The use of running integrated difference curves for analysing momentum distributions from positron annihilation experiments

Abstract

In positron annihilation measurements it is often necessary to compare annihilation line shapes or angular distributions obtained from a single sample subjected to different experimental conditions, or from a range of samples subjected to different mechanical or metallurgical treatments. The difference of the normalised, distributions provides a convenient, easily visualised, and comprehensive summary of the experimental results. Changes in the shape of these difference curves can be shown to arise only when within the material under examination competition occurs between different types of positron trap. Some of the factors affecting the shape of these difference curves are discussed in terms of trapping model concepts. By using the running integrals of the difference curves (RID curves) a representation is obtained which is very little affected by the number of channels spanning the line, provided that there are enough, leads naturally to an optimised determination of the line shape parameterS, leads to the definition of a number of parameters related to the shape of the difference curve and has well defined statistical properties. Examples of RID curves show the range of shapes encountered, shape changes associated with competition between different types of positron trap, and artefact shapes associated with rate dependent effects in the detector and electronics.