Positron Spectroscopy Of Solids

The lifetime of a positron inside a solid is normally less than a fraction of nanosecond. This is a very short time on a human scale, but is long enough to enable the positron to visit an extended region of the material, and to sense the atomic and electronic structure of the environment. Thus, we can inject a positron in a sample to draw from it some signal giving us information on the microscopic properties of the material. This idea has been successfully developed in a number of positron-based techniques of physical analysis, with resolution in energy, momentum, or position. The complex of these techniques is what we call now positron spectroscopy of solids. The field of application of the positron spectroscopy extends from advanced problems of solid-state physics to industrial applications in the area of characterization of high-tech materials. This volume focuses the attention on the physics that can be learned from positron-based methods, but also frames those methods in a wider context including other experimental approaches. It can be considered as a textbook on positron spectroscopy of solids, the sort of book that the newcomer takes for his approach to this field, but also as a useful research tool for the expert.

In condensed matter initially fast positrons annihilate after having reached equi librium with the surroundings. The interaction of positrons with matter is governed by the laws of ordinary quantum mechanics. Field theory and antiparticle properties enter only in the annihilation process leading to the emergence of energetic photons. The monitoring of annihilation radiation by nuclear spectroscopic methods provides valuable information on the electron-positron system which can directly be related to the electronic structure of the medium. Since the positron is a positive electron its behavior in matter is especially interesting to solid-state and atomic physi cists. The small mass quarantees that the positron is really a quantum mechanical particle and completely different from any other particles and atoms. Positron physics started about 25 years ago but discoveries of new features in its interac tion with matter have maintained continuous interest and increasing activity in the field. Nowadays it is becoming part of the "stock-in-trade" of experimental physics.

Volume is indexed by Thomson Reuters BCI (WoS). This work reflects the wide and fascinating range of fields to which positrons have made important contributions. This covers, in particular, the development of low-energy (eV-keV) beams of essentially mono-energetic positrons, in the late 1960s, which opened the door to an even wider range of fundamental and technological studies: from surface physics to polymer films. In her introduction Professor Ganguly offers some background knowledge on the extent to which positrons have influenced and contributed to work in numerous fields.

With the exception of positron emission tomography (PET), the field of low energy positron science produces relatively few academic articles each year compared to more accessible fields. Though much has been achieved since the publication of two related volumes earlier in this series: Positron Solid State Physics (1981) and Positron Spectroscopy of Solids (1993), only the first steps have been made towards 'physics with many positrons': physical situations where the interactions of positrons with positrons can be observed. This 2009 "Enrico Fermi School" aims to stimulate the field o.

This book provides a comprehensive description of the principles and applications of positron and positronium chemistry. Pedagogical and tutorial in nature, it will be ideal for graduate students and researchers in the area of positron annihilation spectroscopy. The contributing authors are authoritative scientists prominent in the frontiers of research, actively pursuing positron annihilation research on chemical and applied systems. Contents: Introduction to Positron and Positronium Chemistry (Y C Jean et al.); Compounds of Positrons and Positronium (D M Schrader); Experimental Techniques in Positron Spectroscopy (P G Coleman); Organic and Inorganic Chemistry of the Positron and Positronium (G Duplotre & I Billard); Physical and Radiation Chemistry of the Positron and Positronium (S V Stepanov & V M Byakov); Positrons and Positronium in the Gas Phase (D M Schrader); Positron Porosimetry (M H Weber & K G Lynn); Positron Annihilation Studies on Superconducting Materials (C S Sundar); Positronium in Si and SiO 2 Thin Films (R Suzuki); Applications to Polymers (P E Mallon); Applications of Slow Positrons to Polymeric Surfaces and Coatings (Y C Jean et al.); Positron Annihilation Induced Auger Spectroscopy (S Amdani et al.); Characterization of Nanoparticle and Nanopore Materials (J Xu); AMOC in Positron and Positronium Chemistry (H Stoll et al.). Readership: Materials science researchers; physical chemists; polymer scientists and engineers; chemical and mechanical engineers; solid state physicists; graduate students in chemistry, physics, engineering and polymer science; coating industry researchers."

This text examines the application of positron beams to studies of solids and surfaces with profiles for an increasing array of materials. It presents the progress made in areas of defect profiling, including improvements in theoretical modelling.

This book provides a coherent and comprehensive overview of the generation and application of mono-energetic positron beams. It has been written by acknowledged experts, at a level accessible to graduate students working, or planning to work, with positron beams, and to scientists in other areas who want to know something about the field. The book begins with a brief historical introduction and an overview of how positron beams are generated and transported. A description of the fate of slow positrons in gaseous and condensed matter, with reference to many of the fundamental measurements made possible by the advent of positron beams, is followed by a discussion on applications in the study of solid surfaces, defect profiling in subsurface regions, interfaces and thin films, and the probing of bulk properties in novel ways. The book ends with a look at the future, considering the prospects for intense positron beams and their potential for further research. Contents:Introduction: A Brief History of Positron Beams (P G Coleman)The Generation and Transport of Positron Beams (P G Coleman)Atomic and Molecular Physics with Positrons and Positronium (G Laricchia & M Charlton)The Fate of Slow Positrons in Condensed Matter (R M Nieminen)Surface Science with Positrons (A H Weiss & P G Coleman)Depth-Profiling of Subsurface Regions, Interfaces and Thin Films (A Van Veen et al.)Positron Microscopes and Microprobes (P G Coleman)MeV Positron Beams (H Stoll)Spin–Polarized Positron Beams in Condensed–Matter Studies (J Major)The Future: Intense Beams (R H Howell) Readership: Graduate students and scientists interested in working with positron beams. Keywords:Positrons;Positronium;Scattering;Diffusion;Surfaces;Annihilation;Defects;Microscopy;Polarization