Calculations of the Probability of Positron Trapping by a Vacancy in a Metal and the Estimation of the Vacancy Contribution to the Work Function of Electrons and Positrons

Resumo

The probabilities of the localization of positrons in monovacancies of Al and Cu have been calculated as functions of the energy and temperature. The vacancy was simulated by a void with a radius equal to the radius of the Wigner—Seitz cell in the model of stable jellium. Using the Fermi—Dirac golden rule for transitions, the formula for the rate of positron trapping by a vacancy has been derived as the function of the positron energy. For the thermalized positrons, the rate of localization near the triple point proved to be, on the order of magnitude, close to the rate of annihilation. Within the framework of our previously proposed models, the contribution of vacancies to the work function of electrons and positrons has been demonstrated based on the example of Al. The physical situations where the vacancy effect can manifest have been considered.