We are developing techniques to accumulate, store and manipulate large numbers of positrons and to make state-of-the-art cold positron beams - in essence, to make low-energy antimatter in the laboratory a reality. We are also use these collections of antimatter to study a number of scientific topics. We conducted the first study of electron-positron plasmas. We have also conducted a number precision, high-energy-resolution studies of the interaction of positrons with atoms and molecules. Recent work has provided the first experimental evidence that positrons bind to neutral matter and measurements of positron-molecule binding energies. Experiments on free atomic clusters are planned.

In the area of antimatter technology, we are developing a positron beam with 1 meV energy resolution and a new positron trap capable of storing = 10¹⁰ positrons for days. A multicell trap that we have designed is expected to extend antimatter storage capabilities by further orders of magnitude. A long-term goal of the research is the possibility of creating portable antimatter traps.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

		"An Electron-Positron Beam-Plasma Experiment," R. G. Greaves and C. M. Surko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 3846 (1995); also see S. J. Gilbert et al., Phys. Plasmas, 8, 4982 (2001).
		"Creation of a Monoenergetic Pulsed Positron Beam," S. J. Gilbert, et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 70, 1944 (1997).
		“Excitation of Molecular Vibrations by Positron Impact,” J. P. Sullivan, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 1494 (2001); also see J. P. Sullivan, et al., Phys. Rev. A 66, 042708 (2002).
		“Vibrational-Resonance Enhancement of Positron Annihilation in Molecules,” S. J. Gilbert et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 043201 (2002); also see L. D. Barnes, et al., Phys. Rev. A 67, 032706 (2003) and Phys. Rev. A 74, 012706 (2006).
		“Emerging Physics and Technology of Antimatter Plasmas and Trap-Based Beams,” C. M. Surko and R. G. Greaves, Phys. Plasmas 11, 2333 (2004).
		“Radial compression and torque-balanced steady states of single-component plasmas,” J. R. Danielson and C. M. Surko, Physics of Plasmas 13, 055706 (2006); also see J. R. Danielsn et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 135005 (2007).
		“Role of binding energy in Feshbach-resonant positron-molecule annihilation,” J. A. Young and C. M. Surko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 133201 (2007).
		“Extraction of Small-Diameter Beams from Single-Component Plasmas,” J. R. Danielson, T. R. Weber, and C. M. Surko, Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 081503 (2006); also see T. R. Weber et al., Phys. Plasmas 15, 012106 (2008).

Additional publications can be found here.