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Updated: Jul 23, 2026

Molecular Beam Mass Spectrometry With Tunable Vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV) Synchrotron Radiation
Published on: October 30, 2012
Vibrational-resonance enhancement of positron annihilation in molecules
S J Gilbert1, L D Barnes, J P Sullivan
1Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, California 92093-0319, USA.
Abstract:
The rate of annihilation of low-energy positrons in many molecular gases is orders of magnitude larger than can be explained on the basis of simple collisions. Developments in positron beam technology have enabled the first energy-resolved measurements of this annihilation process. The results of these experiments provide direct evidence that the large observed values of annihilation rate are due to the excitation of long-lived vibrational resonances of the positron-molecule complex. These results are generally consistent with a recent theoretical model of resonant annihilation.
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