Spin conversion reaction of spin-correlated -positronium and radical in liquids

Hirade, Tetsuya  

The positrons injected in insulating materials make ionization at the end part of the track, forming excess electrons and radicals. When one of the excess electrons and the incident positron form positronium, the electron in the positronium and the unpaired electron in the radical have a spin correlation. By using this spin correlation, a quantum beat phenomenon that depends on the hyperfine coupling constant of the radical appears in the spin conversion reaction with the positronium. The spin-correlated radical and other radicals can be distinguished by a reaction using the positronium as a probe. It is possible to study the behavior of OH radicals in water and the state of cation radicals in room temperature ionic liquids.