Effects of Ps polarization potentials on Ps total cross-sections of the collisions of positrons with alkali metal atoms and alkaline-earth positive ions

Summary The previous form of the coupled-static approximation applied to the inelastic scattering of positrons by alkali metal atoms is improved by switching on the polarization potentials of the positroniums. The effect of these potentials on the total elastic and positronium formation cross-sections of three different scattering problems (namely the collisions of positrons with lithium, sodium and potassium atoms) is discussed in details. Particularly, we devote our interest to the comparison between the resultant positronium formation cross-sections and those of the inelastic collisions of positrons with berylium, magnesium and calcium positive ions.     

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.     

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.     

Resonances in positron-atom scattering

Theoretical studies of atomic resonances involving positrons will be discussed in this talk. Investigations on resonances in positron-hydrogen scattering below various hydrogen and positronium thresholds are reviewed, as well as resonances in positronalkali and e⁺-He⁺ scattering. Resonance phenomena in other atomic systems involving positrons will also be discussed. These systems include positronium ions Ps⁻, positronium molecules Ps₂, and positronium hydride PsH.     

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.     

Muonium/muonic hydrogen formation in atomic hydrogen

The muonium/muonic hydrogen atom formation in μ^±−H collisions is investigated, using a two-state approximation in a time dependent formalism. It is found that muonium cross-section results are similar to the cross-section results obtained for positronium formation in e⁺-H collision. Muonic hydrogen atom formation cross-sections in μ^--H collision are found to be significant in a narrow range of energy (5 eV–25 eV).     

Total and ionization cross-sections of N<Subscript>2</Subscript> and CO by positron impact: Theoretical investigations

In this paper we report our calculations on several important total cross-sections (TCSs) of positron impact on isoelectronic N₂ and CO molecules, treated in the complex spherical potential formalism. Basically the total (complete) cross-section Q _T consists of elastic and inelastic contributions. Our total inelastic cross-section (Q _inel) contains ionization and electronic excitations together with positronium formation. Our goal here is to bifurcate Q _inel further to deduce total ionization cross-section, using the ‘complex scattering potential–ionization contribution’ (CSP-ic) method of electron–atom/molecule scattering. The present range of positron energy is 15–2000 eV. All the resulting cross-sections are in a good general accord with the existing data. This work highlights the importance of various scattering channels in e⁺-N₂ and e⁺-CO interactions at intermediate and high energies.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Elastic scattering of e∓ by Na atoms

ABSTRACT

The differential, integrated elastic, momentum transfer, viscosity and total cross-sections along with Sherman function for the elastic scattering of electrons and positrons by sodium atoms have been calculated within the framework of complex projectile–atom optical potential model at the impact energies 0.1 ≤ E_i ≤ 10⁴ eV for both the projectiles. The relativistic Dirac partial wave techniques, with accurate analytical charge densities, are used to obtain the scattering amplitudes. The present results produce satisfactory agreement with the experimental measurements and other theoretical calculations available in the literature.     

Momentum transfer theory of ion transport under the influence of resonant charge transfer collisions: the case of argon and neon ions in parent gases

Transport properties of ion swarms in presence of Resonant Charge Transfer (RCT) collisions are studied using Momentum Transfer Theory (MTT). It was shown that, not surprisingly, RCT collisions may be represented as a special case of elastic scattering. Using the developed MTT we tested a previously available anisotropic set of cross-sections for Ar+Ar ⁺ collisions by making the comparisons with the available data for the transverse diffusion coefficient. We also developed an anisotropic set of Ne+Ne ⁺ integral cross-sections based on the available data for mobility, longitudinal and transverse diffusion. Anisotropic sets of cross-sections are needed for Monte Carlo simulations of ion transport and plasma models. Received 16 June 2002 / Received in final form 2nd August 2002 Published online 24 September 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: vrhovac@phy.bg.ac.yu RID="b" ID="b"e-mail: zoran@phy.bg.ac.yu     

Resonance phenomena and threshold features in positron—helium scattering

Investigations of resonances and threshold behaviors in positron-helium scattering have been made using the momentum-space coupled-channels optical method.The positronium formation channels are considered via an equivalent-local complex potential.The s-wave resonances and the Wigner cusp feature at the positronium(n = 1) formation threshold are compared with the previous reports.The p-and the d-wave resonances and a Wigner cusp feature at the positronium(n = 2) formation threshold are reported for the first time.     

GBAR

The GBAR project aims to perform the first test of the Equivalence Principle with antimatter by measuring the free fall of ultra-cold antihydrogen atoms. The objective is to measure the gravitational acceleration to better than a percent in a first stage, with a long term perspective to reach a much higher precision using gravitational quantum states of antihydrogen. The production of ~20 μK atoms proceeds via sympathetic cooling of $\mathrm{\overline{H}^+}$ ions by Be^?+? ions. $\mathrm{\overline{H}^+}$ ions are produced via a two-step process, involving the interaction of bursts of 10⁷ slow antiprotons from the AD (or ELENA upgrade) at CERN with a dense positronium cloud. In order to produce enough positronium, it is necessary to realize an intense source of slow positrons, a few 10⁸ per second. This is done with a small electron linear accelerator. A few 10¹⁰ positrons are accumulated every cycle in a Penning–Malmberg trap before they are ejected onto a positron-to-positronium converter. The overall scheme of the experiment is described and the status of the installation of the prototype positron source at Saclay is shown. The accumulation scheme of positrons is given, and positronium formation results are presented. The estimated performance and efficiency of the various steps of the experiment are given.     

Measurement of the polarized parton distribution functions at HERMES

The HERMES experiment at DESY has measured the inclusive and semi-inclusive double-spin asymmetries of polarized positrons scattering from polarized hydrogen and deuterium targets in the kinematic range of Bjørken-x 0.023 < x < 0.06 and 1 GeV ² < Q ² < 10 GeV². A RICH detector was installed for the deuterium running period and by providing the identification of charged pions and kaons has enabled the first measurement of charged kaon asymmetries. Based on the measured proton and deuterium asymmetries the polarized quark distributions have been extracted in leading-order pQCD.Received: 30 September 2002, Published online: 22 October 2003PACS: 13.60.Hb Total and inclusive cross-sections (including deep-inelastic processes) - 13.88. + e Polarization in interactions and scatteringJ. Stewart: For the HERMES Collaboration     

Positron annihilation study of voids in a neutron irradiated aluminum single crystal

We have measured the lifetimes of positrons in an aluminum single crystal which was irradiated to a fast neutron fluence of 1.5·10²¹ n/cm² (>0.18 MeV) at 50°C. These irradiation conditions produced 4.2·10¹⁴ voids/cm³ with a mean diameter of 330 ?, as determined by both small-angle x-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The positron lifetime spectra were resolved into three lifetime components of 100, 300, and 500 ps. The short lifetime component is a result of fast trapping of positrons by the voids; the long lifetime components result from annihilations within the voids. The intensity of the long lifetime components increases with temperature in the range 80 to 300 K and supports the model of a positron state at the void surface. The positron diffusion coefficient appears to have aT ^1/2-dependence. A magnetic quenching experiment shows no indication of positronium formation. Finally, an isochronal heat treating sequence shows that the voids anneal out between 200 and 300°C, and that the lifetime spectrum after annealing is described by a single component of 170 ps, the observed lifetime in unirradiated aluminum. Research sponsored in part by the U.S.Atomic Energy Commission under contract with the Union Carbide Corporation.     

High energy elastice + − O2 scattering

Theoretical differential cross-sections are obtained for the elastic scattering of fast (E _i ⩾ 200 eV) positrons by oxygen molecules. Employing the independent atom model, the atomic scattering amplitudes are calculated with the (static + polarization) model potentials, in the partial wave analysis (PWA). Comparisons made with the theory and experiments on the incident electrons, show significant differences at small angles.     

Positron-hydrogen-like-ion scattering

Scattering of positrons by hydrogen-like-ions (He⁺, Li²⁺, Be³⁺ and B⁴⁺) has been studied using two variants of the polarized orbital method. The positronium formation channel has not been included in the calculations,s-wave phase shifts obtained using the two variants differ appreciably from each other. Moreover, the polarized orbitals-wave phase shifts fore ⁺-B⁴⁺ scattering differ from the corresponding variational results qualitatively in the low energy region. The differential cross sections are reported.