Modelling Annihilation Properties of Positronium Confined in Nanoporous Materials: A Review

Positronium (Ps) is a valuable probe to investigate nanometric or sub-nanometric cavities in non-metallic materials, where Ps can be confined. Accessible experimental measurements concern the lifetime of trapped Ps, which is largely influenced by pick-off processes, depending on the size of the cavity as well as on the density of the electrons belonging to the surface of the host trap. Another relevant physical quantity is the contact density, that is the electron density at the positron position, which is usually found to be well below the vacuum value. Here, we review the principal models that have been formulated to account and explain for these physical properties of confined Ps. Starting with models, treating Ps as a single particle formulated essentially to study pick-off, we go on to describe more refined two-particle models because a two-body model is the simplest approach able to describe any change in the contact density, observed in many materials. Finally, we consider a theory of Ps annihilation in nanometric voids in which the exchange correlations between the electron of Ps and the outer electrons play a fundamental role. This theory is not usually taken into account in the literature, but it has to be considered for a correct theory of pick-off annihilation processes.

Positronium Laser Cooling via the 1^{3}S-2^{3}P Transition with a Broadband Laser Pulse

We report on laser cooling of a large fraction of positronium (Ps) in free flight by strongly saturating the 1^{3}S-2^{3}P transition with a broadband, long-pulsed 243 nm alexandrite laser. The ground state Ps cloud is produced in a magnetic and electric field-free environment. We observe two different laser-induced effects. The first effect is an increase in the number of atoms in the ground state after the time Ps has spent in the long-lived 2^{3}P states. The second effect is one-dimensional Doppler cooling of Ps, reducing the cloud's temperature from 380(20) to 170(20) K. We demonstrate a 58(9)% increase in the fraction of Ps atoms with v_{1D}<3.7×10^{4}  ms^{-1}.

Demonstrating Agreement between Radio and Fluorescence Measurements of the Depth of Maximum of Extensive Air Showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory

We show, for the first time, radio measurements of the depth of shower maximum (X_{max}) of air showers induced by cosmic rays that are compared to measurements of the established fluorescence method at the same location. Using measurements at the Pierre Auger Observatory we show full compatibility between our radio and the previously published fluorescence dataset, and between a subset of air showers observed simultaneously with both radio and fluorescence techniques, a measurement setup unique to the Pierre Auger Observatory. Furthermore, we show radio X_{max} resolution as a function of energy and demonstrate the ability to make competitive high-resolution X_{max} measurements with even a sparse radio array. With this, we show that the radio technique is capable of cosmic-ray mass composition studies, both at Auger and at other experiments.

Probing the Free Volume in Polymers by Means of Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is a valuable technique to investigate defects in solids, such as vacancy clusters and grain boundaries in metals and alloys, as well as lattice imperfections in semiconductors. Positron spectroscopy is able to reveal the size, structure and concentration of vacancies with a sensitivity of 10^-7. In the field of porous and amorphous systems, PALS can probe cavities in the range from a few tenths up to several tens of nm. In the case of polymers, PALS is one of the few techniques able to give information on the holes forming the free volume. This quantity, which cannot be measured with macroscopic techniques, is correlated to important mechanical, thermal, and transport properties of polymers. It can be deduced theoretically by applying suitable equations of state derived by cell models, and PALS supplies a quantitative measure of the free volume by probing the corresponding sub-nanometric holes. The system used is positronium (Ps), an unstable atom formed by a positron and an electron, whose lifetime can be related to the typical size of the holes. When analyzed in terms of continuous lifetimes, the positron annihilation spectrum allows one to gain insight into the distribution of the free volume holes, an almost unique feature of this technique. The present paper is an overview of PALS, addressed in particular to readers not familiar with this technique, with emphasis on the experimental aspects. After a general introduction on free volume, positronium, and the experimental apparatus needed to acquire the corresponding lifetime, some of the recent results obtained by various groups will be shown, highlighting the connections between the free volume as probed by PALS and structural properties of the investigated materials.

Limits to Gauge Coupling in the Dark Sector Set by the Nonobservation of Instanton-Induced Decay of Super-Heavy Dark Matter in the Pierre Auger Observatory Data

Instantons, which are nonperturbative solutions to Yang-Mills equations, provide a signal for the occurrence of quantum tunneling between distinct classes of vacua. They can give rise to decays of particles otherwise forbidden. Using data collected at the Pierre Auger Observatory, we search for signatures of such instanton-induced processes that would be suggestive of super-heavy particles decaying in the Galactic halo. These particles could have been produced during the post-inflationary epoch and match the relic abundance of dark matter inferred today. The nonobservation of the signatures searched for allows us to derive a bound on the reduced coupling constant of gauge interactions in the dark sector: α_{X}≲0.09, for 10^{9}≲M_{X}/GeV<10^{19}. Conversely, we obtain that, for instance, a reduced coupling constant α_{X}=0.09 excludes masses M_{X}≳3×10^{13}  GeV. In the context of dark matter production from gravitational interactions alone, we illustrate how these bounds are complementary to those obtained on the Hubble rate at the end of inflation from the nonobservation of tensor modes in the cosmological microwave background.

Toward a pulsed antihydrogen beam for WEP tests in AEgIS

The AEg̅IS collaboration at CERN’s AD produces antihydrogen atoms in the form of a pulsed, isotropic source with a precisely defined formation time. AEg̅IS has recently undergone major upgrades to fully benefit from the increased number of colder antiprotons provided by the new ELENA decelerator and to move toward forming a horizontal beam to directly investigate the influence of gravity on the H̅ atoms, thereby probing the Weak Equivalence Principle for antimatter. This contribution gives an overview of these upgrades as well as subsequent results from the first beam times with ELENA.

Thermal expansion of free volume in "classic" and regulated dimethacrylates: photocured directly and via a mask to study pillar formation

The temperature dependence of free volume in dimethacrylates (poly2M), cured by direct irradiation (poly2M-A) or via a mask (poly2M-B), and in a thiol-based 2M sample (poly2M-co-EDDT), was investigated by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and dilatometry (DIL) to study the influence of thiol regulation on the microstructure via free volume characteristics. It was found that the free volume fraction as determined from experimental data by using the standard spherical approach for the hole shapes showed systematic differences from the analogous quantity as evaluated from the lattice-hole theory. Much better results were obtained for cylindrical holes, which expand 'anisotropically' in poly2M samples and 'isotropically' in the poly2M-co-EDDT resin. In addition, the hydrogen bond changes and the conversion of monomers in cured samples studied by near infra-red spectroscopy (NIR) revealed spectrum-structure correlations for the final cured thermosets.

Measurement of the Fluctuations in the Number of Muons in Extensive Air Showers with the Pierre Auger Observatory

We present the first measurement of the fluctuations in the number of muons in extensive air showers produced by ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. We find that the measured fluctuations are in good agreement with predictions from air shower simulations. This observation provides new insights into the origin of the previously reported deficit of muons in air shower simulations and constrains models of hadronic interactions at ultrahigh energies. Our measurement is compatible with the muon deficit originating from small deviations in the predictions from hadronic interaction models of particle production that accumulate as the showers develop.

Shape and Temperature Expansion of Free Volume Holes in Some Cured Polybutadiene-Polyisoprene Rubber Blends

The free volume fraction of a macromolecular structure can be assessed theoretically by using a suitable model; however, it can also be evaluated from experimental data obtained from dilatometry and positron annihilation lifetime spectra. In this second case, a regular geometry of the sub-nanometric cavities forming the free volume has to be assumed, although in fact they are irregularly shaped. The most popular approach is to guess spherical holes, which implies an isotropic growth of these last with temperature. In this work, we compared the free volume fraction, as obtained from experiments in a set of polybutadiene and polyisoprene cured rubbers and their blends, with the analogous quantity expected by using the lattice-hole model. The results allowed us to obtain insights on the approximate shape of the holes. Indeed, a cylindrical flattened geometry of the cavities produced a better agreement with the theory than the spherical shape. Furthermore, the best fit was obtained for holes that expanded preferentially in the radial direction, with a consequent decrease of the aspect ratio with temperature.

Features of the Energy Spectrum of Cosmic Rays above 2.5×10^{18} eV Using the Pierre Auger Observatory

We report a measurement of the energy spectrum of cosmic rays above 2.5×10^{18}  eV based on 215 030 events. New results are presented: at about 1.3×10^{19}  eV, the spectral index changes from 2.51±0.03(stat)±0.05(syst) to 3.05±0.05(stat)±0.10(syst), evolving to 5.1±0.3(stat)±0.1(syst) beyond 5×10^{19}  eV, while no significant dependence of spectral features on the declination is seen in the accessible range. These features of the spectrum can be reproduced in models with energy-dependent mass composition. The energy density in cosmic rays above 5×10^{18}  eV is [5.66±0.03(stat)±1.40(syst)]×10^{53}  erg Mpc^{-3}.

Formal calculation of exchange correlation effects on annihilation lifetimes of positronium confined in small cavities

Positronium atoms (Ps) are widely used as a probe to characterize voids or vacancies in non-metallic materials. The annihilation lifetime of trapped Ps is strongly modified by pickoff, depending on the cavity size and on the appropriate external electron density. The connection between these material characteristics and Ps annihilation lifetimes is usually based on models that do not consider the requirements of full electron indistinguishability, that must be taken into account for a correct description of pickoff annihilation processes. In this report, we provide a formal theoretical framework in which exchange correlation effects between confined Ps and surrounding electrons are introduced in a natural way, giving a clear and versatile picture of the various contributions to pickoff annihilation. Moreover, our results provide a simple explanation of the lowering of the contact density (the Ps-electron density at the positron position) as a direct consequence of the electrons indistinguishability, at variance with previous interpretation based on spatial deformations of Ps wavefunction. Calculations are performed within the 'symmetry adapted perturbation theory' approach, and the results are compared with available experimental data on Ps lifetimes for polymers and molecular solids. Finally, our analysis gives a formal justification to the approximations involved in early models based on the well known Tao-Eldrup approach, and gives a simple interpretation of Ps properties in subnanometric voids.

BEYOND THE SPHERICAL APPROXIMATION: ELONGATED FREE VOLUME HOLES IN RUBBERS: A POSITRON ANNIHILATION STUDY

The free volume fraction, a key parameter for the understanding of mechanical and transport properties of polymers, has been evaluated in a fluoroelastomer and a cis-polyisoprene rubber by means of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and dilatometry. The evaluation showed that the assumption of elongated holes allows one to get a very good agreement between the free volume fraction experimentally determined and the theoretical expectation based on the lattice-hole model. On the other hand, systematic discrepancies are found using the spherical approximation. Moreover, the average hole size is found to be correlated to the effective bond length leff, a parameter connected to reptation motions and largely independent of the polymer structure. The result sheds some light on conformational statistics for the most flexible linear polymers that approach Gaussian chain behavior.

Imaging a positronium cloud in a 1 Tesla

We report on recent developments in positronium work in the frame of antihydrogen production through charge exchange in the AEgIS collaboration [1]. In particular, we present a new technique based on spatially imaging a cloud of positronium by collecting the positrons emitted by photoionization. This background free diagnostic proves to be highly efficient and opens up new opportunities for spectroscopy on antimatter, control and laser manipulation of positronium clouds as well as Doppler velocimetry.

AEgIS at ELENA: outlook for physics with a pulsed cold antihydrogen beam

The efficient production of cold antihydrogen atoms in particle traps at CERN's Antiproton Decelerator has opened up the possibility of performing direct measurements of the Earth's gravitational acceleration on purely antimatter bodies. The goal of the AEgIS collaboration is to measure the value of g for antimatter using a pulsed source of cold antihydrogen and a Moiré deflectometer/Talbot-Lau interferometer. The same antihydrogen beam is also very well suited to measuring precisely the ground-state hyperfine splitting of the anti-atom. The antihydrogen formation mechanism chosen by AEgIS is resonant charge exchange between cold antiprotons and Rydberg positronium. A series of technical developments regarding positrons and positronium (Ps formation in a dedicated room-temperature target, spectroscopy of the n=1-3 and n=3-15 transitions in Ps, Ps formation in a target at 10 K inside the 1 T magnetic field of the experiment) as well as antiprotons (high-efficiency trapping of [Formula: see text], radial compression to sub-millimetre radii of mixed [Formula: see text] plasmas in 1 T field, high-efficiency transfer of [Formula: see text] to the antihydrogen production trap using an in-flight launch and recapture procedure) were successfully implemented. Two further critical steps that are germane mainly to charge exchange formation of antihydrogen-cooling of antiprotons and formation of a beam of antihydrogen-are being addressed in parallel. The coming of ELENA will allow, in the very near future, the number of trappable antiprotons to be increased by more than a factor of 50. For the antihydrogen production scheme chosen by AEgIS, this will be reflected in a corresponding increase of produced antihydrogen atoms, leading to a significant reduction of measurement times and providing a path towards high-precision measurements.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Antiproton physics in the ELENA era'.

Preparation of a Sepia Melanin and Poly(ethylene-alt-maleic Anhydride) Hybrid Material as an Adsorbent for Water Purification

Meeting the increasing demand of clean water requires the development of novel efficient adsorbent materials for the removal of organic pollutants. In this context the use of natural, renewable sources is of special relevance and sepia melanin, thanks to its ability to bind a variety of organic and inorganic species, has already attracted interest for water purification. Here we describe the synthesis of a material obtained by the combination of sepia melanin and poly(ethylene-alt-maleic anhydride) (P(E-alt-MA)). Compared to sepia melanin, the resulting hybrid displays a high and fast adsorption efficiency towards methylene blue (a common industrial dye) for a wide pH range (from pH 2 to 12) and under high ionic strength conditions. It is easily recovered after use and can be reused up to three times. Given the wide availability of sepia melanin and P(E-alt-MA), the synthesis of our hybrid is simple and affordable, making it suitable for industrial water purification purposes.

AEg̅IS latest results

The validity of the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) as predicted by General Relativity has been tested up to astounding precision using ordinary matter. The lack hitherto of a stable source of a probe being at the same time electrically neutral, cold and stable enough to be measured has prevented highaccuracy testing of the WEP on anti-matter. The AEg̅IS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) experiment located at CERN's AD (Antiproton Decelerator) facility aims at producing such a probe in the form of a pulsed beam of cold anti-hydrogen, and at measuring by means of a moiré deflectometer the gravitational force that Earth's mass exerts on it. Low temperature and abundance of the H̅ are paramount to attain a high precision measurement. A technique employing a charge-exchange reaction between antiprotons coming from the AD and excited positronium atoms is being developed at AEg̅IS and will be presented hereafter, alongside an overview of the experimental apparatus and the current status of the experiment

Towards the first measurement of matter-antimatter gravitational interaction

The AEgIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) is a CERN based experiment with the central aim to measure directly the gravitational acceleration of antihydrogen. Antihydrogen atoms will be produced via charge exchange reactions which will consist of Rydberg-excited positronium atoms sent to cooled antiprotons within an electromagnetic trap. The resulting Rydberg antihydrogen atoms will then be horizontally accelerated by an electric field gradient (Stark effect), they will then pass through a moiré deflectometer. The vertical deflection caused by the Earth's gravitational field will test for the first time the Weak Equivalence Principle for antimatter. Detection will be undertaken via a position sensitive detector. Around 103 antihydrogen atoms are needed for the gravitational measurement to be completed. The present status, current achievements and results will be presented, with special attention toward the laser excitation of positronium (Ps) to the n=3 state and the production of Ps atoms in the transmission geometry.

Positronium Confinement in Small Cavities: A Two-Particle Model for the Lowering of Contact Density

Positronium (Ps) is widely used as a probe for studying nanometric porosities in condensed matter. Accessible experimental measurements concern annihilation rates by pickoff processes and contact densities (the electron density at the positron position). Existing models for describing Ps properties in small cavities do not justify the lowering of the contact density with respect to that of Ps in vacuum, as found in most materials. We formulate a two-particle model in which only the electron is confined in the cavity, while the positron is moving freely and feels the medium via a positive work function. Our calculation fully explains experimental data for a large class of materials and suggests a way to gain information on pore sizes and positron work functions.

Positron annihilation spectroscopy: a new frontier for understanding nanoparticle-loaded polymer brushes

Nanoparticle-loaded polymer brushes are powerful tools for the development of innovative devices. However, their characterization is challenging and arrays of different techniques are typically required to gain sufficient insight. Here we demonstrate for the first time the suitability of positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) to investigate, with unprecedented detail and without making the least damage to samples, the physico-chemical changes experienced by pH-responsive polymer brushes after protonation and after loading of silver nanoparticles. One of the most important findings is the depth profiling of silver nanoparticles inside the brushes. These results open up a completely new way to understand the structure and behavior of such complex systems.

Polarization of positronium in amorphous polar polymers: a case study

The features of positronium in an amorphous copolymer (polyvinyl acetate-crotonic acid) in a range of temperatures including the glass transition were investigated by means of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. In particular, para-positronium lifetime was found to be longer than in a vacuum and to decrease with the temperature. This was attributed to the electron density at the positron (contact density), which is lower than in vacuo due to the presence of polar groups in the copolymer. A three quantum yield experiment confirmed the lifetime results.

Mesoporous materials for antihydrogen production

Antimatter is barely known by the chemist community and this article has the vocation to explain how antimatter, in particular antihydrogen, can be obtained, as well as to show how mesoporous materials could be used as a further improvement for the production of antimatter at very low temperatures (below 1 K). The first experiments with mesoporous materials highlighted in this review show very promising and exciting results. Mesoporous materials such as mesoporous silicon, mesoporous material films, pellets of MCM-41 and silica aerogel show remarkable features for antihydrogen formation. Yet, the characteristics for the best future mesoporous materials (e.g. pore sizes, pore connectivity, shape, surface chemistry) remain to be clearly identified. For now among the best candidates are pellets of MCM-41 and aerogel with pore sizes between 10 and 30 nm, possessing hydrophobic patches on their surface to avoid ice formation at low temperature. From a fundamental standpoint, antimatter experiments could help to shed light on open issues, such as the apparent asymmetry between matter and antimatter in our universe and the gravitational behaviour of antimatter. To this purpose, basic studies on antimatter are necessary and a convenient production of antimatter is required. It is exactly where mesoporous materials could be very useful.

Temperature dependence on free volume in cured natural rubber and styrene-butadiene rubber blends

A systematic study on the evolution of free volume as a function of the temperature in vulcanized at 433 K natural rubber (NR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) in 25-75, 50-50, 75-25 NR-SBR (percent content of pure NR and SBR, respectively) blends was studied by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. All samples were prepared with sulfur and TBBS (n-t-butyl-2-benzothiazole sulfenamide) as accelerator. The glass transition temperatures of the samples studied were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and from lifetime data. In general, a sigmoidal-like complex behavior of the long-lived lifetime component, linked to the nanohole free volume, as a function of the temperature was found. For SBR, the slope of the ortho-positronium lifetime against temperature curves could be well-fitted using a linear function. For blends and also for NR, two different linear functions were necessary. This last behavior is explained in terms of the supercooled process involving a reconfiguration of the elastomeric chains. In the case of blends, the state of cure of NR and SBR in each NR-SBR sample was also taken into account in the discussion of the results obtained. Besides, thermal expansion coefficients of the free volumes in the transition and glassy region of all compounds were estimated. The differences observed in the values of this parameter are discussed by taking into account the morphology and formulation of each blend, the crosslink densities, and the role of the interphases formed between both NR and SBR elastomers.

On the thermal expansion of nanohole free volume in perfluoropolyethers

To determine the free volume in polymers, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy data are transformed into nanohole volumes by modeling the cavities as spheres or, more generally, using geometries assuming an isotropic thermal expansion. However, this guess could be unrealistic owing to the irregular shape of nanoholes and constrained movements of the macromolecules. In this work, it is shown that a comparison of hole-lattice theory with positron and dilatometric data for a homologous series of perfluoropolyethers supplies information on the anisotropic expansion of nanoholes; the relation between volume and typical unconstrained size of the cavities can be expressed by a power law with noninteger exponents.