Doppler broadening of annihilation

It should be noted that the S parameters of both o-Ps pick-off and free-positron annihilation are lower than that of the Si substrate, because positrons predominantly annihilate with electrons of oxygen in the Si02 network. Only p-Ps self-annihilation has a higher S value than that of Si. The S parameter observed in conventional Doppler- broadening-of-annihilation radiation is the average of p-Ps, o-Ps, and free-positron annihilation. Therefore, if the Ps fraction decreases due to the presence of defects, impurities, etc., the intensity of the narrow momentum component due to p-Ps self-annihilation decreases, and as a result the averaged S parameter decreases. 

A new spectroscopic method for the characterization of surface vacancy clusters is a combination of positron lifetime spectroscopy, which determines the size of vacancy clusters, and coincidence Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation, which gives information on where vacancy clusters are located [5, 6]. If these clusters are located on the surface of gold nanoparticles, namely the interface between the particle and host matrix, the surroundings of the clusters should include both particle atoms and the matrix atoms. Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation (DBAR) with two-detector coincidence should be able to reveal these atomic constituents, and therefore elucidate the location of vacancy clusters. 

Additional information on the material under study can be obtained from the measurement of the e+ -e momentum distribution as mirrored in Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation (DEAR) and the angular correlation of annihilation radiation (ACAR). DEAR can be applied to study the chemical surroundings of free-volume holes [Dlubek et al., 2000a Bamford et al., 2006b], while ACAR is able to measure the anisotropy of the hole shape, as observed for highly crystalline fibers, for example [Jean et al., 1996 Bamford et al., 2001b]. 

MeV propagating into opposite directions. If the pair has a momentum component parallel with the direction of photons, the 0.511 MeV energy of photons deviates a little up or down. The phenomenon is called Doppler-broadening of annihilation radiation. 

The experimental techniques involved in measuring the angular correlation and the Doppler broadening of the two annihilation gamma-rays were introduced in section 1.3. These techniques rely on the fact that the motion of the positron-electron pair immediately prior to annihilation causes the two gamma-rays to be emitted in directions differing... 

Measurements of the Doppler broadening of the annihilation radiation produced by various molecules has been related to annihilation at specific sites within molecules by Iwata, et al. [15]. Prom the observed 7-ray spectra, the line width of the dominate peak, which comes from valence electrons, was extracted. Thus, for each molecule there is a single measured quantity, the fine width. For a series of hydrocarbons, the observed fine widths were found to be linear in the fraction of electrons in C-C (or C-H) bonds. Each type of bond was assumed to contain two electrons. Prom a linear fit of this data, fine widths for the C-C and C-H bonds were extracted and found to be 2.06 and 2.42 keV, respectively. These agree reasonably with an old theoretical estimate in which the positron density was assumed to be constant over the molecule [16]. ... 

The linewidth of annihilation from the free-positron state is Doppler-broadening measurements. In lifetime measurements the PsF component hides beneath the o-Ps component which has a similar lifetime. This is a case where the two-dimensional data analysis shows its great advantage As the Doppler broadening of each positron state is determined in its own time regime even positron states with similar features may be seperated from each other. Moreover, a tentative fitting procedure with only the three positron states as in pure water did not come to a satisfactory result with the AMOC histogram of the NaF solution. 

Doppler Broadening of the Annihilation Radiation (DBAR) Method... 

Early experiments with positrons were dedicated to the study of electronic structure, for example Fermi surfaces in metals and alloys [78,79], Various experimental positron annihilation techniques based upon the equipment used for nuclear spectroscopy underwent intense development in the two decades following the end of the Second World War. In addition to angular correlation of the annihilation of y quanta, Doppler broadening of the annihilation line and positron lifetime spectroscopy were established as independent methods. By the end of the 1960s, it was realised that the annihilation parameters are sensitive to lattice imperfections. It was discovered that positrons can be trapped in crystal defects i.e., the wavefunction of the positron is localised at the defect site until annihilation. This behaviour of positrons was clearly demonstrated by several authors (e.g., MacKenzie et al. [80] for thermal vacancies in metals, Brandt et al. [81] in ionic crystals, and Dekhtyar et al. [82] after the plastic deformation of semiconductors). The investigation of crystal defects has since become the main focus of positron annihilation studies. 

In this section we introduce three techniques frequently encountered in positron physics, namely those used to measure annihilation lifetimes and the Doppler broadening (or Doppler shift) and angular correlation of the annihilation radiation. These techniques, or variants thereof, are encountered throughout the rest of this work, and here we briefly describe... 

The ability of angular correlation and Doppler broadening techniques to provide information concerning the momentum of an annihilating electron-positron pair was briefly discussed in section 1.3. Also, it... 

A broad overview of traditional methods and recent developments in experimental positron spectroscopy is presented. A discussion of the generation and detection of positrons and their annihilation radiation is followed by a survey of techniques used for positron lifetime measurement, Doppler broadening spectroscopy and angular correlation of annihilation radiation, and the opportunities presented by combining these methods (e.g. in age-momentum correlation) and/or extending their capabilities by the use of monoenergetic positron beams. Novel spectroscopic and microscopic techniques using positron beams are also described. 

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