Study of the positronium thermalization in porous materials

Omar Morandi; Paul-Antoine Hervieux; Giovanni Manfredi

doi:10.1140/epjd/e2014-40719-1

2021 Impact factor 1.611

Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Plasma Physics

Topical issue: Electron and Positron Induced Processes. Guest editors: Michael Brunger, Radu Campeanu, Masamitsu Hoshino, Oddur Ingólfsson, Paulo Limão-Vieira, Nigel Mason, Yasuyuki Nagashima and Hajime Tanuma

Eur. Phys. J. D (2014) 68: 84
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2014-40719-1

Regular Article

Study of the positronium thermalization in porous materials^*

Omar Morandi^a, Paul-Antoine Hervieux and Giovanni Manfredi

Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg and Labex NIE, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg, France

^a e-mail: omar.morandi@ipcms.unistra.fr

Received: 15 November 2013
Received in final form: 22 January 2014
Published online: 23 April 2014

Abstract

We simulate the thermalization process of a high energetic positronium gas trapped in a silica pore. The gas dynamics is reproduced by using a kinetic approach. Our approach includes the two-body scattering interaction and the exchange of energy between the atoms and the internal surface of the pore cavity. We discuss the formation of a quasi-equilibrium state induced by the fast internal thermalization of the gas and the evolution of the gas temperature. We estimate the time necessary to achieve the total thermalization of the gas. The reliability of our model is verified by comparing the numerical results with some experimental data.

Contribution to the Topical Issue “Electron and Positron Induced Processes”, edited by Michael Brunger, Radu Campeanu, Masamitsu Hoshino, Oddur Ingólfsson, Paulo Limão-Vieira, Nigel Mason, Yasuyuki Nagashima and Hajime Tanuma.

© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2014