Positron annihilation: the ACAR method measures electron momentum distribution

When a positron annihilates with an electron, the energy is dissipated preferentially in the form of antiparallel 0.5 MeV γ-rays, whose angle and Doppler shift correlates with electron momentum density. The Geneva group has built a system which permits the precise and efficient measurement of the ACAR radiation. In ordinary metals, where independent particles methods (IPM) apply, there is often satisfactory agreement between measured and calculated Two Particle Momentum Distributions (TPMD). The same is true for the Fermi Surfaces which can be constructed from TPMD. The effect of correlations can be handled as perturbation. In the case of oxides we found so far no convincing agreement between theory and experiment. We are working to improve apparatus, experiment and theory and hope to understand also our results in High Temperature Superconductors (High Tc Sc)