Positron lifetimes and annihilation lineshape in Cd and au from 4.2 K to the melting points

Abstract

By means of an integrated source-specimen technique the temperature dependence of positron lifetimes and annihilation lineshapes has been measured, on the same specimens of gold and cadmium from 4.2K to the melting points, and also in electronirradiated and quenched gold. The anomalous temperature dependence of positron annihilation at intermediate temperatures (200 to 350 K in Cd, 270 to 750 K in Au) discovered by Lichtenberger, Schulte, and MacKenzie is confirmed. The data are incompatible with the idea that the intermediate temperature dependence is due to thermal expansion. They are well explained by an extension of the trapping model which includes the formation of metastable self-trapped positrons. From lineshape measurements after electron irradiation at 180 K and after quenching it is deduced that the trapping rate of positrons at vacancy-type defects in Au is temperature independent below room temperature.