Progress on a Positron Accumulation Experiment (PAX)

Positrons have exposed new phenomena in atomic physics, been used as the ingredients for the creation of anti-atoms, and proved to be valuable tools for a variety of material diagnostics; they also represent the limiting ingredient in the formation of an electron-positron pair plasma. These plasmas have been an object of theoretical inquiry for decades but have not yet been created in the laboratory. In recent years, key technological advancements have been made in such areas as the manipulation of non-neutral plasmas, the strength of positron sources, and the development of magnetic field configurations that can confine both non-neutral and quasi-neutral plasmas. By combining these elements, an experiment - currently being assembled - hopes to first accumulate unprecedented numbers of positrons (with potential applications to materials science, atomic physics, etc.) and then use them to fuel an electron-positron plasma (the world's first).