Clifford M. Surko
Professor
Phone: 858 534 6880
E-mail: csurko@ucsd.edu
Ph.D. UC Berkeley, 1968
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 interested in using these collections of antimatter to study a number of scientific issues. We conducted the first studies of electron-positron plasmas. We have also conducted a number of precision, high-energy-resolution studies of the interaction of positrons with atoms and molecules. Current work is focusing on the binding of positrons to neutral matter and measurements of positron-molecule binding energies - an important element in developing a quantitative chemistry of matter and antimatter. Experiments to study positron interactions with freely suspended atomic clusters are in the planning stages.
In the area of antimatter technology, we are developing a positron beam with greatly improved energy resolution (potentially as small as 1 meV) and positron traps capable of storing > 10^10 positrons for days. A multicell trap, currently in the planning stages, is expected to extend antimatter storage capabilities by additional orders of magnitude.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
"Creation of a Monoenergetic Pulsed Positron Beam," S. J. Gilbert, et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 70, 1944 (1997).
"An Electron-Positron Beam-Plasma Experiment," R. G. Greaves and C. M. Surko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 3846 (1995); see also S. J. Gilbert et al., Phys. Plasmas 8, 4982 (2001).
“Excitation of Electronic States of Ar, H2, and N2 by Positron Impact,” J. P. Sullivan, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 073201 (2001).
“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).
“Emerging Physics and Technology of Antimatter Plasmas and Trap-Based Beams,” C. M. Surko and R. G. Greaves, Phys. Plasmas 11, 2333 (2004).
“Low-Energy Positron Interactions with Atoms and Molecules,” C. M. Surko, G. F. Gribakin, and S. J. Buckman, J. Phys. B 38, R57 (2005).
“Plasma Manipulation Techniques for Positron Storage in a Multicell Trap,” J. R. Danielson, T. R. Weber and C. M. Surko, Phys. Plasmas, 13, 123502, 1 (2006).
“Torque-Balanced High-Density Steady States of Single-Component Plasmas,” J. R. Danielson and C. M. Surko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 035001 (2005); see also Phys. Plasmas 13, 055706 (2006); and J. R. Danielson, C. M. Surko, and T. M. O’Neil, 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).
“Feshbach-resonance-mediated Annihilation in Small Molecules,” J. A. Young and C. M. Surko, Phys. Rev. A, 78, 032702 (2008); see also Phys. Rev. A 77, 052704 (2008)
“Creation of Finely Focused Particle Beams from Single-component Plasmas,” T. R. Weber, J. R. Danielson and C. M. Surko, Phys. Plasmas, 15, 012106 (2008).
©University of California, San Diego - Department of Physics 1998
Creation / Modification Date: February 1, 1999
