This article presents an overview of current understanding of the interaction of low-energy positrons with molecules with emphasis on resonances, positron attachment, and annihilation. Measurements of annihilation rates resolved as a function of positron energy reveal the presence of vibrational Feshbach resonances ͑VFRs͒ for many polyatomic molecules. These resonances lead to strong enhancement of the annihilation rates. They also provide evidence that positrons bind to many molecular species. A quantitative theory of VFR-mediated attachment to small molecules is presented. It is tested successfully for selected molecules ͑e.g., methyl halides and methanol͒ where all modes couple to the positron continuum. Combination and overtone resonances are observed and their role is elucidated. Molecules that do not bind positrons and hence do not exhibit such resonances are discussed. In larger molecules, annihilation rates from VFR far exceed those explicable on the basis of single-mode resonances. These enhancements increase rapidly with the number of vibrational degrees of freedom, approximately as the fourth power of the number of atoms in the molecule. While the details are as yet unclear, intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution ͑IVR͒ to states that do not couple directly to the positron continuum appears to be responsible for these enhanced annihilation rates. In connection with IVR, experimental evidence indicates that inelastic positron escape channels are relatively rare. Downshifts of the VFR from the vibrational mode energies, obtained by measuring annihilate rates as a function of incident positron energy, have provided binding energies for 30 species. Their dependence upon molecular parameters and their relationship to positron-atom and positron-molecule binding-energy calculations are discussed. Feshbach resonances and positron binding to molecules are compared with the analogous electron-molecule ͑negative-ion͒ cases. The relationship of VFR-mediated annihilation to other phenomena such as Doppler broadening of the gamma-ray annihilation spectra, annihilation of thermalized positrons in gases, and annihilation-induced fragmentation of molecules is discussed. Possible areas for future theoretical and experimental investigation are also discussed.

This paper is a review of low-energy positron interactions with atoms and molecules. Processes of interest include elastic scattering, electronic and vibrational excitation, ionization, positronium formation and annihilation. An overview is presented of the currently available theoretical and experimental techniques to study these phenomena, including the use of trap-based positron beam sources to study collision processes with improved energy resolution. State-resolved measurements of electronic and vibrational excitation cross sections and measurement of annihilation rates in atoms and molecules as a function of incident positron energy are discussed. Where data are available, comparisons are made with analogous electron scattering cross sections. Resonance phenomena, common in electron scattering, appear to be less common in positron scattering. Possible exceptions include the sharp onsets of positron-impact electronic and vibrational excitation of selected molecules. Recent energy-resolved studies of positron annihilation in hydrocarbons containing more than a few carbon atoms provide direct evidence that vibrational Feshbach resonances underpin the anomalously large annihilation rates observed for many polyatomic species. We discuss open questions regarding this process in larger molecules, as well as positron annihilation in smaller molecules where the theoretical picture is less clear.

In recent years, there has been a wealth of new science involving low-energy antimatter (i.e., positrons and antiprotons) at energies ranging from 10 2 to less than 10 −3 eV. Much of this progress has been driven by the development of new plasma-based techniques to accumulate, manipulate and deliver antiparticles for specific applications. This article focuses on the advances made in this area using positrons. However many of the resulting techniques are relevant to antiprotons as well. An overview is presented of relevant theory of single-component plasmas in electromagnetic traps. Methods are described to produce intense sources of positrons and to efficiently slow the typically energetic particles thus produced. Techniques are described to trap positrons efficiently and to cool and compress the resulting positron gases and plasmas. Finally, the procedures developed to deliver tailored pulses and beams (e.g., in intense, short bursts, or as quasi-monoenergetic continuous beams) for specific applications are reviewed. The status of development in specific application areas is also reviewed. One example is the formation of antihydrogen atoms for fundamental physics [e.g., tests of invariance under charge conjugation, parity inversion and time reversal (the CPT theorem), and studies of the interaction of gravity with antimatter]. Other applications discussed include atomic and materials physics studies and study of the electron-positron many-body system, including both classical electron-positron plasmas and the complementary quantum system in the form of Bose-condensed gases of positronium atoms. Areas of future promise are also discussed. The review concludes with a brief summary and a list of outstanding challenges.

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levels which might have a significant role in the light shift of the 22p level due to the 1.06-/im laser field are 6s, 7s, Ad, and 5d. These are far from being resonantly coupled to the 22p level, at least 1700 cm" 1 away. Their relative positions are such that their combined effects are partially cancelled* A rough evaluation showed that under these conditions the 5d level, which is expected to be responsible for the largest effect, contributes to the shift of the 22p level an amount of approximately 3xl0" 3 MHz/ MW-cm' 2 . This is at least 4 orders of magnitude less than the measured shift, and is thus completely negligible, With respect to the shift Lv g of the ground state, since it cannot be measured alone the best procedure is to calculate it as carefully and precisely possible. A calculation based on Fig. 1 has been carried out. 6 The result is &v g = -26.3 MHz/MW-cm" 2 . The dashed line in Fig. 3 corresponds to the sum of the two calculated shifts Ai/ e + Ay g , whereas the straight line corresponds to a least-squares fit on the measured shifts. Agreement between experimental and theoretical results is satisfactory.To conclude, this experiment provides clear evidence for the shift of a Rydberg level, due to an intense and strongly nonresonant em field. It is of interest to note that in a pure quantum treat-PACS numbers: 52.55.Gb, 52.35.Py On the PDX tokamak, large-amplitude magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluctuations have been observed during plasma heating by injection of high-ment, radiative corrections can be interpreted as the sum of spontaneous and stimulated radiative corrections. The net effect of spontaneous radiative corrections due to vacuum fluctuations is well known to be responsible for the Lamb shift. In the same spirit, the light shifts which have been studied in our experiment can perhaps be viewed as resulting from the stimulated radiative corrections induced by an intense and nonresonant em field.We thank Professor CI. Cohen-Tannoudji for many helpful discussions concerning both the experiment and its interpretation. We are indebted to Dr. M. Aymar and Dr. M. Crance for their calculation of the shift of the ground state.Strong magnetohydrodynamic activity has been observed in PDX neutral-be am-heated discharges. It occurs for fi T q^ 0.045 and is associated with a significant loss of fast ions and a drop in neutron emission. As much as 20%~-40% of the beam heating power may be lost. The instability occurs in repetitive bursts of oscillations of ^ 1 msec duration at 1-6-msec intervals. The magnetohydrodynamic activity has been dubbed the "fishbone instability" from its characteristic signature on the Mirnov coils.