Resolvability of defect ensembles with positron annihilation studies

Recent advances in the use of positron annihilation to study defect ensembles in and on the surfaces of metals, are pointing the way towards studies where particular positron-electron annihilation modes may be identified and studied in the presence of one another. Although a great deal is understood about the annihilation of positrons in ostensibly defect free metals, much less is understood when the positron annihilates in complex defect systems such as liquid metals, amorphous solids, or at or near the vacuum-solid interface. In this paper the results of three experiments, all of which demonstrate means by which the authors can resolve various positron annihilation channels from one another, will be discussed. 7 references, 3 figures