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 states and nanoobjects in proton-irradiated quartz single crystals: Positronium atom in quartz

The influence of proton bombardment and metal atom impurities on the structure of quartz single crystals has been studied. The related defects have been studied using positron annihilation spectroscopy (angular correlation of positron-annihilation photons), acoustic absorption, and optical absorption measurements. It is shown that the presence of a narrow component f in the angular distribution of annihilation photons (ADAP), which is related to the formation of parapositronium, determines a high sensitivity of this method with respect to features of the crystal structure of quartz. It is established that the defectness of the structure of irradiated quartz crystals can be characterized by the ratio f/f ₀ of the relative intensities of narrow components in the ADAP curves measured before (f ₀) and after (f) irradiation. Any process leading to a decrease in the probability of positronium formation (e.g., positron loss as a result of the trapping on defects and the interaction with impurity atoms and lattice distortions) decreases the intensity of the narrow component. Based on the ADAP data, estimates of the radii and concentrations of nanodefects in quartz have been obtained and their variation upon annealing at temperatures up to T = 873 K has been studied.     

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.     

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     

The magnetic dipole moment of the 91 keV state of147Pm

The magnetic dipole interaction of the 91 keV state of¹⁴⁷Pm in an environment of metallic neodymium has been investigated by a time-differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) experiment. The measurement was performed in an external magnetic field of 2.94 (3) T at room temperature. From the Larmor precession frequency the magnetic dipole moment of the 91 keV state is derived as =+3.22(16) _K. The enhancement of the external magnetic field by the paramagnetic 4f shell determines the ionicity of the Pm ion as Pm³⁺ in metallic and as Pm⁴⁺ in non-metallic sources.     

Self-force on an electric dipole in the spacetime of a cosmic string

We calculate the electrostatic self-force on an electric dipole in the spacetime generated by a static, thin, infinite and straight cosmic string. The electric dipole is held fixed in different configurations, namely, parallel, perpendicular to the cosmic string and oriented along the azimuthal direction around this topological defect, which is stretched along the z$z$ axis. We show that the self-force is equivalent to an interaction of the electric dipole with an effective dipole moment which depends on the linear mass density of the cosmic string and on the configuration. The plots of the self-forces as functions of the parameter which determines the angular deficit of the cosmic string are shown for those different configurations.     

Positron annihilation in alkali-halide crystals after electron irradiation

The effect of electron beam irradiation on the positron annihilation in KCl, KBr, NaCl single crystals was investigated. The narrowing of the angular correlation curves increases up to the saturation value with the absorbed radiation dose. The shape of the received narrow components differs from the narrow component measured in the additively colored samples. This phenomenon shows the considerable influence of the hole centres upon the positron annihilation in ionic crystals. Paper presented at 3rd Internat. Conf. Positron Annihilation, Otaniemi, Finland (August 1973).     

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.     

Positron annihilation in synthetic zeolites

Both lifetime and angular correlation of positron annihilation have been measured for a series of synthetic zeolites for which the void structures are known fairly well. All of the zeolites had long lifetime components and a narrow momentum component which are ascribable to o-Ps and p-Ps annihilations in the voids, respectively. The correlation between the width of the p-Ps narrow component and the size of the largest voids showed a remarkable agreement with a theoretical estimate based on the spherical potential well model. The measurement of p-Ps momentum thus appears to be prospective as a tool to determine the size of voids of materials. The lifetime of the long lifetime component, on the other hand, showed a poor correlation with the void size even from a qualitative viewpoint, suggesting that factors other than the simple void size effect are dominant in determining the o-Ps lifetimes. Discussion is made on the cause of the different dependences of o-Ps and p-Ps annihilation parameters on the void size. It has also been found that p-Ps fraction is always larger than one third of the o-Ps fraction in all the zeolites studied. A discussion is presented on this point, too.Formerly, RIISOM     

Charge Correlations in a Coulomb System Along a Plane Wall: A Relation Between Asymptotic Behavior and Dipole Moment

Classical Coulomb systems at equilibrium, bounded by a plane dielectric wall, are studied. A general two-point charge correlation function is considered. Valid for any fixed position of one of the points, a new relation is found between the algebraic tail of the correlation function along the wall and the dipole moment of that function. The relation is tested first in the weak-coupling (Debye–Hückel) limit, and afterwards, for the special case of a plain hard wall, on the exactly solvable two-dimensional two-component plasma at coupling =2, and on the two-dimensional one-component plasma at an arbitrary even integer .     

Electric Dipole Moment Function of the OH Molecule

The electric dipole moment function of the OH radical in the ground electronic state is constructed for internuclear distances R [0, ]. The electric dipole moment function is represented as a piecewise continuous function satisfying physically exact asymptotes and experimental values of the electric dipole moment and its derivatives for equilibrium positions of nuclei of the radical. The Padé form for the electric dipole moment function of the OH radical is also approximated. Electric dipole moment functions obtained are compared with the results of ab initio calculations.     

Positron annihilation in nonmetallic solids

In positron annihilation investigations of nonmetallic solids, the standard deviation of the gaussian component of the angular correlation curve is elucidated as material constant. It is related to the apparent radius of the chemical unit of the substance in question.     

Influence of temperature on the angular correlation curve in the annihilation of an electron—Positron pair in a force field

The influence of temperature on the angular correlation curve of annihilation gamma quanta in the annihilation of an electron—positron pair in an oscillator field is investigated with allowance for excited states of the center-of-mass motion of the pair. The given field can be regarded as a model of a certain trap for an interacting electron and positron. It is shown that the angular correlation curve has a Gaussian form, irrespective of the temperature, but its half-width depends on the temperature. At high temperatures the half-width is proportional to the square root of the temperature. The applicability of the result to the interpretation of experiments is discussed.V. I. Lenin Pedagogical University, Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 9, pp. 60–63, September, 1994.     

Time dependence of the dipole moment of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis><Subscript>1</Subscript> electronic state in molecules with charge transfer

It is shown that the time dependence of the dipole moment μ(t) of molecules with charge transfer can be determined on the basis of the correlation functions found from processing of the instantaneous spontaneous emission spectra of the molecules. The time dependence calculated for a solution of dimethylaminobenzonitrile molecules shows that, during the lifetime of an excited electronic state, the dipole moment changes from 9.3 ± 0.7 to 15.7 ± 0.7 D, with the most significant change occurring in the initial, quick, range of the correlation function.     

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.     

Dipole moment studies of the structure of 2,6-diaryl-4-piperidones

Several 2,6-diaryl-4-piperidones were prepared. The configuration and conformation of these piperidones are discussed from the measured values of dipole moments. The influence of substitution on the molecular interactions of these compounds are studied. The results are interpreted in relation to their structure conformation and the charge distribution in groups like N–H and CO. A correlation between the dipole moment values of these compounds with the IR spectral shift and intensities is also attempted.     

The effect of bending vibrations on the dipole moment of a linear polyatomic molecule: A theoretical treatment of the vibrational changes and transition moments

The vibrational effect on the dipole moment of a linear molecule is theoretically considered from the aspects of the dipole moment changes with the excitation of bending vibrations and the transition moments for the overtone, combination, and difference bands associated with bending modes. Such dipole moment changes and transition moments consist of two components, one depending on the first dipole moment derivatives with respect to bond lengths and the other depending on the second dipole moment derivatives with respect to bond angles. We show that the first component normally contributes little, and propose an approximation in which only the second component is retained. This approximation is practically important because the second component can be calculated without the anharmonic force constants. We derive formulas for the dipole moment changes and transition moments to facilitate a simultaneous analysis of different isotopic species. We introduce the concept of the equivalent mode, by which we may readily understand the correlation between the dipole moment change for a bending mode and the transition moment for a vibrational band.     

Positron angular correlation in copper

The two photon pair momentum density and the angular correlation curves for positron annihilation radiation from copper have been obtained by a band structure calculation, employing Hubbard’s approximation scheme. A comparison of the calculated curve for the long slit geometry with the experimental results shows that the theory rather overestimates the contributions in the high momentum region. An angular correlation curve for a point slit geometry is also calculated.