inelastic scattering of positrons by the same targets is investigated for the first time at energies above the positronium formation thresholds. Both scattering processes are treated using a coupled-static formalism and an iterative Green's function partial wave expansion technique. The resulting cross-sections demonstrate the stability of this technique and emphasize the importance of exploring the aspects of positron-ion collisions more fundamentally on both theoretical and experimental levels.     

Inelastic scattering of positrons by lithium-isoelectronic ions

Summary The inelastic scattering of positrons by 11 lithium-isoelectronic ions, (with nuclear chargesZ=4,5,… 14) is investigated for the first time within the framework of the coupled-static and frozen-core approximations. It is assumed that the elastic and positronium channels, in each process, are open and all excitation channels of the target are closed. The calculations of the total cross-sections are carried out by employing eight partial waves, (corresponding to 0≤l≤7, wherel is the total angular momentum of the scattering problem considered). Also, the effect of switching on the polarization potentials of the positroniums on the rearrangement cross-sections is investigated in details. Particular attention is devoted to the relation between the positronium formation cross-sections and the increase in the nuclear charge of the targets. To speed up publication, the author of this paper has agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.     

Elaborate treatment of the inelastic collisions of positrons with alkali atoms and alkaline-earth positive ions using a restricted coupled-static approximation

Summary We present the results of a very elaborate investigation of the inelastic collisions of positrons with the ground states of the first four alkali atoms (³Li,¹¹Na,¹⁹K and³⁸Rb) and their electronically resemblant alkaline-earth positive ions,i.e. ⁴Be⁺,¹²Mg⁺,²⁰Ca⁺ and³⁹Sr⁺, respectively, using a restricted coupled-static approximation in which the reactance matrices are adjusted to be symmetrical. Our interest is concentrated on the calculation of the total elastic and positronium formation cross-sections and their behaviour in the low-energy region (below 10 eV for the atoms) or the regions above the positronium formation thresholds (when the ions are considered). Our results are the most accurate cross-sections expected from the approximation employed. They reveal, within their limits, the most important characteristics of these cross-sections and provide us with a satisfactory comparison between the main features of positron-atom and positron-ion collisions. Present address.     

Recent advances in the characterization of a Ps beam

Recent developments in the field of beams of positronium (Ps) atoms formed in charge-exchange reactions of slow positrons with gaseous targets are reported. The beam production efficiencies with respect to target species and density have been measured, together with a determination of the population of the quantum states of the atoms in the beam. Estimates of the total scattering cross section of Ps with He and Ar targets, at intermediate projectile velocities, have been obtained.     

Positrons — an alternative probe to electron scattering

Interaction of positrons with atoms and molecules differs from electron interaction due to the difference in polarity of the charge. This makes positrons an alternative tool to study atomic and molecular structure. Recent measurements of the total cross-sections for positron scattering at low energies on He, Ar, H₂, N₂, C₆H₆, C₆H₁₂, C₆H₇N carried out at Trento University [Karwasz et al., Acta Phys. Pol. 127, 666 (2005)] are discussed and compared to electron scattering results. All measured total cross-sections exhibit an increase with decreasing positron energy in the limit of zero energy; H₂, N₂, Ar, show regions of constant cross-section which are a few eV-wide, characteristic of scattering on a hard-sphere potential. Helium shows two resonant structures much below the positronium formation threshold. They may be attributed to virtual positronium formation. In conclusion, positron scattering is complementary to electron scattering. The total cross-sections do not show Ramsuaer minima but constant values, and new resonances appear.     

Total (complete) and ionization cross-sections of argon and krypton by positron impact from 15 to 2000 eV – Theoretical investigations

Considering interactions and scattering of positrons with argon (Ar) and krypton (Kr) atoms, we have calculated total cross-sections (Q _T?=?Q _el?+?Q _inel ) using complex spherical potentials for these systems. In positron?Catom scattering it is difficult to bifurcate the ionization and cumulative excitation contained in the total inelastic cross-section. An approximate method called CSP-ic (complex scattering potential-ionization contribution) similar to electron?Catom scattering has been applied to bifurcate ionization and cumulative excitation cross-sections at energies from the threshold to 2000?eV. Adequate comparisons of the present results are made, with available data.     

Four-body treatment of the K-shell positronium formation from multi-electron atoms

The four-body Coulomb-Born distorted-wave approximation with correct boundary conditions (CBDW-4B) is applied to the K-shell positronium formation from multi-electron atoms at intermediate and high impact energies. In the present approach, both K-shell electrons are treated as active electrons. For collisions of positrons with helium, carbon, and neon atoms, both the post and prior forms of the transition amplitude are calculated and the corresponding differential and integral cross sections are compared with the results of the three-body version of the formalism (CBDW-3B). In order to investigate the effects of the static electronic correlations on the process, initial bound states of the active electrons in helium atoms are described by Hylleraas and Silverman wave functions. Also for positronium formation from helium atoms the obtained cross sections are compared with the available experimental data and also with the results of the other theories.     

Inelastic collisions of medium energy atomic elements in solids

The stopping of medium atomic elements in solids has been calculated in the framework of classical approximation, taking into account elastic and inelastic collisions. The calculations are based on the 1) revised equations for the law of energy and impulse conservation, which were earlier used to describe inelastic collisions of atomic particles, 2) theory of quasi-small angle scattering, 3) power potential of LNS, and 4) limitation of the maximum distance of atoms approach determined by the interatomic distance in solids. Analytical equations have been obtained to calculate 1) a differential cross-section of elastic scattering in the presence of inelastic collisions, 2) energy transferred, 3) cross-sections of elastic and inelastic stopping, and penetration depth. Implantation into solids was found to be of threshold character.     

Positron-atom and positron-molecule collisions

The scattering of positrons by atoms and molecules is reviewed. The recent development of monoenergetic slow positron beams and their applications to the measurement of cross sections for positrons interacting in various gases are discussed briefly. The theoretical development of positron collisions in gases is covered from the beginning. Both elastic and the inelastic processes have been included. Comparisons are made between the measured values and theoretical predictions. The deficiencies of the theoretical models and experimental apparatus are also pointed out.     

Measurements of positronium formation cross sections for positron-ar and-K scattering

We have made preliminary measurements of positronium (Ps) formation cross sections for 9 to 452 eV positrons scattered from Ar atoms and for 1 to 20 eV positrons scattered from K atoms. Our experimental approach involves setting lower and upper limits on Ps formation cross sections using a combination of (1) the detection of the coincidences of 511 keV annihilation gamma rays produced by the decay of para-Ps and by the interaction of ortho-Ps with the wall of the scattering cell in which the Ps is formed, and (2) the determination of scattering cross sections associated with the measured transmission of the positron beam through the gas in our scattering cell with the angular discrimination of our apparatus deliberately made as poor as possible. The constraints placed by these lower and upper limits are used to check for consistency with prior experimental and theoretical results for Ar and to provide the first measurements of Ps formation cross sections for K, which are compared with available theoretical results.     

Symmetry and Condensed Matter Physics – A Computational Approach,by M. El-Batanouny and F. Wooten

The behaviour of positrons below the inelastic collision threshold in rare gases can usually be completely accounted for in terms of the annihilation and elastic scattering cross sections for collisions between a positron and a single gas atom. Determining these cross sections has been the subject of many theoretical and experimental investigations. However the basic premise that the positron interacts with the gas atoms, one at a time, has been recently questioned by the yet unexplained results of some low-temperature experiments. This article discusses the annihilation and elastic scattering cross sections as they relate to the conventional picture of positrons in He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe gas; as well as the possibility of bound states for positrons in the gases at low temperatures.     

Elastic scattering of slow positrons on atoms

The results of calculations of the elastic scattering cross section of positrons on noble gas and alkali atoms are presented. The calculations are performed within the one-electron Hartree-Fock approximation with multielectron correlations in the so-called random phase approximation with exchange taken into account. Virtual positronium formation is taken into account and proved to be very important. Arguments are presented that the positron polarization potential is repulsive for alkali atoms. The results obtained are in a reasonable agreement with experiment and with some previously reported calculations.     

Collisions of fast electrons with positronium atoms

Summary Elastic and inelastic collisions of fast non-relativistic electrons with positronium atoms have been studies in the Born-Ochkur approximation. It has been shown that exchange plays an important role for transitions between states with the same parity as in this case the direct scattering amplitude vanishes. Numerical results for the total and ortho-para conversion cross-sections for the 1s→1s, 1s→2s and 1s→2p transitions have been presented for projectile energies varying from 0.1 to 10 keV. According to charge symmetry, presented results apply also to positron projectiles.     

Theoretical studies of antihydrogen formation in collisions between positronium atoms and antiprotons

The current state of the theoretical methods that are used in calculations of cross sections for the production of antihydrogen in collisions between antiprotons and positronium atoms is reviewed. A broad outline of available methods together with the results of recent computations are presented. The main emphasis is made on the general close-coupling approach that allows any reaction channel to be taken as the initial state of the collision system. In this way, and on account of charge-conjugation invariance, the formation of antihydrogen in collisions between antiprotons and positronium atoms becomes linked to positron-hydrogen scattering and the same computational methods can be applied to either reaction. The review gives references to recent papers on the subject.     

Optical potential approach for positron scattering by metastable 2~3S state of helium

The momentum space coupled channels optical(CCO) method for positron scattering has been extended to study the scattering of positrons by metastable helium for impact energies in the range from the positronium threshold up to high energies. Both the positronium formation and ionization continuum channels are included in the calculations via a complex equivalent local potential. The positronium formation, ionization, elastic and 2~3S–2~3P excitation, and total scattering cross sections are all presented and compared with the available information.     

Pick-off quenching probability of ortho-positronium per collision with atoms and molecules

Positronium quenching through its collisions with gaseous atoms and molecules is discussed. It is found that the values of the normalized pick-off quenching parameter, ¹Z_eff, at room temperature are roughly proportional to the geometric collisional cross-sections estimated from the radius of the positronium and those of the atoms and molecules derived from the viscosity. This suggests that the probabilities of the pick-off quenching of the thermalized positronium per collision with various atoms and molecules are almost constant.     

Inelastic cross sections for pentane isomers by positron impact

ABSTRACT

This work aims at the calculation of various inelastic cross sections for three pentane isomers, namely normal pentane, isopentane and neopentane. The direct ionisation, positronium formation, total ionisation and total inelastic cross section are reported for these targets using modified spherical complex optical potential (mSCOP) and complex scattering potential-ionisation contribution (CSP-ic) method. The cross sections are computed for a wide energy range from their respective thresholds to 5?keV. We have also attempted to probe the isomeric effect in the inelastic scattering of positrons from the pentane isomers. The cross sections for the three isomers were found to overlap for the entire comparative energy range except at the peak region. Hence, in general no appreciable isomeric effect was beheld for the pentane isomers.     

Positron-lithium scattering with the inclusion of positronium formation

Detailed studies have been made of elastic scattering and positronium formation in low energy collisions of positrons with lithium atoms for the two partial wavesl=0,1. For this system, as for all alkali atoms, the positronium formation channel is open even at zero positron energy. A two-channel version of the Kohn variational method is used with trial functions containing many variational parameters, and reasonably well converged results are obtained. The s-wave positronium formation cross section is infinite at zero positron energy but it then falls rapidly to become several orders of magnitude smaller than the elastic scattering cross section which has a maximum value of approximately 100 ₀ ² at a positron energy of 0.5 eV. For p-wave scattering the positronium formation cross section rises to a value of approximately 10 ₀ ² at an energy of 0.1 eV, with the elastic scattering cross section rising to a maximum of approximately 60 ₀ ² just below the first excitation threshold at 1.84 eV.     

TRIPLET TO SINGLET CONVERSION OF POSITRONIUM IN OXYGEN

Using a aerogel sample with introduced oxygen gas as a variable energy positronium source,the triplet to singlet conversion of positronium in the elastic and inelastic collisions between positronium atoms and oxygen molecules has been investigated with a time selecting energy spectrometer.We have found that the conversion cross section σ_0—p is proportional to 1/v for slow positronium in the elastic collisons,where v is the mean velocity of positronium,and for the inelastic processes,the cross sections are estimated to be σ_0—p=2.1×10^－17cm² and 6.6×10^－18cm² respectively at kinetic energies of positronium near two thresholds.     

Positron scattering and ionization of neon atoms—theoretical investigations

Although positron scattering with inert gas atoms has been studied in theory as well as in experiment, there are discrepancies. The present work reports all the major total cross sections of e+-neon scattering at incident energies above ionization threshold, originating from a complex potential formalism. Elastic and cumulative inelastic scatterings are treated in the complex spherical e+-atom potential. Our total inelastic cross section includes positronium formation together with ionization and excitation channels in Ne. Because of the Ps formation channel it is difficult to separate out ionization cross sections from the total inelastic cross sections. An approximate method similar to electron-atom scattering has been applied to bifurcate ionization and cumulative excitation cross sections at energies from threshold to 2000 eV. Comparisons of present results with available data are made. An important outcome of this work is the relative contribution of different scattering processes, which we have shown by a bar-chart at the ionization peak.