ISSN:
1089-7690
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
The magnetic quenching of the triplet state of positronium (o-Ps) has been studied in pure n-hexane at 294 K, by applying an external magnetic field. The measured annihilation parameters are characteristic of a normal second-order Zeeman effect and betray some slight expansion of the Ps wave function as compared to in vacuo. In the presence of nitrobenzene, which reacts with Ps to form a complex, very strong effects are observed, confirming previous experiments. The lifetime of the o-Ps (m=0) substate undergoes a drastic decrease, even at very low magnetic field strengths. A new approach to this unexpected phenomenon is proposed, involving the reversible formation of a weak complex between Ps and the solute. Various quantitative treatments are attempted to fit the data. As it seems, the data can only be described if one supposes that there is no spin reorientation during the reaction. In all cases, the derived fitting parameters are characteristic of the complex, therefore denoting that the field effect does not intrinsically depend on solute concentration.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.457116
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