Nonthermalized para-positronium (-Ps) in fluorinated polymers and silica glass

Kobayashi, Yoshinori*; Sato, Kiminori*; Yamawaki, Masato*; Michishio, Koji*; Oka, Toshitaka   ; Washio, Masakazu*

We discuss nonthermalized -positronium (-Ps) in fluorinated polymers [Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE), polyvinyl fluoride (PVF)], and silica glass based on the Tao-Eldrup model, which takes account of Ps captured at different energy levels. Comparison of the energy of -Ps estimated by positron annihilation age-momentum correlation (AMOC) with the calculation based on the Tao-Eldrup model reveals that -Ps increasingly occupies higher energy levels in the polymers as more hydrogen is substituted by fluorine. In silica glass consisting of silicon (heavier than fluorine) and oxygen only the contribution of the lowest excited levels may be significant. These results are qualitatively in line with the previous observation for the energy dissipation of -positronium (-Ps) in nanoporous silica films.