Characterization of polymer sub-surface using slow positron beam

A new pulsed mono-energetic slow positron beam as well as the conventional positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) have been applied to study the sub-surface and the bulk of epoxy polymer. Significant changes of o-Ps parameters were found at a short distance from the surface. The lifetime of o-Ps was observed to decrease with increasing the positron implantation depth, while its intensity increased. The temperature effect on o-Ps parameters at sub-surface was also investigated. The glass transition temperature for the sub-surface was lower than that for the bulk. Furthermore, the thermal expansion coefficient of the sub-surface was found smaller than that of the bulk.     

Characterization of the surface layer of LB-films using a slow positron beam

Langmuir–Blodgett films were studied using a variable energy slow-positron beam. We measured the energy spectra of positron annihilation radiation for Cd and Mg eicosanoid films and obtained the V- and S-parameters as a function of the incident positron energy, E. In the V-E curves of Cd eicosanoid films, there were dips at the positron energy whose mean implantation depth corresponding to the first and second Cd²⁺ layers from the surface. These dips are interpreted as the result of inhibition of Ps formation by the Cd²⁺ ions. The S-parameter was found to be sensitive to chemical composition of the film and also to possible structural change due to heat treatment. Our results suggest that positron beams provide valuable information about the microstructure of the Langmuir-Blodgett films.     

Tunable pores in mesoporous silica films studied using a pulsed slow positron beam

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) based on a pulsed slow positron beam was applied to study mesoporous silica films, synthesized using amphiphilic PEO–PPO–PEO triblock copolymers as structure-directing agents. The pore size depends on the loading of different templates. Larger pores were formed in silica films templated by copolymers with higher molecular-weights. Using 2-dimensional PALS, open porosity of silica films was also found to be influenced by the molecular-weight as well as the ratio of hydrophobic PPO moiety of the templates.     

Production and application of pulsed slow positron beam using an electron linac

Slow positron beam is quite useful for non-destructive material research. At the Electrotechnical Laboratory (ETL), an intense slow positron beam line has been constructed by exploiting an electron linac in order to carry out various experiments on material analysis. The beam line can generate pulsed positron beams of variable energy and variable pulse period. Various capabilities of the intense pulsed positron beam is presented, based on the experience at the ETL, and the prospect for the future is discussed.     

Preparation of18F source for slow positron beam by proton bombardment of18O-water

Fluorine-18 produced by the¹⁸O(p,n)¹⁸F reaction on¹⁸O-water has proved to be highly useful as a source for a slow positron beam. About 70 GBq of¹⁸F is produced routinely by an ultra-compact cyclotron. The¹⁸F formed in H₂ ¹⁸O target is sent through a fine pipe to the site of positron slowing-down, fixed on a small spot by adsorption or drying, and then placed close to the moderator foil. An automatic apparatus has been set up for the entire process including the recovery of H₂ ¹⁸O.     

Automatic F positron source supply system for a monoenergetic positron beam

A system which supplies an intense ¹⁸F (half life 110 min) positron source produced by an AVF cyclotron through ¹⁸O(p,n)¹⁸F reaction has been constructed. Produced ¹⁸F is transferred to a low background experiment hall through a capillary. It is electro-deposited on a graphite rod and used for a source of a slow positron beam. In the meantime the next batch of target ¹⁸O water is loaded and proton irradiation proceeds. This system makes it possible to perform continuous positron beam experiments using the ¹⁸F positron source.     

Effect of radiation damage on luminescence of erbium-implanted SiO2/Si studied by slow positron beam

The effect of damage on 1.54 μm luminescence for 30 keV-Er-implanted SiO₂ films has been studied by positron annihilation and cathodoluminescence. It was found that S-parameter in the films decreased after implantation, indicating the suppression of positronium formation. The luminescence appeared with the recovery of the S-parameter after 600°C annealing. The intensity reached a maximum at 900°C annealing whereas the S-parameter did not change significantly. It seems that most damages recover at 600°C and thereafter Er ions transform to an optically active state at 900°C.     

A cold and slow molecular beam

Employing a two-stage cryogenic buffer gas cell, we produce a cold, hydrodynamically extracted beam of calcium monohydride molecules with a near effusive velocity distribution. Beam dynamics, thermalization and slowing are studied using laser spectroscopy. The key to this hybrid, effusive-like beam source is a "slowing cell" placed immediately after a hydrodynamic, cryogenic source [Patterson et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2007, 126, 154307]. The resulting CaH beams are created in two regimes. In one regime, a modestly boosted beam has a forward velocity of v(f) = 65 m s(-1), a narrow velocity spread, and a flux of 10(9) molecules per pulse. In the other regime, our slowest beam has a forward velocity of v(f) = 40 m s(-1), a longitudinal temperature of 3.6 K, and a flux of 5 × 10(8) molecules per pulse.     

The spin-polarized extended Brueckner orbitals

Conventional natural and Brueckner orbitals (BOs) are rather frequently used for improving active orbital spaces in various configuration interaction (CI) approaches. However, the natural and Brueckner single-determinant models per se fail to give an adequate picture of highly correlated and quasidegenerate states such as open-shell singlet and dissociative states. We suggest the use of the spin-polarized extended BOs formally defining them in the same manner as in Lo?wdin's spin-extended Hartree-Fock method. Such BO orbitals turn out to be quite flexible and particularly useful for analyzing highly correlated electronic states. It is shown that the extended BOs always exist, unlike the usual unrestricted BOs. We discuss difficulties related to violation of size-consistency for spin projected determinant models. The working algorithm is proposed for computing BOs within the full CI and related complete active space methodology. The extended BOs are analyzed in terms of the special density-like matrices associated with spin-up and spin-down BO orbitals. From these density matrices, the corresponding spin-polarization diagrams are produced for effectively unpaired (essentially correlated) electrons. We illustrate the approach by calculations on cyclic hydrogen clusters (H(4), H(6), and H(8)), certain carbene diradicals and monoradicals, and low-lying excited states. The computations show that the BO spin-projected determinant provides a strong overlap with the multi-configurational state even for quasidegenerate states and bond breaking processes.     

Velocity map imaging of a slow beam of ammonia molecules inside a quadrupole guide

Velocity map imaging inside an electrostatic quadrupole guide is demonstrated. By switching the voltages that are applied to the rods, the quadrupole can be used for guiding Stark decelerated molecules and for extracting the ions. The extraction field is homogeneous along the axis of the quadrupole, while it defocuses the ions in the direction perpendicular to both the axis of the quadrupole and the axis of the ion optics. To compensate for this astigmatism, a series of planar electrodes with horizontal and vertical slits is used. A velocity resolution of 35 m s(-1) is obtained. It is shown that signal due to thermal background can be eliminated, resulting in the detection of slow molecules with an increased signal-to-noise ratio. As an illustration of the resolving power we have used the velocity map imaging system to characterize the phase-space distribution of a Stark decelerated ammonia beam.     

Production of a spin-polarized,metastable He(23 S) beam for studies in atomic and surface physics

This beam was developed as a target for a crossed-beam electron-atom scattering experiment on the interaction of a polarized spin-1/2 electron with a polarized spin-1 atom. In the future this beam will be used in “Spin-Polarized Metastable Atom Deexcitation Spectroscopy” (SPMDS) for studying ferromagnetic surfaces without and with adsorbate layers. We use a discharge source for producing a beam of metastable helium atoms, a permanent sextupole magnet with a central stop at its exit for selecting He(2³ S) atoms in the Zeeman substatem _s =+1, a zero-field spin flipper for reversing the atomic beam polarization with respect to a magnetic guiding field, and a Stern-Gerlach magnet for analyzing the atomic polarization. At a distance of 90 cm beyond the exit of the sextupole, in the “interaction region” of an experiment, the polarized beam has a circular cross section of about 6 mm FWHM and a particle density of 1 · 10⁷ atoms/cm³. The reversible spin polarization was determined asP=0.90±0.02. A possible contamination of the beam with metastable singlet atoms is included within this value; the ground-state He atoms are not considered to be part of the polarized beam. An observed contamination with long-lived Rydberg atoms can easily be destroyed by applying a high electric field.     

Characterization of sputtered W–Si–N thin films by a monoenergetic positron beam

A monoenergetic positron beam was employed to characterize the uniformity and the microstructural variation of thermally treated W–Si–N thin film. As the annealing temperature is increased, positrons are found to be progressively trapped in sites rich in silicon. This behavior is explained by the formation of W clusters from which positrons are favorably trapped into the Si–N amorphous matrix. Positron results are discussed together with information obtained on similar samples by Rutheford backscattering, infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy measurements.     

Chemical reactions of positronium studied by age-momentum correlation (AMOC) using a relativistic positron beam

Correlated measurements of the individual positron lifetimes (so-called positron ages) and of the Doppler shift of the 2-annihilation photon energy (Age-Momentum Correlation, AMOC) allow the evolution of the positron states to be observed in the time domain. The AMOC technique is thus especially useful when chemical reactions of positronium induce transitions between positron states. The full information contained in the AMOC data may be extracted from the two-dimensional AMOC histogramme, the so-called AMOC relief, by fitting a suitable two-dimensional model function. In this way quantitative information on the spin conversion of positronium by a paramagnetic radical in the systems HTEMPO/methanol and HTEMPO/benzene and on the formation of positron bound states in aqueous solutions of various sodium halides has been deduced.     

A bright, slow cryogenic molecular beam source for free radicals

We demonstrate and characterize a cryogenic buffer gas-cooled molecular beam source capable of producing bright beams of free radicals and refractory species. Details of the beam properties (brightness, forward velocity distribution, transverse velocity spread, rotational and vibrational temperatures) are measured under varying conditions for the molecular species SrF. Under typical conditions we produce a beam of brightness 1.2 × 10(11) molecules/sr/pulse in the X(2)Σ(+)(v = 0, N(rot) = 0) state, with 140(m/s) forward velocity and a rotational temperature of ≈ 1 K. This source compares favorably to other methods for producing beams of free radicals and refractory species for many types of experiments. We provide details of construction that may be helpful for others attempting to use this method.     

Water movement in a plant sample by neutron beam analysis as well as positron emission tracer imaging system

We present water imaging of a plant sample both by neutron beam and positron emission tracer imaging system (PETIS). The former method provided static water profile in a plant sample as well as that in the vicinity of a root imbedded in soil. Not only X-ray film but also CT method using a cooled CCD camera is presented. Through non-destructive water image in an X-ray film, root development as well as 2-dimensional water movement toward the root was analyzed. Spatial water image was constructed from 180 CT projection images, taken at an interval of one degree while rotating the sample, through a CCD camera. In the case of a soybean root, there was a water gradient toward a root in soil and gave minimum value at about 1 mm far from the surface of a root. The water absorbing part in a root was gradually shifted downward with the root development. We also present real time water movement by PETIS, where water was labeled with a positron emitting nuclide, ¹⁵O. The transportation of ¹⁵O-water within a plant was relatively slow and water uptake was observed only at the lowest internode, between a root and the first leaf, during 20-minute measurement.     

Synthesis and properties of TSF-based spin-polarized donor

A novel organic donor radical, TSBN, which is a benzotetraselenafulvalene derivative carrying a nitronyl nitroxide group in a cross-conjugated manner was prepared. X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that TSBN forms a sheet-like network within the ac plane through intermolecular chalcogen contacts. Its spin-polarized structure was confirmed by cyclic voltammogram, ESR spectra of singly oxidized species and DFT calculation. The neutral crystal of TSBN showed nonlinear I–V characteristics at 2 K and exhibited negative magnetoresistance (?5% at 2 K under 5 T).     

Development of a threshold positron spectrometer

We introduce a new positron spectroscopy experimental technique that we call threshold positron spectroscopy, by analogy with its similar threshold photoelectron spectroscopy. An apparatus that is being developed to explore this technique is described in this work.     

Development of spin-polarized ion scattering spectroscopy.

Spin-polarized ion scattering spectroscopy using an electron-spin-polarized 4He+ ion beam was developed as a novel analytical method of the element selective spin state at outermost surfaces. Spin-polarized He+ ions were generated from the Penning ionization of metastable He 2(3)S1 atoms (He*), which were spin-polarized by optical pumping (OP). The spin polarization of He* (PHe*) was observed to be the highest with an OP radiation density of about 0.05 W cm(-2), and a further increase of the OP radiation density reduced P(He*). This decrease of PHe* is attributed to imperfect polarization of the OP radiation, hence optimization of the OP radiation density is essential to obtain He+ ions with high spin polarization. As a result of this optimization, we successfully observed the spin dependence of the scattered He+ ion yield on an Fe(100) surface exposed to an oxygen atmosphere.