The role of positronium decoherence in positron annihilation in matter

A small difference between the energies of the para-positronium (p-Ps) and ortho-positronium (o-Ps) states suggests the possibility of the superposition of p-Ps and o-Ps during the formation of positronium (Ps) from pre-Ps, terminating its migration in the matter in a void. It is shown that such a superposition decoheres in the basis of p-Ps and o-Ps. The decoherence time scale estimated here motivates a correction in the precise analysis of the positron annihilation lifetime spectra. More generally, the superposited Ps state should contribute to the theory of the evolution of positronium in matter.     

Positron annihilation in synthetic zeolites (II) magnetic quenching effect

Positron lifetime spectra were re-measured for a series of synthetic zeolites using a large time window of observation. Magnetic quenching experiments were also performed for the zeolites, and it has been confirmed that both the ₄ and the ₃ components are due to o-Ps. The annihilation rate of the third component, ₃, showed a good correlation with the size of the largest voids, which is similar to the correlation reported for other compounds. However the annihilation rate of the longest-lived component, ₄, showed a poor correlation with the void size. The ₃ component has thus been assigned to o-Ps in the regular voids of the zeolites, and the ₄ component to that escaped to inter-particle open spaces.     

Positronium annihilation in silica aerogel studied by a positron age-momentum correlation technique

A high-performance positron age-momentum correlation (AMOC) spectrometer was newly developed.The counting rate is increased up to 200 cps much larger than the value 20 cps reported by other international groups.And at the same time,the time resolution still keeps at the international level of 220 ps.Furthermore,positronium (Ps) annihilation in silica aerogel was investigated by AMOC,which indicates:(1) Ps annihilation between the grains dominantly undergoes pick-off process and spin conversion from o-Ps to p-Ps;(2) Annealing below 400 ℃ changes the grain surface conditions,i.e.the desorption of hydrogen and the decrease of the defect centers concentration.     

ON THE NATURE OF THE MEDIUM LIFETIME COMPONENT OF POSITRON ANNIHILATION IN TEFLON POLYMER

The nature of the medium lifetime component of positron annihilation in Teflon (PTFE) polymer has been investigated by using a recently developed time-selecting γ ray energy spectro-meter with and without magnetic field.It has been assigned to o-Ps quenching annihilation too,just like the case of the longest lifetime component.     

The Analysis of 3γ/2γ in the Measurement of Positron Annihilation Doppler-broadening Spectroscopy

Doppler-broadening slow positron annihilation spectroscopy is used to measure the concentration, spatial distribution, and size of open-volume defects in surface and interface of material. In this method, the quantitative evaluation is generally carried out with the line shape parameter S and W, but sometimes the parameters provide some finite information. For example, if positron and electron form positronium (include o-Ps and p-Ps) in material, the parameters S and W may provide little information about positronium even complicate the analyses. A parameter I_3γ, defined as o-Ps self-decay intensity, was used to analyze Ag layer capped and non-capped silica aerogel by slow positron annihilation Doppler -broadening spectroscopy. The result shows that I_3γ can provide more information for researching mesoporous material and nanometer film.     

Positronium Decay in a Circular Polarized Laser Field

We calculate the lifetime of both the o-Ps and the p-Ps positronium annihilation decay Ps→γγ in the strong circular polarized laser field. We take a strategy of the factorization to separate the effects caused by the Coulomb interaction and the strong laser field interaction. It is factorized in the time direction but not in the space direction. Our results show that in the laser with long wavelength and high intensity, the lifetimes of those Ps states are dramatically increased. For CO₂ laser with 10 μm wavelength and 10¹³ W/cm² intensity, lifetime of the spin-single positronium is increased by 10⁸ times. Our result is consistent with those obtained by solving the Schödinger equation. This effect may be useful for the high harmonic generation (HHG) effects provided with the Ps [Phys. Rev. Lett. 70 (1993) 774; Phys. Rev. Lett. 93 (2004) 013601].     

Electric field of a buried interfacial region measured by positron-lifetime spectroscopy

Positrons from a radioactive source are implanted into a reverse-biased metal–semiconductor contact and are drifted back towards the contact by the internal electric field where they trap into voids and annihilate. The electric field dependent interface annihilation fraction is monitored by way of the intensity of the long (∼400–500 ps) void lifetime component using positron-lifetime spectroscopy. Unlike previous analyses of such systems a numerical model involving positron drift, annihilation and trapping into the interfacial state has been constructed to describe the positron dynamics in the presence of the non-uniform junction electric field. The use of the positron-lifetime technique in probing the internal electric field at buried contacts is thus demonstrated. Results obtained using the numerical method for the Au, Al and Ni/Semi-Insulating (SI)-GaAs contact systems are found to be consistent with the findings of previous studies on the Au/SI-GaAs system. Received: 29 November 2000 / Accepted: 26 February 2001 / Published online: 25 July 2001     

A study of porous silicon prepared under different HF concentrations by positron annihilation

Two-dimensional angular correlation of positron-electron annihilation radiation and positron-lifetime experiments have been performed on lightly doped porous silicons prepared under different HF concentrations. Positronium formation in the etched pores and positron trapped in voids are observed in both experiments. A surprising result is found that both positron lifetime and momentum spectra show a reduction in the size of the etched pores with decreasing HF concentration in the etching solution. This trend is different from the intuitive expectation that the pore size increases with increasing porosity. Our result can be explained in terms of the formation mechanism of porous film in lightly doped silicon.     

Investigation of nanocrystalline CoFe 2 O 4 by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

Nanoparticles of cobalt ferrite prepared by the co-precipitation method with crystallite size varying from 4.7 to 41 nm have been characterized by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. Three lifetime components are fitted to the lifetime data. The shortest lifetime component is attributed to the delocalized positron lifetime shortened by defect trapping. The intermediate lifetime is assigned to the positron annihilation in diffuse vacancy clusters or microvoids at the grain boundaries and at the grain-boundary triple points. The longest component corresponds to the pick-off annihilation of ortho-positronium formed at the larger voids. The variations in these lifetimes and their relative intensities with annealing temperature and crystallite size have been studied in detail.     

Positronium atom in solids

The angular distribution of annihilation 's in quartz shows that the half-width of the narrow component of the correlation curves depends on the state of aggregation (whether the substance is a single crystal, a powder, or a glass). Before annihilation, the positronium atoms may be captured by defects (vacancies, pores, or regions of reduced electron density); if this is true, the half-width of the narrow component and the long positron lifetime depend on the characteristics of the defects or traps. The sizes of the defects in certain solids (quartz glass; powdered beryllium, magnesium, and aluminum oxides; and polytetrafluoroethylene) are evaluated from the experimental half-width of the narrow component and the long positron lifetime.Translated from Izvestiya VUZ. Fizika, No. 5, pp. 59–64, May, 1971.     

A new position state in niobium containing voids

A remarkably narrow component was found in the angular correlation curve of photon pairs resulting from the annihilation of positrons in neutron-irradiated niobium containing voids. The gamma-ray energy spectrum obtained from a NaI(TI) detector did not give evidence of 3-γ annihilation. This suggests that in voids positrons exist in positronium states or in free states and decay primarily by 2-γ annihilation.     

Positron-annihilation investigation of high-temperature neutron-irradiated molybdenum

Molybdenum samples have been irradiated in EBR II at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1500°C. Both lifetime and Doppler-broadening measurements of the positron annihilation characteristics have been performed and the effects of voids on these measurements determined. Good correlation of both measurements with the suspected swelling behavior has been obtained consistent with a peak in the swelling between 0.3 and 0.4 T_m, where T_m is the melting-point temperature. These positron techniques appear to be a much more sensitive probe of void swelling than other investigative methods. At temperatures greater than 600°C, a change in the positron lifetime is attributed to the possible arrival of impurities at the void surface. A third, as yet unresolved lifetime component, appears to be present that causes the values of τ₁, the shorter lifetime associated with the free-lattice annihilations, to be too large relative to an annealed sample. A possible explanation is the presence of radiation-induced dislocation loops that can act as additional positron trapping sites.     

Positron annihilation in small metal voids

The electron density profile around small voids of varying radii in Al is calculated in a fully self-consistent manner using the density-functional formalism of Hohenberg-Kohn-Sham. The results are then used to calculate positron lifetimes and angular correlation between annihilation photons as a function of the size of the void.     

正电子偶素(o-Ps)寿命困惑及其最终解决

正电子偶素o-Ps是由电子和正电子组成的纯轻子束缚系统，o-Ps在真空中的寿命可由量子电动力学进行精确的理论计算，但长期以来理论值和实验测量值之间存在较大的偏差，为了解决这一问题，理论和实验物理学经过长期共同努力，最终于近年解决了o-Ps寿命困惑．文章简要介绍了正电子偶素o-Ps寿命理论值和实验值之间不一致的历史状况和最近的实验技术的改进以及该问题的最终解决情况，并重点介绍了Tokyo实验组和Michigan实验组的最新结果．     

Helium bubbles in neutron-irradiated copper-boron studied by positron annihilation

The influence of helium, introduced by the ¹⁰B(n, α)⁷Li reaction, on the evolution of defect structure in copper containing a few hundred ppm boron has been studied by detailed positron lifetime and two-photon angular correlation measurements, supplemented by TEM studies. In the as-irradiated state of Cu-B, two lifetime components have been resolved. The shorter lifetime, τ₁, = 167 ps of 97% intensity, has been understood as due to positron trapping at small helium-vacancy complexes, while the longer lifetime τ₂ = 450 ps of 3% intensity is explained as due to helium-free voids. Marked changes in the annihilation characteristics observed at 670 K are interpreted in terms of the nucleation of microbubbles, controlled by thermally activated helium migration to vacancy traps. Corroborative evidence for the onset of helium clustering is obtained from the change in the average size of positron traps as deduced from the smearing of the measured angular correlation spectra. Helium bubbles and helium-free voids coexisting in the system have been distinguished by a three-component analysis of the lifetime spectra. Bubbles are found to be stable beyond the temperature of dissociation of voids. The size and concentration of bubbles, determined independently by TEM measurements, are in accordance with the positron annihilation results in the growth stage. The observed positron lifetime at higher annealing temperatures has been analysed by relating the annihilation rate to helium atom density and helium pressures in bubbles evaluated. These pressures are in satisfactory agreement with the estimates of equilibrium pressures, leading to the conclusion that bubble relaxation occurs by the mechanism of thermal vacancy condensation.     

Investigation of the free volume and ionic conducting mechanism of poly（ethylene oxide）-LiClO_4 polymeric electrolyte by positron annihilating lifetime spectroscopy

The positron annihilation lifetime and ionic conductivity are each measured as a function of organophilic rectorite（OREC） content and temperature in a range from 160 K to 300 K.According to the variation of ortho-positronium（o-Ps） lifetime with temperature,the glassy transition temperature is determined.The continuous maximum entropy lifetime（MELT） analysis clearly shows that the OREC and temperature have important effects on o-Ps lifetime and free volume distribution.The experimental results show that the temperature dependence of ionic conductivity obeys the Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher（VTF） and Williams-Landel-Ferry（WLF） equations,implying a free-volume transport mechanism.A linear least-squares procedure is used to evaluate the apparent activation energy related to the ionic transport in the VTF equation and several important parameters in the WLF equation.It is worthwhile to notice that a direct linear relationship between the ionic conductivity and free volume fraction is established using the WLF equation based on the free volume theory for nanocomposite electrolyte,which indicates that the segmental chain migration and ionic migration and diffusion could be explained by the free volume theory.     

Investigation of the free volume and ionic conducting mechanism of poly（ethylene oxide）-LiClO₄ polymeric electrolyte by positron annihilating lifetime spectroscopy

The positron annihilation lifetime and ionic conductivity are each measured as a function of organophilic rectorite(OREC) content and temperature in a range from 160 K to 300 K.According to the variation of ortho-positronium(o-Ps) lifetime with temperature,the glassy transition temperature is determined.The continuous maximum entropy lifetime(MELT) analysis clearly shows that the OREC and temperature have important effects on o-Ps lifetime and free volume distribution.The experimental results show that the temperature dependence of ionic conductivity obeys the Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher(VTF) and Williams-Landel-Ferry(WLF) equations,implying a free-volume transport mechanism.A linear least-squares procedure is used to evaluate the apparent activation energy related to the ionic transport in the VTF equation and several important parameters in the WLF equation.It is worthwhile to notice that a direct linear relationship between the ionic conductivity and free volume fraction is established using the WLF equation based on the free volume theory for nanocomposite electrolyte,which indicates that the segmental chain migration and ionic migration and diffusion could be explained by the free volume theory.     

Annihilation of positronium atoms in an oscillatory field

Annihilation parameters (the angular correlation curve and positronium lifetime) are calculated for annihilation of positronium atoms in a three-dimensional oscillatory well. This well can serve as a model of a positron trap in rigid bodies. The model lends itself to exact mathematical analysis, and it admits separation of variables of the center-of-mass motion and the relative motion of the particle. A calculation is given for the wave functions of a positronium, which oscillatory field. The wave function of the relative motion of the particles at small distances is similar to the wave function of free positronium, which gives us a basis to speak of the annihilation of an electron-positron pair as the annihilation of a positronium atom in an oscillatory field. With a decrease in the size of the trap, broadening of the correlation curve occurs, which has Gaussian form for the annihilation of positronium from the minimum condition for center-of-mass motion. The bound state of the electron and positron exists even in traps of the size of the Bohr radius. The model permits evaluation of the size of traps over an experimentally chosen narrow component of the correlation curve.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 82–87, March, 1989.     

A slow positron lifetime study of the annealing behaviour of an amorphous silicon layer grown by MBE

We have studied MBE grown amorphous silicon, which was recrystallized at different temperatures for one hour, with a pulsed positron beam. A positron lifetime of 538±10 ps in the as-grown state is attributed to microvoids containing at least 10 vacancies. An incompletely recrystallized sample annealed at 500°C shows an additional long lifetime from ortho-positronium (o-Ps) pick-off annihilation. The o-Ps component disappears for samples, recrystallized at 700°C and above, and the defect lifetime steadily decreases with higher annealing temperature until a value of 310 ps is reached for the layer annealed at 1200°C. This value is explained by positron trapping at dislocations or small vacancy defects stabilized by dislocations or impurities.Paper presented at the 132nd WE-Heraeus-Seminar on Positron Studies of Semiconductor Defects, Halle, Germany, 29 August to 2 September 1994     

A two-parameter measurement of the correlation of positron age with the momentum of the annihilating positron-electron pair

The momentum spectrum of annihilating positron-electron pairs is normally analysed in terms of two or more momentum groups. If the medium is heterogeneous, or if it permits the formation of positronium, the annihilation time spectrum also becomes complex with as many as four resolvable exponential components. The interrelationship of these groups is difficult to establish because the usual measurements of time and momentum spectra are done with instruments of low absolute efficiency. We have made simultaneous measurements of time and energy spectra using a Ge(Li) spectrometer as a momentum analyser, obtaining an approximate hundredfold increase in data output at a cost of a factor of 3 in momentum resolution. The momentum spectrum of the intermediate lifetime component in a plastic scintillator is shown to be very similar to that of the long-lived orthopositronium. Recent developments in fast timing and in high purity Ge detectors should improve both the quality and quantity of data from these techniques, making them feasible for routine studies of polymers, chemical solutions and metallic voids.