Experiments with a High-Density Positronium Gas
Journal Article
·
· Physical Review Letters
- Department of Physics, University of California, Riverside, California 92521-0413 (United States)
- First Point Scientific Inc., Agoura Hills, California 91301 (United States)
- Division of Chemical Engineering, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka 560 8531 (Japan)
- Department of Physics, Principia College, Elsah, Illinois 62028 (United States)
We have created a high-density gas of interacting positronium (Ps) atoms by irradiating a thin film of nanoporous silica with intense positron bursts and measured the Ps lifetime using a new single-shot technique. When the positrons were compressed to 3.3x10{sup 10} cm{sup -2}, the apparent intensity of the orthopositronium lifetime component was found to decrease by 33%. We believe this is due to a combination of spin exchange quenching and Ps{sub 2} molecule formation associated with colliding pairs of oppositely polarized triplet positronium atoms. Our data imply an effective cross section for this process of 2.9x10{sup -14} cm{sup -2}.
- OSTI ID:
- 20699541
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 19 Vol. 95; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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